Thinking about a cafe racer project, need some advice....

Hey all, my name is Warner and I'm new here. I've been thinking about doing a cafe racer project and I'm still considering different platforms to start with. Do I do a sportster based project? CB? KZ? Something else? I'm leaning towards an inline four, based on the cost and how I'd like it to perform when done. I carpool with a guy who has a late 70's LTD1000 that I may be able to pick up relatively inexpensively. I'm not sure if this would make a good starting point, based on the cruiser styling of the LTD. Does that matter much, or would it be a good option for a cafe racer project?

Let me know your thoughts and thanks!

Warner

Sportster. Ed

CB twins are mode cafe-ish with their shorter wheelbase than Kz-twins.

I wasn't even thinking about a twin.....I was thinking inline 4. I've seen some pretty nice builds using an inline 4.

Warner

I wouldn't get an Ltd as it will have a 16" Rear wheel. Of course, sometimes you have to take what you can get & I don't think it matters that much what you start with. A KZ400 or 440 would probably be the closest KZ for doing a cafe racer replica, since the original British versions were probably small displacement parallel Twins. Standard models, not Ltd.


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You can make a cool looking inline four, but from the front they just look like a big plow coming at you rather than a light-quick looking blade. The inline four lends itself to a more muscle-bike look.

Webbie1 wrote: I wasn't even thinking about a twin.....I was thinking inline 4. I've seen some pretty nice builds using an inline 4.

Warner

That's very odd. Real cafe racers were normally twins. I guess there have been 4 cylinder attempts, but the engines are simply too wide so the bikes always look like posers. For future reference, here's what a real cafe racer looks like. Ed

Maybe what I'm thinking of building isn't a classic cafe' bike. Maybe a muscle bike is the better terminology. Here's an inline 4 Honda that I saw and really like the look of. To me, it still looks like a cafe bike, but I will agree that it's way wider than a nimble little cafe bike. Maybe this is more a muscle bike....someone can correct me on the term if this one fits into a different category.

Warner

I don't know what one might call it, but I sure wouldn't call it a cafe bike (especially with it wearing those tires from a 1939 Buick :laugh: ) Ed

IMHO: inline four is as good for cafe-racer as any other motorcycle.

Like a smaller cafe bike, only fast? J/K

Warner

You can build a café bike out of just about anything if you have the skills but I agree with the others that the best café bikes are twins. It's not just the look it's also the vibe... In any case, a cruiser bike can be made to work and will probably be cheaper to acquire. Plus, you don't want to chop up a desirable bike (like a KZ!)
I used a Yamaha 650 Special which very few will miss. Before and after pics: