Honda CB750 Cafe Racer Part 16 - Steel cowl & seat fabrication

Trying my first attempt on fabricating a steel rear cowl on the Honda CB750 Cafe Racer project. Turned out surprisingly ok. Goes to show if you try anything you might succeed.
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Filmed with Canon 70D
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With 18mm lens
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Mig Welder:
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[@bravethewildgaming8139]

Your videos keep me motivated to continue on my bike build. Keep it up! Looks great!

[@forthebold]

Thanks Kevin, my job is done if it motivates you ;)

[@markfoster6667]

Yet another fantastic video ! From using chopped foam to the authentic "shed built" cowl, you nailed it again !

[@StDuz]

If you don't want i to rust and still have a cool finish you can straight brush it and put clear coat on it, or just the clear coat. Because i think metal tank and metal cowl will tie the bike together more. Real good job at fabricating the cowl 10/10

[@forthebold]

Been looking at clear coats but they all seem to leak through eventually and rust finds a way, alternative would be a clear powder coat, not sure how the metal would react under that heat. There is an oil specially for these applications that we're going to try on the tank.

[@StDuz]

Give the different methods a try on test pieces and see which finish comes out the best =D

[@forthebold]

Absolutely, I'm all up for testing

[@outsidethelines8502]

Powder coating is usually around 400* f. shouldn't be hot enough to have any effect. Also curious to see if you attempt your own upholstery,

[@coozy100]

@@forthebold could use a gun oil like rem oil or any similar for bare steel. i dont know if thats common in uk. worth a try

[@CafeRacerGarage]

Amazing job brother, very impressed with how great a job you did, if you say it's not your strong point I would say you nailed it first go!

[@forthebold]

Cheers, yeah happy with that, I can see it rust in front of my eyes since I made it though

[@jdwhite2dw]

Love the 80s sci-fi music. LOL. The rear section on those CBs are so perfect for the rear cowl.

[@forthebold]

Had to be done

[@TimZZR2]

Fantastic work! A little tip, make sure you powder coat and paint last once all brackets and tail section etc.. is made, that way you won't scratch it and if anything needs changing your not redoing the frame :) keep it up great work.

[@forthebold]

Yes good point. I did put electrical tape around the frame where the cowl meets the frame in case it was to scratch.

[@BalkanMoto]

Thats awesome! Props for taking a chance with working with steel. Even though i had seen the sneak peaks on instagram I didn't expect this to be your first attempt at working with steel in that form. Its going to be another machine only for the bold for sure.

[@forthebold]

Thanks, glad you like it

[@benhawke7231]

That was actually pretty brilliant. I've never seen anyone do it that way. Looks pretty awesome. Now I know a new way rolling metal without the expensive rollers. You know.. if you can't get rid of a dent, make it look like it's supposed to be there. Add more dents.

[@skripez4088]

And keep it as it is! Brushed metal look all the way through!

[@benhawke7231]

@@skripez4088 Hells yeah👍

[@forthebold]

Yep, sheer luck and determination

[@whiteknightinblack]

nice job, that cowl looks pretty good, yes, maybe a few blemishes, but, for a first attempt, it came out awesome. and there is nothing like the satisfaction of doing it yourself instead of buying it. Great job and cheers

[@forthebold]

Absolutely, I now know if I was to do it again it would turn out better.

[@olrenison]

That looks great that does, especially considering your limited equipment for the job. Great work. The lines follow the tank nicely and the underside of the tank follows the kick of the tail too. Rad 👍👊

[@forthebold]

ah hadn't thought about the kick of the tail, I'll pretend that was intentional.

[@gr8reels]

That turned out incredibly well!! You just showed me that it can be done and done well. 👍🎬🎥

[@forthebold]

Thanks. Hope your planning is going well

[@gr8reels]

@@forthebold Yes, and thank you! We start restoring the CB400f in Nov. And hopefully by Feb will be full on with the CB750k. 👍🎬🎥. Very excited to see what you do with your CB750 and always enjoying your insight!! 👍🎬🎥

[@waynemartinez8620]

Very nicely done! Great job for your first attempt at metal work like that! Looks awesome!

[@forthebold]

Thanks

[@thecolorcypher7165]

this is awesome! I'm still trying to figure out a "better" cowl for my HDMC ELW, and want to do some more "mods" to it... once the warranty is up - I'd REALLY love to cafe/racer style it up! Thanks for the inspiring vid!

[@forthebold]

Glad I could help!

[@Gus-cg9yp]

Hi, that looks good, I love to work with steel and it's practice. used that foam to lift 2" my seat and it's great. Thanks for the video. Gus

[@forthebold]

It's good stuff, really firm too.

