options for side covers

[DesignBuild]

alright i ride an 82 cb750 SS and i am looking at fully changing it over to a cafe racer this fall, so i am gathering parts together.

the side covers i have on there now are in fine condition and everything but are more of a sporty look to them with sharp edges that go with the stock seat and everything (if you have the stock covers you know what im talking about). My question is does anyone know what other options i may have, like other years or models with rounded edges or aftermarket covers? on my local Craigslist there is a pair of cb550 covers for cheap, does anyone know if the mounting holes line up on these or any others that do, or all they all different.

Thanks.

[sjackson]

They probably won't line up. One thing you might want to consider is just making a one off out of fiberglass. Seems like a lot of work, but if you're going through the trouble of decking her out as a cafe racer, then a little custom fabrication won't hurt, and would actually make the bike more unique.

Another option would be to just use a flat oval with numbers on it for your side covers. The model year number would be cool. I've seen plenty of cafe bikes like that, and I actually like that race ready look. Carpy's done that on a lot of his:

[DesignBuild]

that's actually a cool idea, gives it a authentic racer look with the ovals. I've actually dabbled a bit with fiberglass in the past and even made my own seat (didn't like the final look though) so making some would be a viable option.

I was just looking for a cheap and easy alternative; i've seen that most aftermarkets ive found are too expensive anyways so i'll probably end up trying to fab my own. Too bad they won't line up though cause these are like 20.00 for the pair and they are local.
http://evansville.craigslist.org/mcy/1357620786.html

oh well though, thanks for the ideas.

[sjackson]

Well, it might be worth $20 to see if you could make them fit. You never know. But it's probably even cheaper to make a couple of sheet metal ovals and bolt them on.

[DesignBuild]

actually ive thought it might be a good buy just to use them as my molds for my own fiber ones, just change the mount locations when i lay the glass. good idea?

[sjackson]

yeah, definitely if that's the look you're going for. I've got this idea for a lost foam gas tank I want to make for another bike, but I'm having trouble figuring out in my mind how I'd attach the petcock and gas cap. All of the glass tanks I see for sale are way too expensive.

[DesignBuild]

lost foam eh, i've never tried any sort of casting before so good luck with that.

the gas cap would be tricky for sure, probably would want to avoid a threaded cap (imagine that would be hard to get right) I'd probably go with a bolt-in set up with a good gasket in place. the petcock is another challenge (maybe a bigger one) i haven't seen too many petcocks out there that don't use a nut and bolt style thread, so unless you mold in a port then thread it after the cast, i wouldn't know what route to take.

it's an interesting challenge though, let us know if you end up making it.