Author Topic: Cafe build hack jobs..... (Read 22762 times)

Jerry E. · « **on:** February 18, 2013, 01:19:32 AM »

I'e read on this forum about some members not liking Cafe racer builds, calling them mostly hack jobs. Never really got why some people were so down on them in general. I happen to be building one myself. That changed some this last wekend, when i went to my local bikeshow, and there were 3-4 "Cafe racer" builds that were entered. Either my expectations of what a cafe racer is are pretty high, I'm a little spoiled by some of the bikes from this forum, or there really are some hacks out there. Things like opening up the triangle area, but not cleaning up the mounting tabs, or even moving the electrics-just removing the covers. Putting a H-D Sporster 2up seat on a CB350 (it doesn't fit, by the way), and just generally not thinking the design thru (or much at all). If my bike ends up looking like any of these bikes I saw, I am going to put a match to it. I would not be seen riding such crap, and I would sure as hell not admit I built the thing. Is this the general thing other members see at bike shows in their area's? Waste of a good bike-better to restore than hack it up.

dave500 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2013, 01:30:39 AM »

it gets done to cars aswell,youll see some pretty rugged hot rods at shows,look past the pretty paint and dashboard full of expensive instruments.

andrewk · « **Reply #2 on:** February 18, 2013, 02:28:46 AM »

Some of the stuff I've seen... goodness. The thing is, I love a "can do" attitude, and I'd like to encourage people to build their own motorcycles and all, but good grief- there are some people that should be purchasing gasoline, let alone tools to work on a bike. DIY doesn't mean rabbit turd welds and rickety BS haphazardly affixed to the bike, ya know? Do it right or leave it alone.

stickman · « **Reply #3 on:** February 18, 2013, 03:57:18 AM »

+1 What He Said. Summed it up pretty well.

I can understand someone on a low budget making compromises to come up with
some reasonable transportation. Done it myself in a different time in my life. What gets me is where do they get the idea to carry that compromised, rattle canned, cosmetically challenged work of art to a bike show. The very first cafe I ever saw, when I did not know what a cafe racer was, impressed me as a make shift hybrid of bites of pieces from different models and manufacturers cobbled together for the purpose of completing the bike and making it functional. The overall impression was the owner/builder could not afford model matching parts, so he just bolted up whatever was laying around in the garage or could be cannabalized from the local junk yard. Definitely not impressed.

Don't get me wrong, there are some well thought out, mechanically safe, visually pleasing works of art out there. Some really, really nice cafe examples. Just not enough. Kinda like a novice seeing a Picaso for the first time, being convinced he can duplicate the work of art, brings home his 'paint by numbers kit' and begin HIS masterpiece. Ok, just don't take it to the art show I say. Stickman

Stretch · « **Reply #4 on:** February 18, 2013, 04:56:01 AM »

What gets in my craw is "One of a kind" or "tons of time and money"..... Most are done with only a hack saw and a set of sockets. To me, once you cut the frame you either have a keeper or a parts bike. Its rare that you find a buyer with the exact taste in "custom" work as you do with the pockets as deep as you want.

If its done well and with attention to detail then it's something I like to look at. If you do is remove the all the plastics, remove the front and rear fenders, cut the seat in half, turn the bars upside down and call it a cafe then I won't spend much time looking.

This is just my opinion.

Bailgang · « **Reply #5 on:** February 18, 2013, 06:40:13 AM »

The turn off for me is that I very seldom ever see a cafe build where the builder actually sat down to crunch the #'s to determine suspension geometry and how the mods they intend on doing will effect that geometry or hacking the frame to make a modern component fit without first determining whether or not they may actually be weakening the frame in order to make the component fit. What I see most often is builders installing modern components and crossing their fingers that it's actually an improvement because their main priority may be looks more so than function

I too have kicked the idea around of a cafe build but until the day comes that I feel I have a good understanding of suspension geometry then I'm not touching it nor would I buy a cafe bike unless I felt the builder knew what they were doing.

Stev-o · « **Reply #6 on:** February 18, 2013, 06:58:22 AM »

Yes, the cafe hack jobs are out there, I see them regularly.
Unfortunately we are spoiled by the custom builds on this or other forums and others don't match up. What irks me is the filthy cafe bikes I see, at least clean em up!

FrankenFrankenstuff · « **Reply #7 on:** February 18, 2013, 07:53:49 AM »

WTF? where are the pics? I want to see the flower pot fiberglass seat pan, the spray foam molding and the checkered shelf paper.....oh wait...this is the SOHC.net site and not "Do The Ton"........pardon...................wait, are there cafe hacks on this forum? Steve O will find them and put them in their place, but only after he has purchased all of their stock take offs in order to rebuild his growing armada of classics.

Stev-o · « **Reply #8 on:** February 18, 2013, 08:27:07 AM »

Yeah, I'll buy those take offs all day long! And yes, let's call em out and post pics of those hacks...

bjbuchanan · « **Reply #9 on:** February 18, 2013, 08:30:04 AM »

My problem with all the so called Cafe bikes is that most of them are bikes someone f**ked up good or did just stupid stuff to and now expect to get value back out of it because of the cafe craze. Crap bikes that would go for 400 now guys won't take under a grand for and then wonder why they don't sell

The same thing is with classic cars. A rust bucket crap 65 mustang coupe with no drivetrain won't get sold for less than like 1500 just because of those damn auctions.

madScientist · « **Reply #10 on:** February 18, 2013, 08:32:09 AM »

I call it "ambitious laziness." It's when someone has this great idea for a build and start in on it and then realize "oh gosh this is going to be a lot of work and money" and half assedly puts it back together.

