[sceaf3]

My '83 CB1100F streetfighter with euro only 750 body, F2 front end, F3 rear wheel, ported and polished, cams degreed, superbike bars, 8' Suzuki headlight, Dyna 2000, 39mm FCR flatsides, custom rearsets, Ohlins shocks, Sargent seat and Vance and Hines supersport exhaust.

Same bike (without correct tank) undergoing the addition of CBR954RR USD forks, trees, brakes and wheels, replacing the F2 assembly. Also getting a Wiseco big bore kit, Brembo radial master cylinder, new Corbin seat, HEL brake lines, Speilger fat bar and other goodies.

Hope you like it!

[Twincam]

She was one clean bike! Cant wait to see the end result. Keep up the good work

(Make sure you take photos at every stage.)

[sceaf3]

TC,
Thanks. You would not believe how easily the 954 front assembly was fitted to the 1100 steering neck. Everything fit, bearings, etc. The only "major" work was shortening the stem. The engine is ready to go back in after getting the Wiseco big bore kit, valve job, cam degreeing, and major porting to go with the 39mm flatsides. All that's left is polishing the covers.

[Twincam]

She is going to be one heck of a machine.

Am looking forward to it already - What made you want to streetfighter it even more?

[sceaf3]

Actually, the main reason I wanted to get rid of the F2 front end was that it is almost impossible to upgrade the brakes. The F2 rotors are mounted to the wheel differently than most bikes, and I thought the forks were just too skinny for the massive engine. The engine work was undertaken because I spun a rod bearing thanks to a prior careless reassembly by a local shop, which left red silicone floating around the inside of the engine. I may add back the bikini fairing. May.

[timcs]

Hi sceaf3,
I have a CB900F that is getting the 1050 Wiseco kit, ported and polished, CB1100F carbs, has the CB1100F rear swing arm chromed, all engine covers polished, etc.... now I am just looking to upgrade the rear wheel and complete front end - something similar to what you have done with your CB1100F. I have a good lead on ohlins shocks too, which will help at the rear end.

Any advice on which way to go for the front end - does the CBR929 front end fit relatively easily? Which rear wheel, etc?

Any advice gratefully received.

[fighter954rr]

Originally Posted by sceaf3

Actually, the main reason I wanted to get rid of the F2 front end was that it is almost impossible to upgrade the brakes. The F2 rotors are mounted to the wheel differently than most bikes, and I thought the forks were just too skinny for the massive engine. The engine work was undertaken because I spun a rod bearing thanks to a prior careless reassembly by a local shop, which left red silicone floating around the inside of the engine. I may add back the bikini fairing. May.

Sounds awesome man! keep us updated with pics!

[sceaf3]

timcs,
The 954 front end bolted up by just shortening the stem. I kept the oe swingarm. The 954 rear wheel (hub) is almost too wide for the swingarm. You will have to do some work on the carrier and take off the sprocket nuts and replace with bolts with heads that don't project as far out from the sprocket. Even with that done it is close, but works. I am running a 160/60 rear which is amost 8" wide because it is on a 6" rim not 4.5-5" which is the recommened rim size by Dunlop.
The big bore kit is so stong I had to go down 2 on the rear to keep the front wheel on the ground. The original gear ratio destroyed two clutches in rapid succession. I am going to a 'lock up' clutch like they use in drag racing. The best clutch plates to use are OEM. The aftermarket ones I burned up all have less friction material on the plates (they are segmented, the oe is solid). Ohlins rebuilt my shocks, revalved them and put on new springs for about $180, a good deal. I welcome any questions. I'm not finished with the bling yet, but here are two pics from the first day I rode after a 6 month project. The stock bike dyno'd at 98 hp; now we are at 140+. Stock it was a 11.3 quarter mile bike (according to '83 test reports).The guy who did the work is a former drag racer and he says we are way down into the 10's. I know its faster than my Aprilia RSV Mille, which is reported to be mid ten's.
sceaf3

[fighter954rr]

Very tidy, i like it alot how does it ride?... ever think of getting it in sf mag?...

[bladeracer]

Originally Posted by sceaf3

I am running a 160/60 rear which is amost 8" wide because it is on a 6" rim not 4.5-5" which is the recommened rim size by Dunlop.

If you have a 160/60 that's the same width as the wheel (the sidewalls must swell outwards to the rim) and still a tight fit why don't you run the correct tyre width for the wheel? A 190/50 or /55 is way narrower than eight inches.

