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Good bikes to cafe?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Etchasketch
  • Start date Start date
E

Etchasketch

Guest
starting a list of good bikes to make cafes out of so i know what to look into.

input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
Some guy named Flaming chainsaws was doing a nice conversion of a GS450 until he got taken up int the rapture.

Pics may still be available is you do a search on his name.
It was looking very nice towards the end.
 
JEEPRUSTY said:
Some guy named Flaming chainsaws was doing a nice conversion of a GS450 until he got taken up int the rapture.

Pics may still be available is you do a search on his name.
It was looking very nice towards the end.
Click to expand...


Some were saying that very same thing about you a few days ago.

Any bike makes a good cafe.
 
For a proper Cafe, any parallel twin. For the closest look of a BSA, Norton or Trump, Id look at a XS 650. Ass load of premade bolt on parts and theyre far cheaper than anything for a GS. Course Im cafeing a GS 650 shaftie.
 
Xs650's are good candidates for the reasons stated above. Only problem is the initial cost- they are such a popular bike to modify that they are in demand.

Another great choice is the Honda cb/cl/sl 350. They are the most popular bike ever sold (plenty left) and Honda actually made them for racing. Factory mounts for a steering stabilizer, rare factory rear sets, and the early models (68 & 69) have a higher redline.
 
Any bike that is not in very good shape and no harm can be done by chopping it can make a good cafe.

Some good looking cafe bikes.

Honda CB750

CBcafe.jpg



Moto Guzzi

MotoGuzzi_CafeRacer.jpg



Norton

nortoncafe.jpg


Honda CB450R Dirtbike (I think this one is awesome)

cb450r5cafe.jpg



Even a Harley Sportster can be cafe'd with a nice result.

1200ccH-DSportsterCafeRacerSept2005001.jpg



Do you get my point? Anything with 2 wheels can be cafe'd. :cool:
 
Definitely a ++ on the Yammie XSs. The 650 is the classic blank slate for cafe and tracker builds but as mentioned, they have become so popular they are harder to come by and not cheap when you find them. The XS 400s in the late 70s early 80's are also a good platform but as TT states anything can be "cafed".

The only caveat I personally would put on it is that to be truer to form they should be twins rather than 4 bangers and the eighties "chopper" style bikes (like the L model GS series) don't really look right when done in that style.

Really whatever you do to a bike is a matter of personal choice and as long as the mods are safe and you like it go for it, just watch how much cash goes into it. These projects have away of sucking in all your spare change.....and then some.

When you figure out what you're going to do let us know.

Cheers,
spyug
 
spyug said:
Definitely a ++ on the Yammie XSs. The 650 is the classic blank slate for cafe and tracker builds but as mentioned, they have become so popular they are harder to come by and not cheap when you find them. The XS 400s in the late 70s early 80's are also a good platform but as TT states anything can be "cafed".
Click to expand...

I know an XS650 in Western NY that might be available.
 
cb750 or xs 400

cb750 or xs 400

As of right now im thinking of a cb750 as they are pretty readily accessible in my area. that or a yamaha xs400. I want it to be fast so i'm trying to take weight and power to weight into account. Might try to bore the cylinders too. change sprockets and chain for acceleration. Thoughts?
 
The CB750's are a very common cafe. SOHC, right? The duals are a little modern looking and have fewer available cafe-ish parts. If you do go with a 750, google Carpy.

Only bad thing about the 750's are that they weigh a LOT. I think then engine alone weighs over 200 pounds.
 
Etchasketch said:
As of right now im thinking of a cb750 as they are pretty readily accessible in my area. that or a yamaha xs400. I want it to be fast so i'm trying to take weight and power to weight into account. Might try to bore the cylinders too. change sprockets and chain for acceleration. Thoughts?
Click to expand...


You can do a lot more to a CB750 engine then a XS400. You can get cams, headers and 1000cc big bores.
http://www.m3racing.com/products/parts.html
 
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Ditto on the CB750 over the XS400.......to make a bike faster, you do a combination of increased power and decreased weight. It's fairly easy to reduce weight on an XS, but difficult to get much more power.

That being said, I enjoy my little XS400, I've gone through the usual chassis upgrades (bronze swingarm bushes, front end roller bearings, progressives, etc.), and a bit of a diet (starter pitched), but the motor.carbs are stock. Fun....
 
I had fun with this Norton 750 Atlas and this Triumph Trident in a Trackmaster frame.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/album.php?albumid=698&pictureid=4127

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/album.php?albumid=698&pictureid=4128

I put the Atlas together in the 70's and the Triumph in the 80's. The triumph has actual Ceriani forks and real magnesium wheels. sold them both in the 90's when I had a broken back and pregnant wife.

Nothing beats a Norton Featherbed frame for a cafe racer, I have seen them with Triumph, BSA, Vincent, and Honda 750 motors.

An RD350 or RD400 makes a nice cafe racer. I have this one. It still has the stock seat, because I want to actually put miles on it, but I'm looking for a replacement for short rides.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/album.php?albumid=704&pictureid=4137


A Cafe racer needs rearset foot pegs. I should probably loose the rack, but this is a replica of the bike I bought new and toured all over on. I bought a rack just like that one for camping gear. It also had that type of heads and pipes (DG). There are better pipes available now too, but those are what I bought back then.
 
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Accel

Accel

A stock honda cb750 does 0 - 60mph/0-100kph in 5 seconds, if you went -1 tooth on the front sprocket and +2 teeth on the rear how much would you expect that time to go down by?
 
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