New CB Cafe project
 

Just picked this up off of Craigslist, it is a '76 750 since the ailing Morini won't be done in time for riding weather. Right now it is stock except for the MAC exhaust. Clubmans, bar-end mirrors, a new tail/seat combo and turn signals are on the short list. I must say it is one of the cleanest CBs I have ever seen--not a drip or leak anywhere, fires right up and runs smooth.





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As clean as that CB is I'd cafe it but not do anything that is not reversible. It will be more fun with light cafe mods, but put back in stock configuration when you tire of it will be much more valuable.

Nice find.

I'm gonna semi-replicate this out of an old beater Buell M2:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1205169375.jpg

here's a good resource: http://www.cb750cafe.com/

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Nice find! Always liked the 750 hondas!

Nice bike, but that seat looks out of proportion to the bike. but you are going to cafe it, so no worries there.

Excellent

I saw a guys Buell up close a couple weeks ago. Tube frame, big motor, lots of carbon fiber... I want one!

If you want a tuber buell (last built in 2002) they are cheap cheap cheap...nice ones can be had for $3500.00 or less...waaaaaay less. Sadly many are being snapped up to build mutant choppers using their motor wheels and forks.

If you are interested, see www.badweatherbikers.com classifieds.

Thanks for the recommendation. I've been looking for a 90's Duc SS, maybe an old CB, but really want to check out a Buell now. I need to find out what mod's he did, he was badass.

I have to admit that buell looks pretty bad@ss, but somehow I can't get past the fact that it has a Harley engine. ;):D

Eric, make sure to shoot some pics, as I get on a "build a cafe bike" every now and then. A local guy here often has various CB's for sale. I still have an '83 Nighthawk 650 that I bought in the mid 80's. I often think about tearing into it, but with the shaft drive and modern lights and speedo, it would take a bit too much effort and would never really look the part.

LOL...one of the things I love about my old school Buell tubers is that the crotch rocket crowd doesn't talk to you cuz its a harley and the harley crowd doesn't talk to you cuz its a crocth rocket:D

Seriously, they are fun oild bikes. In stock form they put out almost twice the power of a sporty and weigh 200+#s less. Plus they stop and corner well. They're loud, obnoxious, ground pounder hooligan bikes. TOTALLY impractical. They're visceral. They're the Shelby Cobra of the motorcycle world. The motors are sooooo simple: pushrods and 2 valves per cylinder A piston the size of a small block chebby. I use a big ol' Fram oil filter meant for a ford. You can work on 'em yourself with a $59 craftsman tool kit. Can you tell I love 'em.?

A friend summed it up best..he's a big Duc fan and road races a 919. At my urging he took my hot rod naked bike out for an afternoon. He came back shaking his head and with a grin said "That's the ANGRIEST damn motorcycle I've ever ridden."

Pretty much sums it up for me.:D

clip ons, bar end mirrors, maybe trim the rear fender. that's all it will take to have an ideal cafe style bike. no need to change it otherwise.

put good tires on it. that's the best performance mod you can do.

Hey Varmint...whaddya want for the M2 swingarm?

$100.

and i'll throw in a random buell surprise part at no extra charge.

$200 takes it all. act fast. i'm going shooting next month. and i'm sick of having this crap around my apartment.

Thanks for the replies. I just picked it up today and it is sitting in the bed of my truck right now.

Dueller, I have seen Carpy's site and bikes and that is the reason I decided to go with a CB--his machines are sweet. and all mods done will be reversible.

Kurt, yeah the seat has been recovered--they did a nice job, but definately not my cup of tea-- I am going to swap the entire tail out with a Carpy piece.

Tim, I will do a complete "before" and "after" photo series and post them here.

varmit, bars, mirrors, signals, tail section/seat/tailight are on the short list--velocity stacks are a maybe--it already has some cafe pieces as that was the previous owners' intent, but he ran out of time.

Looking forward to having it complete by the end of April.

