Topic: Cafe Racer. Build or Buy? A philosophical question.

[GroovieGhoulie]

I've gotten bitten by the Cafe Racer bug and have a dilemma.

I've thought about contracting someone like Carpy, laying out my specs and then writing a check.  I thought I had it sorted, then it started to bug me: I would be buying my machine and I wouldn't have any sweat, blood or soul in it myself.

There's a helluva difference in paying for a turnkey machine versus riding around on the wheels that YOU wove yourself, the engine that YOU rebuilt, the bearings that YOU repacked and replaced, the suspension that YOU sorted out.  Anybody know what I mean?

I would certainly contract out the more difficult items like any tank welding/shaping (as I can't weld yet) and powdercoating, but I would do all assembly, sorting and polishing.  I would take it down to the frame, and rebuild it from the ground up into what I want.

Is this silly to want to do this?  The money saving is not an issue as I'm sure the false starts and screw-ups with my own build will equal (or exceed) any money saved in DIY labor.

Thoughts?

[SteveD CB500F]

I'd go with the "home build" route.  Just be sure that you understand what you are not good at!

Me - I wouldn't know where to start with a welder, but I can fab brackets and stuff (and did for the 500 in my avatar)

If you buy it, you'll never be satisfied.

If you build it, you'll never stop wondering at how it all hangs together!

[Objectionableone]

I say do that which you can - very high level of personal satisfaction with that approach.   Pay for what you can't - just like other areas of life. 

 

[dusterdude]

BUILD IT!!!!!!

[martini]

All I can say is if you are going to build it yourself, which I think is great if you have the skills, have something else to ride while the work is going on. Nothing worse than spending the whole summer in the garage while all your buddies are out riding.

[GroovieGhoulie]

All I can say is if you are going to build it yourself, which I think is great if you have the skills, have something else to ride while the work is going on. Nothing worse than spending the whole summer in the garage while all your buddies are out riding.

That's a definite.

I MIGHT fall into a 500/550 that's been torn down and I think it would make a good cafe candidate.  If I don't, that's cool too.

Question:

Would the semi-rearsets from the 400F fit on the 500/550 frame?

[GroovieGhoulie]

Question:

Would the semi-rearsets from the 400F fit on the 500/550 frame?


Yup.   I have them on mine (500 frame, 550 motor) and after twidling with the seat location and tank length they end up quite comfortable. 

How do you have to twiddle the seat and tank?  I'm envisioning a flat CR750-style bump-seat bolted right to the frame, doing away with the factory hinge and latch, and recontouring the fuel tank with knee scallops.  Would such a setup work with the 400's rearsets?  I kinda like the scrunched up riding position, plus I'm young and limber, so comfort is a secondary issue.  I wouldn't be riding this thing cross-country anyway.

[seaweb11]

I am now on my second Honda restoration. My 1st was a 750 Cafe last winter. I had no Motorcycle mechanic background, sure I have worked on cars trucks and boats over the years but no real skills any one would hire me for!  Obviously you have to source out welding , some  painting and powder coating, but finding those guys is half the fun. They tend to become friends you would have otherwise never  met, and they share your vision. It is after all you who decides you need a bracket just like this with a little bend on the end.

I LOVE Carpys work, don’t get me wrong here, he did my seat, I copied some of his design ideas, and I just bought a set of shocks and gauge faces from him, but in the end it was my decision to use those parts and all the rest of the parts I located around the globe for the project.

If you have taken the carbs off and on 10 times, know how to re and re the clutch in a strangers garage in a hour fix your broken throttle cable on the side of the road, or can even figure out how to find that Honda guy in that town you are traveling through you will be better off in the long run.

I'm preaching to the masses I know, but the 1st few rides I took on my NEW RIDE, I couldn’t help but be amazed that I was tearing around WAY to fast on a machine that I Built!

  That’s the Zen of all this retro bike thing in the end.  I think knowing you built it is at least 90% of the enjoyment.