[@kevinwessel9196]

Thank you for the inspiration! Keeps my project moving

[@forthebold]

Keep on building

[@carltonolson6813]

I'm really impressed on how that turned out 👍👍love the look you guys are going for

[@forthebold]

Me too ha;)

[@MaxRebuilds]

That seat cowl turned out mega!! Dying to get stuck into my bike but never ending money pit with my car has halted progress

[@forthebold]

Cars, bikes, wives. All money pits ;)

[@TulsaMotoClub]

Dude! Way to freaking go! Looks great!

[@f100unibody9]

Very impressive job! Your welding as improved a lot from your earlier videos keep up the good work.👍

[@forthebold]

Complete fluke ;)

[@wemel007]

wow looks good!! it just follows the line of the bike perfectly in my opinion!

[@forthebold]

Thanks, glad you think so

[@Moto_Medics]

if you can find an electric turkey cutter at a thrift store it helps alot shaping foam for seats its one of those double blade things that kinda looks like a hedger u use for landscaping but smaller

[@forthebold]

Actually i think my parents might have one from the 90s still

[@Moto_Medics]

hell yea helps a lot especially for anything more than just vertical cuts as in; if you have to do more 3d shaping

[@earlebacciochi9796]

Great job from basic tools 👍. When the outer finish is complete. Will you use some form of waxoil internally to stop rust😀

[@forthebold]

When the outside is sealed I don't expect the inside to rust.

[@kyleniehaus1032]

Did you weld the rear cowl pieces together all from the the outside and then grind them down? Or was it a mixture of inside and outside welds that might have required some grinding? Thanks. Sorry if this question was already asked.

[@forthebold]

Yeah, I welded on the outside and ground them down, but I welded on the underside so that the outer visible edges were left as they were.

[@kyleniehaus1032]

@@forthebold Amazing. Awesome thank you, I am going to attempt a rear cowl for my build. Thanks for the insight.

[@privatetom]

Turning out to be a beauty. Was wondering what welder you used or suggest using ?

[@forthebold]

Thanks. I used MIG on this but I’d prefer to have a TIG

[@rcchurchy4417]

Feel like I'm back playing time crisis two with that sound track haha! Looking good buddy!

[@forthebold]

Feels good.

[@mrmutter793]

Very nice! And thumbs up for the music choice aswell! 👍

[@forthebold]

Glad you enjoyed the dramatic music.

[@londoncaferacer5816]

Seriously impressive. I was going to use the Dustin Kott method but I think this is better.

[@forthebold]

Wow, this is amazing to hear you think that.

[@alexanderlucas4713]

Awesome soundtrack again felt like I was watching Tron! 👍👍👍

[@Anshul1614]

I was looking for a way to make a removable seat cowl for my Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 X rear seat. What are the least amount of tools that I need for this?

[@forthebold]

Depends what materials you use, fibre glass? steel, aluminium?

[@Anshul1614]

@@forthebold Steel. The bike has a stock cafe racerish look, except for that bit. Which I really must have.

[@zeromystik]

Great video as always. You make it look so easy. I really wish I was more willing to just dive into a project. I want to fabricate my own seat too. Which approach do you find to be easier, fabricate the seat to the size of the frame modication? or vise versa, frabicate the seat first and then modify the frame to fit?

[@forthebold]

Depends on what you're given, I guess either way has it's advantages,

[@jaschirm]

what kind of steel were you using for that? is it the same material as the tank? is that the common way of going about this

[@forthebold]

it's 1mm steel, Aluminium is better but I have no way of welding it.

[@johncarlson1877]

John here to opine on the build. I feel that the seat cowling should be both taller and longer, perhaps a longer hoop and or shorter seat. They are uncomfortable but the absolute coolest looking bikes on the road. The cowl needs to be totally in line with the tank and I noticed that you didn't seem to go out of your war designing it and I wonder what it would have looked like if you had used photo shop. Not trying to be mean I love and respect what you are doing. Look at racer tv honda cb750 cafe racer dangerous cafe racer the sky blue bike as an exampke... peace.

[@forthebold]

Personally I think the cowl I've created is perfect and in proportion. Have you seen the final result on he Bike Shed video?. I'm a designer so my work is always visualised through photoshop first. I have to say I have a disliking to cowls that look too big and long as they look very old fashioned and out of date as I believe the way cafe racer building is heading now is more emphasis on the bulk which is the engine and the tank, and anything too big at the back is a distraction. I always like to make sure that the rear wheel pokes out enough beyond the rear cowl.

[@gonchyycenteno9412]

Felicitaciones, vengo siguiendo esta moto hace mucho!

[@forthebold]

Thanks

[@brendanhayes5565]

Well done mate great job cheers 🍻🇦🇺

[@forthebold]

Thanks

[@MegaKencam]

That turned out great. Just a little bit of body filler is all you need to made it perfect.

