The Mosquito!

Scott, what application are the rearsets for originally?

This is a really cool project. I don't think we see enough of the smaller displacement bikes here. Keep up the good work.

I found a blog that has all kinds of cool custom bikes. Thought you might get some inspiration for your project there: www.pipeburn.com/ If you get to about page number three, there are a lot of smaller bikes similar to your project.

This project is coming along nicely! Love all the pics:P

testarossa wrote: Scott, what application are the rearsets for originally?

This is a really cool project. I don't think we see enough of the smaller displacement bikes here. Keep up the good work.

I found a blog that has all kinds of cool custom bikes. Thought you might get some inspiration for your project there: www.pipeburn.com/ If you get to about page number three, there are a lot of smaller bikes similar to your project.

The rear sets are ebay specials. Probably Chinese or Taiwan or something. Only about $80, though, which is cheaper than I could piece together a set of Gixxer pegs, etc.

I'm glad you guys like the project. Sometimes I ask myself why I;m wasting my time on such a tiny bike, but it is pretty cool. Reminds me of a lot of the vintage racers, in a way.

Topper wrote:

scott s wrote: That's how my CB500 controls are. I've had mixed results painting them in. One set turned out great, the other...well, I'm redoing that set.

One trick is to load up the depressions with a little more paint than you need. Give it just a couple of minutes and then smear it off. The paint in the depressions stays and you can wipe off the paint that smeared across the body of the controls. You only have a short window of working time, though. I also use a sharpened toothpick to dab it in the dots, etc.

I'd love to see a tutorial on this somewhere. Ok, I'm done hijacking your thread. Sorry.

Not much of a tutorial other than to just give it a shot. Re-did the CB500 controls today and they came out OK. Go to your local hobby shop and get some very fine brushes. Don't be afraid to put just a bit more paint than you think you need in the groove/hole/depression, etc. Sometimes it will "well" up and spread itself out. Just let it dry and you're fine. Other times, you have to take a smooth shop rag or paper towel and swipe it across the depression gently. That wipes away paint above the surface and leaves it in the valley of the letter or whatever. Make sense? It's just trial and error. Try it on an old set. Or, worse case scenario, you just strip 'em down and start over. Model paint is cheap and Wal-Mart sells gloss black spray bombs for less than a buck a can.
I'll post some pics of the CB500 controls later.

harm wrote: This project is coming along nicely! Love all the pics:P

Thanks! Now, if I could just decide on a color.... :huh:

Ebay specials, do you remember what bike they are supposed to fit? Do they seem fairly sturdy? Have you tried to stand up on them yet? They look good from here. They're a long way from the original mounting spot.

Here ya go:
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CNC-Rearsets-uni...aefe08#ht_3852wt_937

They seem like they're way back, but they're actually about where the passenger pegs used to be...maybe a tad farther back.
They seem OK, especially for the price. Not the best, not the worst.

Thanks for the link!

Got the tabs for the side covers welded to the frame.


And some side covers fabbed up.

Looks like we might have to massage the rear edge of the covers just a bit, but they look pretty cool, huh?

Big update this time. Well, it seems big. We've done a lot of work, but the pictures don't show all the effort we've put into it lately. Trust me....Dad and I have spent HOURS in the garage on this thing lately.
We learned how to shorten cables, fabricate rear-set linkages, etc., etc.

We reunited the engine with the frame, to start....

For the brake linkage, we cut the stock pedal...


And welded a tab onto it so we could use the stock brake rod and brake light switch...


Hooked up the linkage and it works GREAT! Very firm and positive feel without have to move the pedal through a wide arc.