[timcs]

Hi sceaf3,
Your bike sounds (and looks) awesome... I'll be posting pics as my build carries on. The mechanic building the engine thinks we'll be somewhere between 120 and 125hp; I'll have to dyno it after it's build to be sure. Thanks for the hints about the clutches and the gear ratios; it'll be fun to see if I can keep the front wheel on the ground once it's built

[timcs]

sceaf3 - I just noticed that you have a GL1000 in the background of one of the picks. Is that yours? I have a '79 GL1000 in blue that I am riding while the CB900F is being built - I was able to pick it up for $200 from a work buddy - it's a blast to ride.

[sceaf3]

I agree. I was trying to get by; the 160/60 is a brand new Qualifier. I will be moving to the proper size tire for the rim and, as you say, it should be more narrow than a stretched out 160.
Thanks,
sceaf3

[sceaf3]

Originally Posted by fighter954rr

Very tidy, i like it alot how does it ride?... ever think of getting it in sf mag?...

Thanks. During the entire build we were afraid the front ride height (frh) was going to be too short creating a steep rake and not enough trail. I had GMD take all the measurements before the conversion and will follow up to see what current specs are, but she rides great. Maybe a little, and I mean a little, twitchy at 120+,so maybe a damper is in order. Perfect in the corners, doesn't fall in, and doesn't try to stand up. Just takes a line and holds it, so I don't really expect the specs to be too far off, if they are, I will raise the frh by lengthing the fork internals or by having an extended fork cap machined, to allow the forks to be dropped down in the clamps a little. I went overboard on the master cylinder with a Brembo dual pivot 20 mm. Every article I read said 20 was too big and I would lose feel. Wrong. It is a one finger bike, two if you are in a hurry to stop. If you grab a handful, be ready for lockup, stoppie, or over the bars, whatever.
Thanks for the post.
sceaf3

[sceaf3]

Originally Posted by timcs

sceaf3 - I just noticed that you have a GL1000 in the background of one of the picks. Is that yours? I have a '79 GL1000 in blue that I am riding while the CB900F is being built - I was able to pick it up for $200 from a work buddy - it's a blast to ride.

No, it belongs to a customer of the shop that is doing the heavy lifting.
sceaf3

[sceaf3]

Good luck on your build. In addition to the Wiseco big bore kit, I have 39mm Keihen flatslides, degreed cams, mucho porting and a custom crank. She makes real nice sounds. Notice that the decals say 750F, a sleeper.
sceaf3

[fighter954rr]

Originally Posted by sceaf3

Thanks. During the entire build we were afraid the front ride height (frh) was going to be too short creating a steep rake and not enough trail. I had GMD take all the measurements before the conversion and will follow up to see what current specs are, but she rides great. Maybe a little, and I mean a little, twitchy at 120+,so maybe a damper is in order. Perfect in the corners, doesn't fall in, and doesn't try to stand up. Just takes a line and holds it, so I don't really expect the specs to be too far off, if they are, I will raise the frh by lengthing the fork internals or by having an extended fork cap machined, to allow the forks to be dropped down in the clamps a little. I went overboard on the master cylinder with a Brembo dual pivot 20 mm. Every article I read said 20 was too big and I would lose feel. Wrong. It is a one finger bike, two if you are in a hurry to stop. If you grab a handful, be ready for lockup, stoppie, or over the bars, whatever.
Thanks for the post.
sceaf3

sweet, the forks look good as they are, i dont think they need lengthening.. and if they ride good then why change?.... and yeah although my bikes a pretty standard bike still, i am despirately trying to find a damper! my wrists cant take much more!

[bladeracer]

Originally Posted by sceaf3

I went overboard on the master cylinder with a Brembo dual pivot 20 mm. Every article I read said 20 was too big and I would lose feel. Wrong. It is a one finger bike, two if you are in a hurry to stop. If you grab a handful, be ready for lockup, stoppie, or over the bars, whatever.

Your description perfectly describes the lack of feel you mentioned :-)
The bigger the bore the less force required but with a reduction in feel.
The smaller the bore the greater the feel but requiring more effort.

[sceaf3]

Originally Posted by bladeracer

Your description perfectly describes the lack of feel you mentioned :-)
The bigger the bore the less force required but with a reduction in feel.
The smaller the bore the greater the feel but requiring more effort.

