Cafe Racer

Looking for my next project and would love to build a cafe racer. Any
suggestions for the bike to start with? Thought about an SR500. Any other
ideas?
Thanks.

Scott

 

Triumph Thruxton, save yourself all the hassles

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 26 May 2005 09:16:47 GMT

depends what you want.

Is it mainly looks?

Do you want performance, if so what kind?

Singles are fun in the tight stuff, but not much fun in more open
country.

SRs are a cult bike, so there's bits for them but they are also
relatively expensive and hard to get.

Do you want a trad cafe racer, or something that isn't usual but also
isn't a clone of every other special out there?

What are your fabrication skills like, will you be doing this from
catalogues, or building/welding/fabricating the bits yourself?

Any aircooled non-beam-frame bike will work as a cafe racer. The trick
is finding or making suitable bits.

If you are doing it from a catalogue, then SRs have a lot of support.
If you are willing to make bits or get them made, then pick any air
cooled tube frame bike that you can get and like the look of the motor.

I still lust after Phil's CB450T post classic racer which is a top class
cafe bike - alloy Lyta tank, hand made alloy seat unit, hand made pipes,
factory copy race fairing, hand made tacho mount, lots of drilled
bracketry, uprated brakes... Makes your usual SR-based fibreglass from
moto tumbi bike look very ordinary But you have to be a good
fabricator to make something like that. (And have money, thos Lyta
tanks are easy $1500 if you can get one! He got his about 20 years ago
and moved it from bike to bike.)

Zebee

 

XS650 would be a good shot too.
Ever thought of a airhead BMW or coverting a Guzzi SP1?

www.teamincomplete.com Check out the project boxer....pure art. Also for
some ideas look up the website for the Ace Cafe in London. Their gallery
section is full of neat stuff.

Good luck.

JustAL

 

www.w650shop.de

has plenty of cool stuff if you are looking a w650 cafe racer

also have a look at

http://www.cb750cafe.com/

http://www.benjiescaferacer.com/home.html


google cafe racer gets a stack of stuff


are that mob in qld (i think) still going - hand build cafe racers i think ,
they had the really cool yellow guzzi cafe racer

 

How much work do you want to put into it

http://home.planet.nl/~eravenzw/xbr500/xbr500h.jpg

Saw one of these done up yrs ago in Shitney.. looked good

 

Still have that S50 Guzzi in the back yard, depends on height of rider - too
small for me.
Going cheap....

 

It's a little known spelling mistake <G>
Should have been V 50. (1980, small block)
<returns to lurk mode>

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 28 May 2005 07:14:37 GMT

Does it run?

John at Moto Ciclo is being flooded with smallblocks in all stages of
discontent. Seems the owners put 'em in a shed when Forcycle closed and
now there's another specialist, they are coming out again to get fixed
and running.

SHouldn't be too hard to cafe a V50, after all the factory did it.

Zebee

 

Running and currently registered.

Zebee Johnstone wrote in message ...

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 28 May 2005 05:52:31 GMT

So how cheap is cheap?

Not that I have room for another bike really, but V50s are lovely bikes
and it would be a neat little commuter... And a fanger, I've seen some
stunning V50 based specials.

Zebee

 

2k, as is, where is.

Zebee Johnstone wrote in message ...

 

Zebee asked first... so I'll give her first bite, but if you don't want
it Zebee I'll take it at that price and come and pick it up assumming...
where is it? and you? This all assumes you are somewhere on the East
coast or SA (WA and NT are a tad far


G-S

 

Melbourne, inner.
It's in backyard, I'm indoors <G>

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sun, 29 May 2005 01:57:01 +1000

No, I'm afraid I can't manage it. I just don't have the room.

So go for it! I think Moto Ciclo can put you on to the guy who did the
really stunning bodywork for smallblocks..

Zebee

 

I can pay and pick up Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday next week (or later
on, but midweek is easier for me than weekends), and during the day is
easier than evenings. Late afternoons is easier than evenings.

e-mail me at and we'll work out a time pls.

cheers

G-S

 

Now just HANG ON A MINUTE! You people will give ausmoto a bad rep
if you keep carrying on like this. What happened to "Three fiddy"?
Where's the "kickindanuts"? Who's gonna say "I can get it for half
that price elsewhere"? (No, wait, thatlast one is aus.ads.forsale).

"You've got to haggle" people![1]


GB, disgustified at the mature and proper behaviour that is creeping
into this group. And you call yourselves children! Sheesh!


[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/quotes [2]
[2] "How shall we **** off, O Lord? "

 

Jodie......JODie....... JODIE!! - GS is buying bikes again~~

Johno


Beer mate?

 

OI! I have it on good authority I (and most Guzzi owners) were weird
_before_ purchasing our Guzzi's


G-S

 

****! How am I supposed to get my young bloke a mini/small bike with
bastards like you around GS!