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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
I added a few new pictures to the website... http://tarmx.com/cafe-racer/ Enjoy, TARmx Crew
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1979 XS750 Cafe Ratter Project
Good luck with your build. Least you don't rewire everthing! Ha
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
It is always nice to here of father/son projects. My brother and I grew up helping our dad in our garage, and now many years later my dad is helping me build my first cafe bike. If ya'll ever need any help, you can always shoot us an email. Hopefully we will have the online store up very soon with the carbon parts.
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
DTS, PVA is polyvinyl alcohol. It acts like a thin coat of rubber between the part and the fiber. The main problem if that the part will always will never turn out perfect with it. I originally had plans to build a carbon fiber gas tank, just haven't had enough time to spend on it. I make all my molds out of aluminum. I haven't had much experience with clay. Roland Sands did something very similar with a KTM 530, where he kept the stock tank, and made a cover to fit over it. TARmx would be happy to make a tank cover and tail section for you, as well as other carbon pieces. The main thing to keep in mind with carbon, is that "playing" around with it can get quite costly. With my brother being a factory mechanic, I am fortunate to have access to many one off pieces that most do not get to see. Tarmx will be debuting a few carbon parts for select riders at the Redbull Loretta Lynn's Amateur National motocross in a few days. Let us know any way we can help you. I appreciate you keeping up with our build.
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
Until then, I'll have to ride the KTM.... which is orange as well ha
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
Thank ya. Hopefully it will be done soon. My goal is by the end of Aug. to be completely done and plated.
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
This is what I had in mind, I am going to have #28 in white on the numberplates...
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
All of my molds are made of aluminum, I use multiple coats of Meguiars mold release wax. I try not to use PVA if I can help it. Once the mold is "broke in", the carbon will pop out pretty easy. My next build will be a RD400 (grew up racing 2-strokes), or taking a KTM 505, and doing something similar to what Roland Sands did to the KTM530, except I want to build the tank out of fiber. Good luck to your and your son on your build!
- rd400
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
Posted some new pictures and info to the blog...check it out. Thanks, Matt
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
Thanks!
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
I appreciate the help, this is my first blog (I hate that word). We are a dirt bike shop, so having a streetbike around is a bit different. But to answer your question 'Yes' the picture with the red tank is our 'mock up'. My original plan was to do the seatpan and tail section from aluminum, but decided on the carbon fiber instead. I'm stoked to update the site with the new pictures, and I can't believe during the process of building them, I never took any pictures.....must have been the epoxy fumes.
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
The final measure of any rider’s skill is the inverse ratio of his preferred Traveling Speed to the number of bad scars on his body. -Hunter S. Thompson Sacha, what do you think of my build so far?
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TARmx's 1981 XS400 Cafe Racer
I do as well, It's interesting that I had been around dirt bikes my entire life and never heard of them. Fortunately for me, I read Hunter S. Thompson's "Sound of the Sausage Creature"....now I'm hooked.
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Hola
Appreciate the welcome DT.