Design Variations - Alternate Concepts

I thought it might be a good idea to post more of my early designs. Each drawing not only explores a different look but also what I could achieve with a different budget. For instance, in these drawings I have retained the factory exhaust so that I could divert funds to buy a fairing, or pay for a paint job, or have a seat custom upholstered... who knows, I might yet change my mind and build one of these...

NYC Checkered Cab

This is one of my earliest drawings and dates back to December 2006. The paint job is a not-so-subtle play with a hot rod tradition of painting a car's firewall in a checker pattern, and when blended with a yellow paint scheme you get a checker cab. This design focussed on paint and not parts - nearly everything is stock with the exception of the side covers below the seat, the 'eyebrow' over the headlight, ribbed engine side cover and the stock tank gets black rubber kneepads. I think it looks silly, but it was worth a try!

Indy Racer

This drawing was also completed in December 2006 and is the only other design that I've considered in any seriousness as an alternative to my all silver/metallic scheme. The design is based on a 1954 Kurtis Kraft driven by Johnnie Parsons at the Indianapolis 500. This concept features stock exhaust (with exhaust tape) and the original gauges but otherwise introduces many of the custom parts that the silver design does.

The Grand Plan

These are the modifications that are going to be made to the stock Yamaha SR400:

1. Remove stock handlebars from on top of yoke and replace with clip-ons mounted to forks, retaining the levers but replacing the mirrors.
2. Replace hand grips (current bike has been retro fitted with heated grips).
3. Replace headlight, speedo and tacho with a 'vintage' headlight that has a recessed speedo. All gauge/indicator lighting is also replaced. This requires new headlight brackets.
   
4. Replace front mud guard with a shorter stainless version.
5. Replace turn indicators with smaller machined aluminium units.
6. Replace all cables and wiring with shorter versions
7. Replace exhaust with a stainless race type exhaust
8. Remove side covers, airbox and existing air filter and replace with a smaller K&N filter
9. Re-jet the carburetor
   
10. Introduce a metal battery mounting bracket
11. Replace rear mud guard and brake light with shorter stainless steel unit
12. Replace seat with 'ducktail' single
    
13. Replace petrol tank with a raw aluminium tank
14. Remove existing foot pegs (including pillion), brake lever and gear lever and replace with rear set units (moving feet up and back about 200mm).

SR400 Custom - BSA Style

After contemplating the design for a year, the final goal is a raw metallic cafe racer. All I needed was a silver framed SR to start the project...

This drawing (above) most accurately represents what I'm trying to do. I've updated my earlier drawing to include all the parts purchased for the project.

... and these are some of the earlier design variations that have explored more 'hot rod' themes.