TOPIC:

What some folks today call a "cafe racer" is no where what a cafe racer really is. When I first got started in motorcycles, a cafe racer meant you copied a road race bike, but you made it street legal or close to it!!!!! The Brits had that part of the bike world pretty well covered back then. The early 70's the cafe racer craze hit the states. I also was hit by that bug as well. Back then your bike had to handle, brake, and corner better than a stock motorcycle. Looks were not as important as were the ability to have your bike be race track ready. I bet that 99% of these "creations" that folks build today and call them "cafe racers" would be damn right deadly if ridden fast let alone on a race track at speed!!!!

This Water Buffalo is a good example of what an old school cafe racer should look like. The fuel tank is a bit too big for my taste, but the rest of the bike is nicely done in my book.



Now to me this is THE ULTIMATE cafe racer bike bar none!!!!!!!

Well, enough of you got to me. I can't believe it. I'm going to leave it stock.....for now at least. I can't believe it, but you guys talked me into it.

Warner

You won't regret it. I'm waiting to find a junky KZP to turn into this.
Steve

SWest wrote: You won't regret it. I'm waiting to find a junky KZP to turn into this.
Steve

I listened, and realized that you guys are right. I'm man enough to admit it. Thanks for the intervention.

Warner

Black_n_chrome wrote: Cafés are all about taking what you got and making it what you want. Don't listen to the purists. I agree that small to mid displacement twins are the most traditional examples of a café racer, but that's because that's what the guys back then could get or had lying around.

I wanted to build one and the bike I found was a 1982 KZ750 twin. now it's a café bike and I love it.

A 4-cyl would be fun to ride but do understand the maintenance and repair costs are going to be considerably more than a twin as you have twice the carbs and cylinders.

Sportster cafés are sick af. Harleys hold their value better than most anything for one, the sportster tank is built to lay down on the way it humps up, and it's just a big, powerful bike to begin with. If you have the outlay to get a Harley that's what I'd do.

I just sold my sportster cafe....it was a Buell XB12Scg. Like a sportster, only fast with a killer chassis. 103hp and 82 ft lbs of torque, weight under 400 pounds. It was really a great bike....divorce forced that sale, but I got twice what I paid for it at least. 0-80 it was pretty good....almost on par with my liter sportbike. After 80, the liter bike would suck the paint off of it, but fun, nimble, torquey bike.

Warner

Move0ver wrote: The modern (dime-city-cycle) cafe racer image is what ends up giving us the unrideable art bikes from bikexif/pipeburn and a craigslist full of ruined bikes.
It's the next cool thing now that nobody cares about or can afford something from orange county choppers.

Trying to make a "race replica" (because at it's core, that's what a "cafe racer" is) out of a cruiser is just going to give you a bike that looks bad and rides even worse.

Play to the bikes strengths and you'll save money, save frustration, and wind up with a really cool daily rider.
For something like a vintage muscle bike here's what you need to do (after basic maintenance and service is complete)
-Racetech emulators and springs
-Hagon shocks
-Fork brace
-Braided brake lines
-Wheel bearings
-Stem bearings
-Good tires

That alone will make the bike much more enjoyable, safer, and more reliable. AND you'll see immediate improvements vs slapping a "brat" seat and mojave tank on it.

THIS was the post that finally made me change my mind. Your post really hit home with me and made me realize that you guys were right.

Warner

Dr. Gamma wrote: What some folks today call a "cafe racer" is no where what a cafe racer really is. When I first got started in motorcycles, a cafe racer meant you copied a road race bike, but you made it street legal or close to it!!!!! The Brits had that part of the bike world pretty well covered back then. The early 70's the cafe racer craze hit the states. I also was hit by that bug as well. Back then your bike had to handle, brake, and corner better than a stock motorcycle. Looks were not as important as were the ability to have your bike be race track ready. I bet that 99% of these "creations" that folks build today and call them "cafe racers" would be damn right deadly if ridden fast let alone on a race track at speed!!!!

That's it: power, handle,brakes, cornering. I could only add my own point of view for modern cafe-racers: now it's also a motorcycle for easily cutting through city traffic.

As for the base for custom, I completely agree with baldy110. There is no need to hack good motorcycle when one is about to change wheels, suspension, brakes and to overhaul engine.

However, as already noted, people tend to try to change the design of their motorcycles. And here I have to confess that I took a part in modification of scores of Kawasaki motorcycles all over the world. My only excuse is that cafe-racer kits I provide is reversible: in fact it take 10 minutes to install and no cutting involved:)



Norway:



Switzerland:



New Zealand:



France:

gazzz wrote: However, as already noted, people tend to try to change the design of their motorcycles. And here I have to confess that I took a part in modification of scores of Kawasaki motorcycles all over the world. My only excuse is that cafe-racer kits I provide is reversible: in fact it take 10 minutes to install and no cutting involved:)

Norway:

Switzerland:

New Zealand:

France:

Where can I see your kits?

Warner

Really? Show me how you change the paint back to the original stock Kawasaki paint in 10 minutes! I don't think so. Ed

gazzz wrote: As for the base for custom, I completely agree with baldy110. There is no need to hack good motorcycle when one is about to change wheels, suspension, brakes and to overhaul engine.

Although when these old KZ bikes can easily be had for $300 - $500 in nice shape, why start with a bucket of rust? The whole Café thing is in the eye of the beholder. In my case it just meant take a cheap bike that had a good base engine and braking system and visually pull it out of the 80's a bit. While mine isn't anywhere as nice as the ones that Gazz is picturing, it is similar in that nothing has been hacked up - just unbolted some stuff and bolted on some other stuff.

Oldjeep wrote:
........Although when these old KZ bikes can easily be had for $300 - $500 in nice shape, why start with a bucket of rust? ..........

I didn't see anyone suggest starting with a "bucket of rust." Ed