[@londoncaferacer5816]

What thickness of sheet metal did you use? Attempting mine today. I’ve got 1.5mm

[@forthebold]

I used 1mm. I would have probably gone 0.5. I did have a tough time with 1mm steel

[@scottdilalla]

Very Nice! What gauge steel did you use for the rear?

[@forthebold]

It was 1mm steel

[@alexcronin4082]

Wait wasn’t the original plan for the cowl to be a cover to go over the seat so they could have a passenger if they want? May have missed the change of plan in a previous video.

[@forthebold]

No, you're right, still will be interchangable, never intended it to be a cover but to be easily switched to a pillion passenger, still the aim, I'll be making a pillion attachment too

[@alexcronin4082]

For The Bold - dreegez awesome to hear, the cowl looks great. Can’t wait to have my own garage so I can give this a try. Keep up the great work.

[@forthebold]

Makes the world of difference to have a space to work.

[@john914]

Great job, it looks good.

[@forthebold]

Turned out well.

[@Dajjmen]

fan, I'm impressed, looks really good!

[@forthebold]

Ta

[@ni3walia315]

Cool man. U r a good fabricator .

[@forthebold]

Thanks

[@dr_suprar175]

solid job man, what is the dimention did you use for the cowl? (depth) thanks

[@forthebold]

I can’t remember as I don’t actually measure anything. I just do it by eye as I go along.

[@sevenity2677]

You done good! Making the metal malleable is what metal workers do. The science is to make the metal expand and well you did great! Look up Kott motorcycles on how he does his rear cowl.

[@forthebold]

Thanks, glad my A level science grade paid off ;)

[@dr_suprar175]

awesome build so far, keep it up, just wondering how long is your rear shock 14 , 14.5, 15 inch? thank you

[@forthebold]

Honestly can't remember off the bat, but they were identical to the originals

[@dennisjeffrey5453]

Amazing work man!!

[@forthebold]

Thanks

[@andrewsmith-zi7db]

Very nice job like it looking well I would make the tank line s better though don’t like how it dips down great content

[@forthebold]

That's the bit I really like about it, the dip, breaks it up a little from all the other pre 79 CBs

[@jishh]

VERY similar how i want mine to look!

[@forthebold]

I think yours will be easier with that brat kick you've got. It'll look good.

[@Bmlventura]

Doing the same on my zephyr 750, just literally shaped the brat seat this morning, open youtube and a nice inspiration! Thanks

[@jasperindermaur2435]

what seat dit you used on the suzuki gs550 i liked it very mutch and want to buy it myself so where and for how mutch did you bought it?

[@forthebold]

I think it was about £90. I got it from cafetacerseats.co.uk but it was modified after to fit

[@jasperindermaur2435]

@@forthebold okey thank you

[@armandoaceves3268]

Wow you can do everything

[@forthebold]

Only if I try.

[@saratchandra27]

tail part looks awesome, i am expecting a new model handle bar which is different from past bike.

[@forthebold]

You must have missed that video, clip on bars like the rest

[@johnbacuetes4069]

What gauge steel are you using for the pan/cowl?

[@forthebold]

It’s 1mm steel

[@serbulentozdemir2365]

Good idea! great! what s soundtrack name?

[@forthebold]

KZbin audio

[@leoleimgruber8148]

Awesome Craftmensship👍🏻

[@forthebold]

Ended up alright

[@leoleimgruber8148]

For The Bold - dreegez Not alright, this is really good for a man who has never done something like this before. Congratulations:)

[@isaacnemes4554]

What gauge of steel sheeting did you use?

[@forthebold]

I used 1mm steel but you can go thinner.

[@davesimpson85]

Got a link to where you got that foam? My new seat is the next stage.

[@forthebold]

efoam.co.uk

[@davesimpson85]

@@forthebold nice one. Cheers dude.

[@jidde8473]

Link for the foam?

[@johncarlson1877]

Sorry its racer tv CB 750 seven fifty by oficina das motor. The seat cowling and overall build is about the best rear I have seen now we all have to find how to fit a 180 by 55 rear rim and tire now that is some serious fabrication

[@forthebold]

Check out Hookie's CB750, the Black Swan, to me that's perfection in a 750, it's kept the original 79 DOHC fuel tank also.

[@Hamster2196]

May i ask what kind/thickness of steel sheets did you use?

[@forthebold]

I used 1mm steel

[@Hamster2196]

Thanks a lot! Good luck on your builds.

[@caferacer2661]

Good stuff. I've been watching your videos for months now, all very informative. One question - what thickness is the metal you used for cowl? Thanks!

[@forthebold]

Thanks, it's 1mm thick steel

[@rishabhsahu6102]

Looks amazing

[@forthebold]

Turned out ok

[@rishabhsahu6102]

@@forthebold is it possible to make subscribers bike build video ,cause there are lot of people who gets inspired from this channel

[@forthebold]

Like a review video you mean of a subscribers own motorcycle?