Thanks Eric :)

Well, just ordered the first round of parts from Carpy...signals, grips, clubmans, new tailight, and the dunstall-style seat. I will take pics when parts arrive.

Carpy actually called me too, he needed to confirm a piece I was ordering--caught me by surprise--really nice guy to deal with--looking forward to getting the parts.SmileWavy

Great news, keep the pic's coming.

Nice find! I spent last weekend doing a little TLC work on my motorcycle (weather is getting nicer here for riding and given how gas prices are going, I think I'm going to opt to commute to the office on the m/c daily rather than in the 'benz). Anyway I just picked up a carb jet kit and synchronizer tool, all new filters & plugs and a set of feelers/shims for the valves. Thinking about getting a D&D exhaust - I think I'll pull the trigger today. Ahh, good times coming. I love bikes. Can't wait to get all that stuff done and go for a nice long ride to Vegas or Mammoth or someplace.

Rock on bro - ride safely!

Progress pics?

The parts delivered on Friday, but with the weekend holiday schedule, I was unable to do anything but check them out--I need to return (1) turn signal due to a chipped lens received during shipping, and Carpy threw in a free poster to boot. The seat pan is done really well, and today I ordered a set of SS brackets/hinges so the seat will be operable--most replacement Cafe seats are bolt-down fixed. I also ordered some chrome bar-end mirrors. I may not mount the rear seat this riding season, as the GF expressed an interest in riding with me this summer and the Cafe tail is a solo. I am going to sand/paint the tail, drill the fittings for the tailight, and have a foam pad/snap-down cover made by a local upholstery shop which I used to recover the morini seat. I have a getaway dinner this weekend, so I probably won't be able to make any progress untill next weekend, mounting the clubmans is the first priority--in the meantime tonight I will snap pics of the new parts and the bare bike as a "before".:)

A little inspiration with a stock reupholstered seat for the lil lady:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1206416661.jpg

I need to get one of these. There was a cb550 listed for cheap locally, wonder if it'll move my big a$$. I really like my vfr, but am looking for something with a little more character.

Keep the pic's coming, please.

heres my CB

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1206421349.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1206421397.jpg

Honda CB porn
 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1206426302.jpg
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Dayum, Jared...flip those clubman's over, a cafe seat and some rear sets and you're ready to go!

More from Carpy
 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1206427393.jpg
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Dueller,

Very nice pics. Here are the parts-


new tail/seat...the "dunstall" style form Carpy

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1206449285.jpg

clubmans....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1206449341.jpg

LED tailight/signals/grips


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1206449376.jpg

WOOOOHOOOOO!!!! Ok Eric...I'm inspired to get started on my budget Buell build. Whaddya say we do a cyber-biker build off?;)

OK, Eric...gotta give it up. What did you get done this weekend? I'll show you mine if you show me yours:D

Dueller,

Sorry, no work this past weekend, I was away at a Safari Club dinner. I did get the bike insured and will be plating it this week, so that is some positive progress. If I can get the O2 sensors replaced on the rover(all 4!) during the day saturday, I will be swapping out the bars for the clubmans--oh, and I did take the seat to the upholsterer, so it will be done in a week or 2.

In the meantime, let's see your pics!

Eric and Dueller - I also felt the need for a cafe bike. I let my motorcycle license expire years ago. I really haven’t ridden much after college, and I didn’t see a need for my MC endorsement when I didn’t even have a bike. During college I had a Yamaha 360 enduro (RT2?) that I mostly rode on the street.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/features/122_0606_adventure_touring/index.html
I always wanted the two cylinder, two cycle street version of my enduro – the RD350. Over the years, I’ve read how older street bikes are becoming more collectible, and the RD350’s and RD400’s were always mentioned. I just happen to come across this RD400 Daytona Special on Craigslist for very little money. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1207075761.jpg
The motor didn’t run, the tank was badly dented, and there was surface rust just beginning on the frame. However, it was largely intact, and had less than 9000 original miles. Perfect for a late winter/early spring rebuild, and it doesn’t take up much room in the garage. I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks, and you can see that I have made some progress already. I just finished installing new fork seals, tapered roller bearings in the steering, and bronze swing arm bushings. If the weather improves, I can paint the frame this week, and start re-assembling.
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Sweet little bike, Rex. I always loved the Yamaha 2stroke twins. Wasn't there a special edition Kenny Roberts (or someone of his era) Yamaha cafe bike?