I see it a lot when I sell car engines. To the point where, depending on how wild they want the motor, i have to ask what its going in and what they've done to compensate for the drastic change in power.

Not to get off on a tangent but I once had a guy come in and want me to build him a 500hp NA sbf. Gave him a quote of 6g which he didn't flinch at. Then I asked what it was going in. A 66 V-6 mustang. Still running 4bolt lugs, no suspension changes, single cylinder manual drum brakes, and no steering modifications. Told him to spend that money on making the handling changes THEN come back to me because i wasn't going to responsible for him killing himself...

bjbuchanan · « **Reply #11 on:** February 18, 2013, 08:37:26 AM »

^^^You see people try to do that all the time on old mustang forums. The 6 cylinder early coupes are the only thing you can actually get your hands on so people try to do that stuff. They get mounts for a v8 and then wonder why the nose is slammed to the ground and when you try to drive the wheel lugs keep breaking.

madScientist · « **Reply #12 on:** February 18, 2013, 08:44:05 AM »

Yeahp. There are TONS of them out there. I have a 66 coupe that was a true V8 car. I took him out in it to explain why he's got to account for these changes. I think i might have gotten him to soil himself too...

He was also planning on mating my engine up with a 67, non-rebuilt, stock C4 and stock rear end...There is no way they would have survived...

Anyways I hope my cafe build doesn't make it to this thread someday as a hack job :-D now i'm paranoid...

Xnavylfr · « **Reply #13 on:** February 18, 2013, 01:02:09 PM »

The same holds true in the CHOPPER world. Some people have NO idea what a GOOD looking M/C is. The entire bike has to FIT correctly or it looks like dung!!
It's kinda like buying a SUIT off the shelf form WALMART or having one TAILOR made to fit . They are both suits, but one makes YOU look like a MILLION bucks.
What ticks me off , are guys/gals that are convinced you HAVE ride AMERICAN and drive Japanese cars. Why you may ask yourself?? Because the Japanese cars are BETTER built and last longer and their M/Cs are built to look at and drip oil on the HEATED garage floors!!

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #14 on:** February 18, 2013, 02:02:14 PM »

Quote from: Bailgang on February 18, 2013, 06:40:13 AM

The turn off for me is that I very seldom ever see a cafe build where the builder actually sat down to crunch the #'s to determine suspension geometry and how the mods they intend on doing will effect that geometry or hacking the frame to make a modern component fit without first determining whether or not they may actually be weakening the frame in order to make the component fit. What I see most often is builders installing modern components and crossing their fingers that it's actually an improvement because their main priority may be looks more so than function
.

Exactly....

greenjeans · « **Reply #15 on:** February 18, 2013, 02:43:18 PM »

Usually, it all comes down to the level of "taste" that owner has. Checkers = bad taste. Sorry. Clubman bars installed upside down = bad taste.

Seems like 75% of the ones you see are pure aesthetics. No performance mods. That's what gets me. I'll pay $1000 for a rusty, neglected original,

but you start hacking or cutting on it, it better be badass and well though out.

Mr. Honda actually made a very beautiful machine, and while I do like some cafes (I have done a couple myself) I still find myself drooling over the
original bikes. Now that I've said that, I will cut up almost anything - except the early ones.

Roach Carver · « **Reply #16 on:** February 18, 2013, 02:52:24 PM »

Man, I am disapointed. I clicked on this hoping for piles of pictures of Fooked up bikes and all I see is a couple rats.

Stev-o · « **Reply #17 on:** February 18, 2013, 02:53:42 PM »

Stay on track, leave the cars and choppers where they are.

Ok, back on track, cafe hack job:
[not mine and sorry if it is yours!]

Roach Carver · « **Reply #18 on:** February 18, 2013, 03:07:47 PM »

I love that sprocket. Thats the magic stunter wheelie sprocket.

Rigid · « **Reply #19 on:** February 18, 2013, 03:13:58 PM »

Gonna be tougher than i thought find pics on the web of goober cafe's. started looking, got lost in some pics of cool mods and never got back to it.
I have some pics of cafe builds i have done but they ain't coming here for abuse. Lol.

toytuff · « **Reply #20 on:** February 18, 2013, 03:20:37 PM »

Quote from: roach carver on February 18, 2013, 03:07:47 PM

I love that sprocket. Thats the magic stunter wheelie sprocket.

That's an early CT model that did have two sprockets.

tt

toytuff · « **Reply #21 on:** February 18, 2013, 03:21:31 PM »

Quote from: Stev-o on February 18, 2013, 02:53:42 PM

Stay on track, leave the cars and choppers where they are.

Ok, back on track, cafe hack job:
[not mine and sorry if it is yours!]

Now that's funny!

Is it for sale?

tt

Roach Carver · « **Reply #22 on:** February 18, 2013, 03:23:27 PM »

Quote from: toytuff on February 18, 2013, 03:20:37 PM

Quote from: roach carver on February 18, 2013, 03:07:47 PM
I love that sprocket. Thats the magic stunter wheelie sprocket.

That's an early CT model that did have two sprockets.

tt

Right!, I now remember seeing one on CL a few years back. I guess one for woods and one for the road?

Really? · « **Reply #23 on:** February 18, 2013, 03:31:45 PM »

This is not a cafe but I call it a complete wreck. Not something I would ride or own. But each have their own opinion.

When it was born, it looked similar to this.

Rigid · « **Reply #24 on:** February 18, 2013, 03:45:51 PM »

Needs a new seat cover also.

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Author Topic: Cafe build hack jobs..... (Read 22762 times)