Topic: Cafe Questions Thread

[savannahcafe]

looks good, what is it and what are the specs?

here is my project that will never be finished

my Ko and my GS projects

[paulages]

For you guys wanting to strat a Cafe build up.

Do yourselves a favor and try the drag bars first before buying a clubman or clip on handlebar set up.

The look is still really good, but it is a lot more comfortable.

i gotta disagree a little here-- low bars are not the most comfortable, no matter what, but i think drag bars put the wrists at an unnatural angle which hurts more than what clubmans or clip-ons do to your back. when i've ridden long rides with friends running straight or drag bars, they always complain about their wrists hurting. i thought clubmans were the most uncomfortable thing in the world...for about a week. then i got used to them.

[seaweb11]

i gotta disagree a little here-- low bars are not the most comfortable, no matter what, but i think drag bars put the wrists at an unnatural angle which hurts more than what clubmans or clip-ons do to your back. when i've ridden long rides with friends running straight or drag bars, they always complain about their wrists hurting. i thought clubmans were the most uncomfortable thing in the world...for about a week. then i got used to them.

  Rode for 2 1/2 weeks SanFran and return with mine 2 summers ago. "clubmans"      47years old this Sunday

[paulages]

i gotta disagree a little here-- low bars are not the most comfortable, no matter what, but i think drag bars put the wrists at an unnatural angle which hurts more than what clubmans or clip-ons do to your back. when i've ridden long rides with friends running straight or drag bars, they always complain about their wrists hurting. i thought clubmans were the most uncomfortable thing in the world...for about a week. then i got used to them.

  Rode for 2 1/2 weeks SanFran and return with mine 2 summers ago. "clubmans"      47years old this Sunday

my clip-ons are halfway between the trees..  took a little getting used to, but now i feel like i'm going fast, even when i'm not!  seriously though, i've done 12hr rides with the only real discomfort being my throttle wrist from a stiff throttle spring.

[754]

Seaweb..and they were ??

[Jim F]

looks good, what is it and what are the specs?

here is my project that will never be finished

my Ko and my GS projects

well the Honda has the usual stuff in the Engine. 836 kit, cam, ignition, CR,s coils but I have a complete Dunstall kit that I am working on (very slowly I might add) but will post more pictures as progress permits. I have another picture that I will post that shows the ARD magneto that i am going to run because if the cool factor only and a GL1000 front end. The naked bike is a 88 CBR 600 and the Suzuki is a 750/840 that is  another Dunstall project . I have posted that picture in paint shop so that I can go in and try differant painting designs.
So really a cafe bike is what YOU think it should be. Thats all

Jim

[White Nightmare]

For you guys wanting to strat a Cafe build up.

Do yourselves a favor and try the drag bars first before buying a clubman or clip on handlebar set up.

The look is still really good, but it is a lot more comfortable.

I have clip ons on my bike, but my seat and tank are pushed back 4 inches. With the rear sets, it makes it a lot more comfortable, but not really all that comfortable.

You also need to learn how to ride with lower bars. Do NOT lock your elbows when you ride. You will see a lot of guys on sport bikes doing this. If you elbows are locked like this, all the weight is now on the palms of your hands, and you don't really have that much control of your bike. Practice on keeping your elbows bent and holding yourself up with your stomach and lower back muscles. Cafe racers gas tanks are designed with a high back so you can use the back of the tank as leverage to hold you up at the hips. It makes a huge difference in comfort when riding. A stock tank is very low and rounded, there really isn't anything to lean into so a lot of you weight is going to be held up by your arms. The higher the bars, the less strain on your arms to hold you upright.

You'll change you mind on your build a few dozen times before you narrow down exactly what you want during your build. Go cheap to start with untill you get a better idea of what you want, you'll save buckets of money this way.

Be creative on your build. Why spend the big bucks on that "Cafe tail light" when a perfectly good trailer dual filiment raound tail light is availible at a fraction of the cost.

Think about the symtrics. The size of your tank is going to dictate the size of your seat. Balence is everything. Test fit with a friends parts, or build a foam core mock up and test fit, stand back and look at it, look at the front angle, back angle, sleep on it and look again. What looked good in the first 5 minutes may bug the crap out of you in an hour.


Don't discount the "rattle can" paint job. For a cafe bike, it may be exactly what you are looking for. If you are going to go big with the paint job, strip it down to the frame and really consider the frame color as it works with the tank, side convers, seat and fender/s. A lighter color frame really gives it a racer look.

Good luck with your project, take lots of pictures and keep us all updated.

Thats some great info matchanu. Ongoing information like this is gonna make this thread a great source for cafe info. Keep it up fellas.

-Chris

[FunJimmy]

Thats some great info matchanu. Ongoing information like this is gonna make this thread a great source for cafe info. Keep it up fellas.

-Chris

But this isn't the cafe racer how to modification thread. Based of the title of this thread, all this info will be lost in the depths of the sohc-4 site as all the other info has.

pitty

[KB02]

You'll change you mind on your build a few dozen times before you narrow down exactly what you want during your build. Go cheap to start with untill you get a better idea of what you want, you'll save buckets of money this way.

