chrisf
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 06:33 PM |
|
|
Cafe Racer
Hi All:
Last winter, I asked this group what the best, old British bike was. I found a couple old bikes in my price range, my favorite was the BSA single.
That bike was in upstate NY, and try as might, could not get my father to ride the old girl 1200 miles to Texas.
Anyway, I ended up settling for a 1969 Honda CL350. Over the winter, I built her into a cafe racer. Here are some pics.
Linky to the build diary
I look forward to any feedback.
--Chris
PS This is the first bike I ever rode. Riding bikes is much scarier than driving the BEC Se7en!
|
|
|
|
|
big_wasa
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 06:53 PM |
|
|
 Love the style. 
|
|
|
ecosse
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 06:56 PM |
|
|
Bloody nice job, I like it
Cheers
Alex
|
|
|
pinto
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 07:07 PM |
|
|
Looks great
|
|
|
gezer
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 07:25 PM |
|
|
Thats naughty of you it reminds me of how old i am !!!!
i went to kirby lonsdale about 10 years ago and going past a cottage saw through the front window a triton parked in the front room next to the side
board, guess he had no swmbo
I'm to old to live and to young to die --- buggerit
|
|
|
blakep82
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 07:28 PM |
|
|
what does cafe racer mean?
cracking job though! nice one!
________________________
IVA manual link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1081997083
don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
|
|
|
gezer
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 07:37 PM |
|
|
Its a british bike style from the fifties and sixties, before they imported anything bigger than a 250 from japan ,
they used to congregate at the local greasy spoons with the bikes all parked up outside,
I'm to old to live and to young to die --- buggerit
|
|
|
TimC
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 07:54 PM |
|
|
I want one - lovely!
|
|
|
Gixer Indy
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 08:13 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
what does cafe racer mean?
cracking job though! nice one!
They used to race from one cafe to another or a set distance i think, didn't they sometimes put a record on the juke box and try a get back
before it ended??? The Ace cafe in London (where 5th Gear is based) used to be a biker hang out
Flat out til you see God, then BRAKE!
|
|
|
chrisf
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 08:27 PM |
|
|
Thanks gents. It was fun, cheap project. I aid $500 for the bike, then sold $500 worth of bits off it. My total out of pocket is around $500. Not too
bad really.
The café racers were hooligan bikers who raced from one café to the next. The goal was to ‘crack the ton’ or ‘ton up’, which meant to do 100 MPH.
It’s the café racer bike I like, not so much the lifestyle—though it is catching on in the US.
--Chris
|
|
|
thunderace
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 08:57 PM |
|
|
I LOVE THE BIKE ITS VERY VERY NICE JUST ONE THING I DIDNT LIKE WAS THE K&N AIRFILTERS.
(COULD YOU MAKE THEM BLACK AS IT WOULD BE MORE IN KEEPING WITH THE STYLE OF THE BIKE)
|
|
|
NeilP
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 09:01 PM |
|
|
And you have the roads (if not the speed limit  ) to enjoy it too - Superb job...
If you pay peanuts...
Mentale, yar? Yar, mentale!
Drive it like you stole it!
|
|
|
TimC
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 09:23 PM |
|
|
ok, who (like me) has been looking for such bikes on ebay?
|
|
|
chrisf
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 09:51 PM |
|
|
Hi Tim:
It is cheap to make these kinds of bikes youself. There are all sorts of diamond-in-the-roughs out there. Were I in your area, I would look closely at
old Ducatis.
This is what my bike started out like (Apologies for the big pic):
--Chris
|
|
|
RK
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 09:55 PM |
|
|
I got a Yamaha RD400 (the road going version of the 350 GP racer) up to 110 mph once. That was seriously scary. I was basically airborne. The bike
weighed next to nothing. Got a warning from the nice policeman who stopped me for - ahem - "speeding". THAT wouldn't happen
nowadays!
|
|
|
TimC
|
| posted on 10/9/07 at 09:59 PM |
|
|
I really do love it! Perhaps my next project will be a bike!?
On ebay at the moment:
|
|
|
02GF74
|
| posted on 11/9/07 at 07:45 AM |
|
|
very nice but why wrap the exhausts?!?!"!
|
|
|
Billbro
|
| posted on 11/9/07 at 09:01 AM |
|
|
.JPG)
Here's a pic of my cafe racer.
Bill.
|
|
|
skydivepaul
|
| posted on 11/9/07 at 11:06 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
very nice but why wrap the exhausts?!?!"!
so you dont burn your leg?
http://www.smartideasuk.com
http://www.smartmapping.co.uk
HD CCTV
3D design solutions and integration
IP security systems
access control systems
|
|
|
chrisf
|
| posted on 11/9/07 at 12:05 PM |
|
|
Hi:
That bike would make a good foundation, but keep looking. The RD400 mentioned about is one of the best beacuse of its lightweight and power. The
downside is that the exhaust creativity is limited because its a 2-stroke. That said, my next cafe racer will probably be a Yamaha 2-stroke.
The exhaust wrap is there so I don't burn the leg. It is a real skin saver. The look is not for everyone though...
[EDIT] Bill: I could not see your cafe.
--Chris
[Edited on 11/9/07 by chrisf]
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 11/9/07 at 02:53 PM |
|
|
Wow I like it I had no idea that this sort of thing could be done on such a budget. I have been thinking about a custom bike for a while. So as I have
no idea what’s involved what have you made your self and what is bought. Do you have any other in progress pictures?
|
|
|
chrisf
|
| posted on 11/9/07 at 02:57 PM |
|
|
Thanks for the comment. The entire build is documented here.
--Chris
|
|
|