Perhaps the bigger bore is causing the lever to be very sensitive, i.e. very easy to apply pressure. However, I do not feel that there is a loss of sensitivity with respect to modulation, which is what I think of as "feel". I agree the m/c is probably too big, but the previous non-radial factory F2 system (on a F2 front end) had no feeling, just hard as a brick. Thanks for your insight.
sceaf3

[fighter954rr]

Anything new to your build sceaf3?...

[sceaf3]

Fighter954RR,
Thanks for asking. I had to wait over 6 weeks to get my fatbar mounts from the UK, I also got a new billet top clamp from the same place. I waited several weeks for rearsets from Sweden, they turned out to be butt ugly so I went with a new set ot Gilles fully adjustable Titanium ones. They look great. I found a rear hugger (from a CB1300)from Powerbronze in the UK (carbon) which really fills in the space under the rear fender (the rear end is pretty high). I bought seven sets of mirrors on eBay try to find something to match the streetfighter look. I finally settled on small carbon fiber ones (not the ones in the attached photos) and had to make extenders to get them far enough out that I could see something other than my arm. Every part from a Honda, no matter how old, or new, has fit the bike with minor work. I have a new headlight from a GL1100, they are very scarce (all chrome housing), and I added a modern halogen bulb and a clear lense). The big bore kit made the bike a wheelie monster so I dropped 3 in the rear and she will still wheelie in fourth, and is now geared to make 170+ mph. A friend of mine, and the builder, who is a former 750F drag racer (low 9's in the 1980s) says he has had it to redline in top gear, but it had no speedometer at that time. Now I have an AceWell speedo with/tach/odo/oil temp/ clock/ turn signal indicators/ high beam indicator/total ride time/ neutral light/rpm limiter/ shift light etc. etc. in one 3x5" instrument. Getting rid of the old 1980s instruments really cleaned up the front end. The only thing that I think doesn't look quite right is the 954 front fender (carbon). I am going to paint the center portion to match the bike and hope that makes it look smaller and more a part of the bike. I am waiting on an Earl's oil cooler and carbon turn signals, then back to the powder coating shop and the dyno (looking for 145+ rwhp, up from 96 when dyno'ed stock) and I will be finished. That should be in about 2-3 weeks, max. At that time I will, of course, be posting many pictures, but attached are some pictures from about 3-5 weeks ago, they are not very good but they are large, so give them a while to load when you enlarge them. This is probably more info than you wanted, but I have been living this project everyday for 6 months.
Thanks again,
sceaf3

PS. Your 954 is hot (no pun intended).

[bladeracer]

Beautiful!

[sceaf3]

Bladeracer;
Thanks, I really needed that. This project has gone on for way longer than I thought and much more $ than I ever imagined.
Now that it is all coming together, it's nice to hear that others like the bike.
Check for "finished" pictures in about 2-3 weeks, along with a complete list of mods.
Attached is a "before" picture with F2 front end, F3 rear wheel and some odds and ends. Nice bike, but once the engine blew, it just seemed that the right thing to do was to fix the motor... and then keep on improving everything else.
I assume that everyone on this site understands that form of madness.
sceaf3

[bladeracer]

Originally Posted by sceaf3

I assume that everyone on this site understands that form of madness.

I had an all original '81 1100F although I put a full Megacycle system on it later. It's the bike I first started to do wheelies on :-)
I killed two engines. They're a very heavily modded CB750 motor for racing but they'd have been better redesigning it from the ground up to take double the power of the 750. There's a great picture of Wayne Gardner sideways on the RC Superbike that I want to blow up for the workshop wall.

I'm trying to sort out my workshops currently as I can barely move around them anymore. I counted nineteen bikes yesterday in various stages of assembly which is pretty ridiculous. I'm cleaning everything up so I can set up seperate areas dedicated to each bike so I can spend more time dicking with them and less time just trying to find them :-)

[sceaf3]

[quote]There's a great picture of Wayne Gardner sideways on the RC Superbike that I want to blow up for the workshop wall.[quote]


Bladeracer;
I really do need a copy of that picture for my shop. If you are able to blow it up or scan it let me know. My shop is the opposite of yours, beautiful, but not enough bikes. Look at my gallery and you'll see all the bikes I have let go in the last few years. It will never happen again!! It makes me angry (or sad) every time I think about it. Although I did add a nice 4 wheel trophy last month, a '75 Porsche Carrera Targa w/40,000 one owner miles. (At my age one also needs a ride that can't fall over). I'll post pictures of my shop when I do the photos of the finished 1100. I've spent a lot of effort on bike posters, pictures, etc., but I really like your picture.
sceaf3

[bladeracer]

[quote=sceaf3;804684][quote]There's a great picture of Wayne Gardner sideways on the RC Superbike that I want to blow up for the workshop wall.

