Honda GL500 Cafe Project

A project to practice design and creative vision

Project Description

Wanting to expand my experience from cars into motorcycles, I took on the challenge of transforming a 1982 Honda GL500 touring bike into a café racer. This independent project combined my interest in vehicle mechanics, problem-solving, and design improvement. My goal was to create a lighter, more efficient motorcycle with clean café racer lines while teaching myself new fabrication and rewiring skills.

I used SolidWorks to design specialized fittings and plan modifications, particularly for adjusting the bike’s stance with modified forks. In the shop, I relied heavily on welding, grinding, bending, and other metalworking techniques. The most significant modification was removing and rebuilding the bulky rear subframe to achieve a slimmer, more aggressive design. Other upgrades included replacing the handlebars, tuning the carburetors to work with pod filters after removing the stock airbox, and completely rewiring the electrical system to support modern components and a lithium battery.

Some of the biggest technical challenges included reshaping the seat and frame, which required welding and careful alignment, and redesigning the wiring harness for improved efficiency. Converting to a lithium battery also required a full electrical reconfiguration. A unique challenge was working with the GL500’s shaft drive system, which demanded custom design adjustments to integrate seamlessly into the new café-style geometry. I also taught myself fiberglass and resin work to create custom shells and compartments that complemented the overall design.

The build took about a month, with most design decisions made before installing parts in order to stay within a strict budget. By the end of the project, the motorcycle not only ran (it was non-functional when first acquired) but also looked radically different from its original touring form. Frame weight was reduced, handling was improved, and efficiency was boosted by the lithium battery upgrade.

This project gave me practical experience in vehicle design, welding, rewiring, suspension geometry, and composite fabrication. More importantly, it reinforced the balance between aesthetic design and mechanical function — building a machine that was not only visually appealing but also roadworthy. The bike is now in its final stages of completion, where I’m focusing on refining its visual flow and ensuring it is fully road legal.