What are you going to say to the hundreds of people who “WILL” come up to you and say WOW, I love the polished engine, and tank design, that must have taken hours and hours. Your answer would be NO, I just wrote a check?

Carpy makes Beautiful bikes, find one you like and use it for ideas...........

P.S. I’m doing a 72 CL 350 for my wife at present, found a machine shop that is putting new sleeves in the head today. I Didn’t even know what they were before today.

Good luck with what ever you decide

Ride and Smile.

[GroovieGhoulie]

Well, it's pretty well decided then.  I'm gonna build it.

Probably gonna have to be shipping out and in for lots of specialized parts because where I live unless you ride a Hardley or a new plastic donorcycle, no one will touch your bike with a 10-foot pole. 

[Gordon]

Probably gonna have to be shipping out and in for lots of specialized parts because where I live unless you ride a Hardley or a new plastic donorcycle, no one will touch your bike with a 10-foot pole. 

Yeah, but when you do happen to ride your bike up to the dealer's shop, yours will be the one that the mechanics come out to drool over.

[6pkrunner]

Build it yourself. Not only will you know what she's made of, it will really be yours.

[GroovieGhoulie]

Probably gonna have to be shipping out and in for lots of specialized parts because where I live unless you ride a Hardley or a new plastic donorcycle, no one will touch your bike with a 10-foot pole. 

Yeah, but when you do happen to ride your bike up to the dealer's shop, yours will be the one that the mechanics come out to drool over.

Lol!!

I HOPE!!! 

[ElCheapo]

While Carpy's bike are awesome he has no way of nailing the personal part of why you ride, not like you do. I say build your own. While his speedo faces are nice as well as his bikes - notice he killed the first digit in the odometer with the face obscuring it. An accident I will bet as we are all capable of these.

There is nothing more rewarding than building your own and riding it. I will be riding my own this spring. I was seriously considering messing with the K5 and turning it into the cafe monster from hell.

[cbjunkie]

550 -
i also am going with the SS tank for the longer squarer (?) look...not quite a racer tank, but poor man...

so - question - what did you do about fitting the seat pan? is the seat pan you use stock for your bike or did you have to get a SS seat?
you make it sound so easy - sliding the seat back and forth - what about the hinges and latch? do you just remove'em and weld on new brackets?

i have just gotten to where i can hold a wrench again, so last weekend i got some of my ebay goodies together and stripped off a bunch of the non-necessary stuff, put on the "new" tank, black drag bars etc...

if you squint you can see it starting to hunch down and look dirty...

[Phaedrus]

While I am late to the conversation, I would offer my opinion of doing it yourself.  Cafes are built, not bought.  However that is only my opinion.  But I do get a gush of pride every time I eye my bike.

[cbjunkie]

550 - sure! lifting beers is an itegral part of my physical therapy sessions...Drs. Bass, Warsteiner and Guiness have designed an intensive course for me on my road to recovery.

my dad rode "the tail" last year - he has some stories, and some nice photos, too - one of my favorite parts of the country.  not Knoxville, though...
always rains there for some reason.

as for the build/buy question...there really is no question in my mind...at least not for those of us still full of piss and vinegar enough to get a real rush (gush) out of the lovely feel of the thing, and for those who have the knowledge of a day's work well done, and something nice to show at the end it only makes it better.

and then we get to take a ride on it. aaaaaaaaaaaaghahahahahahahahahahahaha!

[mrbreeze]

I have to agree with Martini.If you tear your bike down too far and it won't be up for riding season,it would be a whole lot better to have another to ride while it's down.I just hate when one of my buds comes over to ride and I can't cause I'm in the middle of a bike project.I'm thinking of buying another one to go through and keep riding what I got.Then I will switch them out.

[Uncle Ernie]

Definitely other bikes. One bike took me 4 years, but 2 of those were collecting parts. The other part is, I hate wrenching. Get zero satisfaction. Necessary evil. Not politicall correct- sue me.