Cafe Racers

Author
Discussion

Riff Raff

5,121 posts

196 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
gareth_r said:
gareth h said:
Picked this up a couple of weeks ago, genuine mk 1, always fancied one needs some work, plan is to make it rideable and then worry about the cosmetics.
(pic) (/pic)
One of the best-looking bikes ever. Especially head on. Proper "100mph standing still" design. smile

My MkII (bought new) is the only bike I regret selling.
I always lusted after one of its predecessors, an S3....


Mr Snap

2,364 posts

158 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
Riff Raff said:
I always lusted after one of its predecessors, an S3....

One of the best looking bikes ever.

gareth_r

5,735 posts

238 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
gareth h said:
gareth_r said:
One of the best-looking bikes ever. Especially head on. Proper "100mph standing still" design. smile

My MkII (bought new) is the only bike I regret selling.
I was shopping for a mk2 because mk1s were being advertised for silly money (and I had missed the boat on Jotas and bevel Ducatis), but this one came up on e bay at the right price because it needs some tlc, managed to contact the previous owner who had it for 16 years, most of the history is from the hard shoulder of various motorways, On one occasion he dismantled it into pieces large enough to fit into the back of an Audi A4 and continued his journey!
Still I like a challenge.
Mine would have been a Mk1 if they hadn't all been sold by the time I was buying.

To be honest, much as I like Ducatis (I had a Pantah and my brother owned a tweaked Sebring 350, a Darmah SS, and a Monster), I'd have the Guzzi. Not as exotic, but there's also something special about an 850 pushrod twin on (almost) inch and a half pumper carbs that is both flexible and revvy, and it's a lot easier to set the valve clearances on the Guzzi.

The only breakdown I had in 30-odd thousand miles was when the coil for the Lucas Rita ignition rotated and shorted out because I hadn't tightened the clamp enough (roadside fix), and the only failure was the UJ in the shaft drive (one of a bad batch).

gareth h

3,551 posts

231 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
Sounds like yours was built on a Monday morning and mine after a long Chianti lunch on Friday

rumpelstiltskin

2,805 posts

260 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
Here's a cracker,and it's only 4 grand!!rolleyesDoes a seat unit really add that much worth to this bike?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAFE-RACER-YAMAHA-FZ750-...

dinkel

Original Poster:

26,953 posts

259 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
Google shows King Tuts Tumb!


Chipchap

2,589 posts

198 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
gareth h said:
A couple more pics
(pic) (/pic)
(pic) (/pic)
The best part of that Guzzi for me is that the seat is still original. I have seen some horrendous looking seats on "restored" bikes.

Keep it out of the sun so that the seat survives. As for pipes you need LaFranconis on a Guzzi in black, the ones with the little extractors in them that look like fans.

see http://www.stein-dinse.biz/Moto-Guzzi/Exhaust-syst...

Lovely old bikes.

srob

11,616 posts

239 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
Give me a parallel twin caff racer from the 60s:



smile

Mr Snap

2,364 posts

158 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
srob said:
Give me a parallel twin caff racer from the 60s:



smile
I bet you wouldn't like them so much if Red Hermetite was still the only gasket compound available. How I used to hate that stuff, trying to get it off bodged casings on old Triumphs and BSA's..


Edited by Mr Snap on Friday 18th July 00:52

Mr Snap

2,364 posts

158 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
srob said:
Give me a parallel twin caff racer from the 60s:



smile
I bet you wouldn't like them so much if Red Hermetite was still the only gasket compound available. How I used to hate that stuff, trying to get it off bodged casings on old Triumphs and BSA's..


Edited by Mr Snap on Friday 18th July 00:53

RumpleFugly

2,377 posts

211 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
I'm in a JVB Moto Pantah kind of mood today yum


srob

11,616 posts

239 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
More my kinda caff...



smile

Yazza54

18,533 posts

182 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
srob said:
More my kinda caff...



smile
yikes

Your kinda caff is actually a caff!

Shock horror wink

BritishRacinGrin

24,712 posts

161 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
I love the Cafe Racer style, especially those based on classic British bikes or boxer BMWs- but wouldn't anybody over about 5'8" and 10 stone look a bit... apeish on one?

I'm dealing with my excessive girth but I can't do anything about the fact I'm 6' tall.

Merch131

813 posts

150 months

Sunday 20th July 2014
quotequote all
BritishRacinGrin said:
I love the Cafe Racer style, especially those based on classic British bikes or boxer BMWs- but wouldn't anybody over about 5'8" and 10 stone look a bit... apeish on one?

I'm dealing with my excessive girth but I can't do anything about the fact I'm 6' tall.
Not if you fitted bars/ pegs to suite.

dinkel

Original Poster:

26,953 posts

259 months

bogie

16,387 posts

273 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
I love the style, just not comfortable for me to ride these days

you can even cafe a raked out V-Rod smile


Dodd90

695 posts

164 months

Saturday 13th December 2014
quotequote all

Fishtigua

9,786 posts

196 months

Saturday 13th December 2014
quotequote all
My tongue was actually drooping from the side of my mouth looking at that.

Beaute.cloud9

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

256 months

Saturday 13th December 2014
quotequote all
Can someone explain why people are putting rear tyres onto the fronts of modern cafe racers, making the whole bike look clumsy and front heavy? It's clearly not some kind of retro styling as the pics of cafe racers from the 60's that I've found don't have huge front tyres.