Looks like you have a lot of good parts to start with. Keep us posted.

PS: I've been kinda suprised with the resurgence of cafe bikes. In the era of the ill handling chopper craze, I guess its because you can have something unique for not a lotta coin and still enjoy riding the things. One of the worst afternoons of my life was riding a raked, hardtail boutique chopper with the 300 rear and 120x21 front tired behemont. It beat me to death. Looked cool tho;)

You have seen this thread in here: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/322909-cafe-racer-thread.html?highlight=cafe+honda

I corresponded with Carpy about making a bike for me... he's a great guy, actually a lot of fun just to bullshyt and correspond with.

Dueller - I'm looking for a ~5000 2nd bike (currently a Guzzi and a BMW are ebay "watchlisted"). What would you rec. for a Buell. I'm 6'5" and 255#. Feel free to PM rather than (continue my) hijack!

JP

Originally posted by Jeff Hail:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1207081929.jpg

Four stroke Yamaha cafe from DEUS:


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1207081996.jpg

Check out the TZ250 in the gallery on their website: www.deus.com.au

Rex,

Sweet bike--keep us updated with pics as you progress

Dueller,

I agree with you in that it sems cafes have come back in a big way--just finding an affordable CB was a bit of a pain as it seems their values are steadily climbing--

But not as bad as my friends' 20,000+ Ironhorse which scrapes the frame on turns and is uncomfortable bike as one could imagine.

Eric,

One of your pictures shows an LED tail light and turn signals - I'm planning the same thing. I heard the old flashers won't work with the LED turn signals because they don't draw enough juice. Are you using a different flasher?

Slack...at your height, the Buell's, much less any bike may be a challenge;) Buells can be divided into two categories...the 2002 nad earlier tube frame models and the 2003 and later X series. Both are short wheelbase models with relatrively steep rakes making for canyon carving dreaqms. But the older tube frame models have a 55 inch wheel base making for a pretty compsct package. The 03 and later models are even shorter at 52 inches. That being said, the new Ulysses models have a peg/seat configuration that is relatively comfortable for taller riders. The early model (1996-1998) model lightenings are very agressives seating posotions that might be a bit cramped for you but not totally outta the questin. A more comfortable choice might be the M2 cyclone or the S2/S3 withh a higher bar/lower peg position might be more comfy for you. I've seen nice M2's going for less than $3K and nice s2/S3's for less than $4K. A lotta bike for the money and very unique.

Lurk around the Bad web for more input: www.badweatherbikers.com

Rex,

Per Carpy (where I purchased the pieces) there shouldn't be an issue with the LED and the original wiring components and flashers.

OK...I'll start, Eric. My buell project...

Her is my 97 M2 that's been neglected of late. Shown with the later bigger body work. Always thought it made the bike look "thick" in the middle

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1207459697.jpg

Field stripped quickly:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1207459747.jpg

Just because I'm going for an old school cafe look, doesn't mean you can't use some modern composite components. C/F rear fender, air cleaner, fly screen and V&H muffler. From my parts stash or picked on the cheap on ebay or the local clearance table at the HD dealer:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1207459973.jpg

Laying out some of the pieces to see the look/profile. gotta figure out how this seat can be made to work...


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1207460144.jpg


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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1207460284.jpg

Next up...finding the right bars/clip ons...sorry about the poor pics. trying to figure out stpdtr's camera.