Be creative on your build. Why spend the big bucks on that "Cafe tail light" when a perfectly good trailer dual filament around tail light is available at a fraction of the cost.

+2 on this advice.

I have two bikes. My first one, a 76 F1 (see avatar); and my current project, a K8.
On my F1 it was my first time ever customizing a bike. Basically, I looked around at what other people had done and then took what I liked and started to modify. My F1 is basically a bolt-on cafe. There are very few parts that are not simply bolt-on additions. Clip ons, headlight ears, license plate holder... The only thing that was really fabricated was the seat. And that I simply started with a plan and went from there (no prior experience on building a seat.) The bike looks pretty cool and get a lot of looks. Rearsets are the next thing to go on to help with my back with those clip-ons.    The way this bike is set, any restorer could buy it and just bolt back on the correct parts and she's back to stock.

On the K8, I am talking my time, seeing what others have done, and taking the best that I can find to make it my own. This one will have frame mods. The engine will have been gone through. custom paint. lots of little extras and additions.

The F1, from someone else owning it to the way it sits right now, I've probably spent about $600-700 on it (If that much).
The K8 (which I got for free) I am planning on being into the engine alone for at least a Grand when it's done. THEN I'll start in on the rest of the bike.

[andy750]

Low bars do take some getting used to. I have tomesselli bars (like clubmans but more comfortable  ). When I first got them my wrist used to hurt after 50 miles but now that Im used to riding with them, I have no problem with the bars at all (more weight on the legs/feet). And as Paul said you feel fast even when you`re not! So true! Ive done 300 miles/day on my cafe and only "problem" I had was my Gulliari seat got me saddle sore after 200 miles...and my legs (Im 6`4 with stock pegs - couldnt take rearsets), cramped  up a little as well....nothing too bad but noticeable....

However, saying all that, the cafe K2 (CB750) is a LOT of fun to ride in the twisties or on the highway and the riding position makes a huge difference over stock (which I also like for touring).

Cheers
Andy

[kuyarico]

My advice is that you get the bike running well and address all of the safety issues before you start Cafe-izing. There is no sense in doing performance mods while your carbs are dirty, or if your chain is rusty. That way, it can be a rolling project at some point. If you intend for this bike to be your daily rider, pad the seat appropriately. I have a BCR seat which looks the business, but my arse can be quite sore after a 30+ mile commute on the bumpy Cleveland roads.

I agree with whoever said that this forum needs a Cafe FAQ. I would even go so far as to say that we need a section of our own. I know that there are purists out there who consider the Cafe thing to be a fad or a passing thing. I disagree. I believe that there is a growing number of Cafe enthusiasts out there and in here. For the most part, I agree with mikedialect regarding not cutting up a mint bike. I had mentioned something to xtalon about this when he posted his project. I have to say that I took back my comments when I saw where he was going with the project. Kudos x.

When you start your Cafe project, do not cut corners. Mods don't have to be expensive. But they should be done right.

[matchanu]

For you guys wanting to strat a Cafe build up.

Do yourselves a favor and try the drag bars first before buying a clubman or clip on handlebar set up.

The look is still really good, but it is a lot more comfortable.

i gotta disagree a little here-- low bars are not the most comfortable, no matter what, but i think drag bars put the wrists at an unnatural angle which hurts more than what clubmans or clip-ons do to your back. when i've ridden long rides with friends running straight or drag bars, they always complain about their wrists hurting. i thought clubmans were the most uncomfortable thing in the world...for about a week. then i got used to them.

Depends on the rider.

The tendon that runs on the outside of your arm from the hand to the forarm have been seperated on both sides. It's a common injury but I can't have my hands at the angle of standard handlebars. It is far more comfortable for me to have the bars almost completely parallel. My clip ons are that way.

In any case, drag bars keep you a bit more upright than clip ons or clubmans. There is less weight on your arms to keep you upright with drag bars, stock bars or raised bars would be even more comfortable on your arms, less so on your back.

The biggest problem people with low bars have is no one taught them how to ride with low bars and end up putting their entire upper body weight on their arms to hold them up. This puts a lot of strain on your wrists and palms, not to mention lossing a considerable amount of manuverablity when your elbows are locked out.

The trick is to keep your elbows in and bent. Use your stomach and lower back to hold your body upright, (this is were a high back angled gas tank comes in handy.) or at a race angle. There is far less strain on your arms, wrists and palms, and alows you a considerable amount of manuverablity on your bike. The bent elbow also alows you to cushion your rebound (shock absorber) on a bump rather than only absorbing a bump with the bike's shocks.

My back never hurts when I ride. It just takes a bit of practice.

Cafe racers, or sport bikes in general are not designed for comfort. They are purpose built to be manuverable and agile.


Moving you possision on the bike chaging not only the response to your front wheel, but the comfort in how you ride.

My seat is back 4-5 inches as is the tank (extended like the CR750). It changes to CG and takes some of the weight off of the front wheel, thus making it more responsive. Rear sets are a must if you do this.

Rider comfort and bars, bar angle, risers, etc.. are fairly personal to the rider and the way they want to ride. I'm only suggesting that if someone wants to build up a cafe bike, to borrow or ride a friends bike with as many sets of bars, rear sets, etc as possilbe before commiting to something.