Austin Cafe Racer Blood, Sweat, Tears and Grease
Categories: cafe racer

I dig this tool.

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I bought it at Harbor Freight. An inexpensive Chinese made 4 inch angle grinder that I got for $16 bucks.

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My friend Clint would scold me for buying cheap chinese tools, but I love them.

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I never used one before, so I didn’t know what to expect in terms of safety, so I bought some $1.99 gloves, $1.99 googles, and some dust masks.

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My cafe seat came in last week and as I mocked it up I noticed there were two hooks that I needed to grind off so it could fit properly. I decided I wouldn’t post pics of the seat yet…. that’ll be for another post.

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The Honda CB550 has a second hook near the tank. I assume its another helmet hook. I can’t think of what else it could be.

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They pull off easy by bending them back and forth with a pair of pliers.

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I realized this is something that should have been done with the bike stripped down to the frame, something I didn’t plan on doing until this winter. I just covered the bike with a blue tarp. I didn’t know what to expect in terms of debris and sparks. Zero debris, lots of flying sparks. I had to put on a hat.

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Er… my first time…

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Hook by the tank.

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This winter I’ll have the frame sandblasted and powder coated. Until then I thought I’d better shoot the exposed metal with rust preventative primer. I don’t care about how it looks now. The seat will cover this.

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Not pretty, but no one will see this.