[@rishabhsahu6102]

@@forthebold yeah something like top ten subscribers builds or something like that

[@Pargolfr00]

What gauge did you use?

[@forthebold]

1mm

[@BenTV73]

I'd advise you to invest in a decent air saw. Cutting metal, plastic/composites & wood will be a lot easier with less wastage.

[@forthebold]

I wish I had the spare cash to.

[@BenTV73]

@@forthebold 20 quid on eBay hardly going to break the bank. Well done on the projects. Shame about all the adverts.

[@forthebold]

Adverts?

[@BenTV73]

@@forthebold yeah there are too many ads on your videos. KZbin taking the piss maybe?

[@forthebold]

Gets me more mullah to invest in these tools.

[@aqibali8685]

Superb friend

[@forthebold]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@armandoaceves3268]

Any ideas on how to make my Suzuki gs450?

[@forthebold]

Go with your soul

[@spymaine89]

well done , like it. think about raw metal. polish up a little. rub on boiled linseed oil , keep applying rub all off , it gets in pores. keep adding rub all off , see how you like the finish. it will polish to a great shine. never let dry , rub all off. ''DANGER'' rags will be highly flammable. used rags must be left outside on concrete to dry then dump. never leave even one hanging on plastic........reaction and fire.

[@forthebold]

Nice thought with linseed oil

[@dahlmasen3084]

I love how you always look like you just woke up in all your videos😂

[@forthebold]

It’s the look of having a 4 month old baby

[@dahlmasen3084]

For The Bold - dreegez Aaah! Somehow Ive missed that😂 Sorry😁

[@81craw]

Looks great 👍🏼

[@forthebold]

Ta

[@woodywoodpecker2708]

That cowl comes out nice. I think you'll regret painting it if you do.. Brush the steel and put a generous clear coat on it. Ties in the tank, will look killer. You give yourself way too little credit as a fabricator, it really looks nice.

[@forthebold]

Thanks, decisions to be made

[@rozainirazman3725]

that sheet metal sir. is that aluminum or steel sheet? what is the thickness? thank you

[@forthebold]

It's 1mm steel

[@rozainirazman3725]

@@forthebold thanks

[@Moon-magic109]

Bravo!!!subscribed!

[@forthebold]

Amazing, thanks for that.

[@skripez4088]

Wasn't this bike supposed to have a passanger seat aswell hidden under a cowl?

[@forthebold]

Nope, no hidden seat, just interchangeable cowl to seat.

[@skripez4088]

@@forthebold interesting solution!

[@hoppo1000]

You should try using aluminium it’s a lot easier to work with and have a go at hammer forming

[@forthebold]

Definitely. Unfortunately I don’t have anything to weld aluminium.

[@robleonard1113]

looking good mate, gives me the motivation I need to start a project!!

[@forthebold]

Thanks, DO IT

[@timonmarshall6588]

Should cut a hole in the front and use it for storage

[@forthebold]

Yeah surprised at the space it has

[@81craw]

Timon Marshall good idea . My mate has a tl1000r and you can store a bottle of wine and 4 can of beer in the rear cowl 😂

[@unseen1638]

Keep the cowl raw. Just put a clear coat on it. Looks dope

[@forthebold]

We'll see

[@arthur703]

👍

[@forthebold]

Thanks

[@pascaldesnoeck8671]

i thinking off a 125cc cafe racer to start with ass a new rider

[@forthebold]

Absolutely, a nice small engine to work on too

[@elsa5966]

que media esel latn

[@PanAshigaru]

Dude I don't know how you can work with a welder and a grinder next to all your bikes without covering them... what a mess!

[@forthebold]

Don’t worry. No bikes were harmed in the making of this video

[@elsa5966]

medida del laton

[@miguelfigueroa4983]

Elsa saavedra arce 1mm o 19G

[@romuloplaypubg6933]

ficou óooo uma boxta! Mas arte é assim fica horrivel antes de ficar bom... vamos ver no que vai dar pra dar as estrelinhas no final! Boa sorte! receba esse like motivacional!

[@forthebold]

The video of the Bike at the Bike Shed Show is up o the channel with the bike finished

[@Cave_Mouse]

@alecsteele

[@juanmartinez-tx7nf]

why he powder coated the frame if he isn't done modification on the bike

[@forthebold]

There has been a lot of modification on the frame

[@mikeford5106]

Unfortunately , you achived absolutely nothing by heating the sheet to the temp. you did, .....it would have to be RED HOT ! .... you would have been better bending it COLD over your knee.

[@forthebold]

It’s a 1mm sheet off steel. I can assure you trying to bend that over my knee would have been impossible.

[@jessekaleb]

First

[@forthebold]

Congrats