1982 GL500 Café Racer Called Jinx

Right from the start, I had a vision for this build. The GL is not as forgiving a platform as the CX, with the bulky frame, but I was up for the challenge. Taking inspiration from Sacha Lakic's "BT-01" and Ugly Motors "Black Beauty". I wanted to blend the simplicity of the Black Beauty with the performance and modern feel of the BT-01. I like to think I was successful with that goal in this build.

With a set of Yamaha GSX-R 1000 front forks and a Honda CBR954 RR rear mono shock, the handling of this machine got a huge upgrade from stock, and the bike was given a more aggressive stance. I was sure to pay close attention to the geometry so it would handle like a modern sports bike. Complementing the stance with the seating position, new rear sets were custom-fitted to the GL frame to push the rider back in the seat, making the riding position more comfortable.

The frame was cleaned up to knock off the ugly seam welds, and the side panel mounting holes were all removed. The rear sub-frame was re-imagined with simple lines and an upswept tail. The tank position was modified to be more aggressive by moving it back and lowering the front. The paint features a subtle skull hidden in the matt stripe going down the center of the tank that disappears in certain light.

Up front, the bars and instrument cluster were cleaned up with clip-ons and Koso gauges. Tucked in tight and close is a custom LED headlight for a modern feel. Complementing the headlight is a set of bar-end LEDs and an integrated brake light with turn signals built into the frame hoop.

Shorty mufflers on the stock exhaust headers keep the look clean while providing adequate flow and an exhaust tone that rivals much larger twin-cylinder bikes. Speaking of flow, the carbs were re-jetted to match the new setup and fitted with a set of K&N pod filters.

The hump in the seat hides a Lithium-Ion battery and an M-unit bike controller, removing the need for a key, but replaced with the use of a mobile app. The ignition was upgraded with an electronic unit from Ray-san for more performance and no longer needing igniters. Along with the ignition, the charging system was upgraded with a Caltric stator and a new regulator rectifier from Rick's Electrics.

Seat upholstery by Brian Willingham @brianwillstitch_az

The seat completes the look with custom stitching by Brian Willingham.