Bladeracer;
I really do need a copy of that picture for my shop. If you are able to blow it up or scan it let me know. My shop is the opposite of yours, beautiful, but not enough bikes. Look at my gallery and you'll see all the bikes I have let go in the last few years. It will never happen again!! It makes me angry (or sad) every time I think about it. Although I did add a nice 4 wheel trophy last month, a '75 Porsche Carrera Targa w/40,000 one owner miles. (At my age one also needs a ride that can't fall over). I'll post pictures of my shop when I do the photos of the finished 1100. I've spent a lot of effort on bike posters, pictures, etc., but I really like your picture.
sceaf3

It's probably my all time favorite motorcycle pic. 1982 I'd guess it was. It's either an RB or RC. Just right-click the pic and Save-as to your desktop. Then you can print it yourself or take it to a print shop and have them print it at A3 or even bigger. I just had some of myself printed at A3 for the walls as well.
I'm not into cars at all (despite having six of them currently) but a 34 year-old one-owner Porshe is awesome.
I've never sold a bike but I have written one off, traded-one in and given three away. The CB11 and GSXR750J are the two I wish I still had.

[fighter954rr]

Originally Posted by sceaf3

Fighter954RR,
Thanks for asking. I had to wait over 6 weeks to get my fatbar mounts from the UK, I also got a new billet top clamp from the same place. I waited several weeks for rearsets from Sweden, they turned out to be butt ugly so I went with a new set ot Gilles fully adjustable Titanium ones. They look great. I found a rear hugger (from a CB1300)from Powerbronze in the UK (carbon) which really fills in the space under the rear fender (the rear end is pretty high). I bought seven sets of mirrors on eBay try to find something to match the streetfighter look. I finally settled on small carbon fiber ones (not the ones in the attached photos) and had to make extenders to get them far enough out that I could see something other than my arm. Every part from a Honda, no matter how old, or new, has fit the bike with minor work. I have a new headlight from a GL1100, they are very scarce (all chrome housing), and I added a modern halogen bulb and a clear lense). The big bore kit made the bike a wheelie monster so I dropped 3 in the rear and she will still wheelie in fourth, and is now geared to make 170+ mph. A friend of mine, and the builder, who is a former 750F drag racer (low 9's in the 1980s) says he has had it to redline in top gear, but it had no speedometer at that time. Now I have an AceWell speedo with/tach/odo/oil temp/ clock/ turn signal indicators/ high beam indicator/total ride time/ neutral light/rpm limiter/ shift light etc. etc. in one 3x5" instrument. Getting rid of the old 1980s instruments really cleaned up the front end. The only thing that I think doesn't look quite right is the 954 front fender (carbon). I am going to paint the center portion to match the bike and hope that makes it look smaller and more a part of the bike. I am waiting on an Earl's oil cooler and carbon turn signals, then back to the powder coating shop and the dyno (looking for 145+ rwhp, up from 96 when dyno'ed stock) and I will be finished. That should be in about 2-3 weeks, max. At that time I will, of course, be posting many pictures, but attached are some pictures from about 3-5 weeks ago, they are not very good but they are large, so give them a while to load when you enlarge them. This is probably more info than you wanted, but I have been living this project everyday for 6 months.
Thanks again,
sceaf3

PS. Your 954 is hot (no pun intended).

Fantastic! it really is rather beautiful, and by the sounds of things a bit quick too?! your right about the hugger, really works well... glad its going good mate! keep us posted

[mentor123]

sceaf3 I am from Bainbridge, Ga. I have a 83 1100F I would like to do some engine mods . Any mechanics or shops in this area you could recommend ? I want a lot more horsepower this one is the 3 rd 1100f I have owned . I have several bikes CB1100f is my favorite. I also have the aviation bug with four aircraft in my hanger.

[Gr1mm4]

Sweet bike you have there, really good example of a CB!

My friend was gonna scrap his Cb900, he seen this one and decided to get his roadworthy again.

[cbr1kfireblade]

absolutely the most beautiful restoration/fighter ive ever seen..AWESOME!!!