hello, i am new to the forum and still green in the restoration game. fixed up many a cb750 with my pop, but want to get into the superhawk. i have one and plenty of available parts, just wanted to know if anyone had a few tips on makin a cafe racer out of this beautiful machine.
cheers.
cafe racer tips
cafe racer tips
first do no harm?Not really an expert, but depending on condition of bike I'd say don't do anything that can't be undone to bring bike back to stock, and save the parts. I've got a funky rear fender suitable for chopping if interested, crunched at rear, front's ok. How about of pic of bike you're starting out with?
Your inspiration example looks pretty mild and reversable compared to lengths some guys go to. Steering yoke off an early (61?) model, and fancy seat could be expensive. I think a longer linkage for shifter will allow you to move pegs back easily. Steering damper off a CL, not sure it's necesssary. Why remove rotor/stator cover, it doesn't weigh that much. Speaking from experience, clutch cable routed outside tank will flap in the breeze, distracting. Search the forum and you'll find lots about cafe racers. I always thought "cafe racers" needed to be street legal, as the name implies it's more about looking good pulling up and parking outside a cafe than it is about racing. Evidently the definition has evolved over the years, unlike myself. --Lee
'62 CB77. "It's a rider."
See this thread for pics of my cafe' bike. Frame shaved, battery eliminator, borrani rims, cyb top clamp, clip on bars, pegs moved fully rearward etc. Pics are a bit old, some updates since last pics. Will update or do a new thread soon, as my buddy Deez cafe' is nearing completetion as well.
davomoto http://www.honda305.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2207
I was thinking of doing the steering damper thing too on my bike, but I think you might have to get the bolt for the lower triple tree machined, as I don't think it's available (not sure how they do it on a CL). The upper right motor mount has to be replaced, as that's where it mounts (that part is about $ 65.00). A real CYB steering damper is about $ 300.00 or more (don't know how it differs from a CL version), the seat might be as much as $ 1500.00, and I don't know about the CYB megaphones (if you wanted to go for authenticity), but you'd have to find them first. As far as the clutch cable goes, I have mine routed that way, and I don't find that it flaps in the breeze at all (I do have a guide down by the right side carb). Part of that is because I'm using Magura levers that don't have a perch for the mirrors (much cleaner, as I'm using a bar-end mirror on the left side), and also the cable works 'like butta' this way....definitely a two finger clutch because of the gentle bend.
Much of this cafe work - the aesthetic part, anyway - appears to be 'bolt on' or remove, so I can't imagine that it's a big deal, with maybe the exception of drilling the front hub....I don't know anything about the battery elimination. The price of some of those parts and actually finding them would be the only issue for me. That's one reason why I'm hesitating on the steering damper project for my bike.....plus I think I got enough crap on the bike already! Battery eliminator is just a computer grade capacitor, somewhere for the excess electricity to go. Deez got a 5 pack of them for $30 on Ebay. The CLs have a mount bolt built on to lower triple tree. The CYB stabilizer is the same as a stock CL damper. You do need the CYB top engine mount bolt to add one to a CB, and you can fashion a mount bolt and spacer for triple, though Honda did sell a CYB set up for front mount as well. I found a tool in my bicycle repair drawer, that fits the damper nut, and have sucessfully disassembled, replated with clear cad, and filled with Race Tech 2.5-5 weight oil. The damper feels great, no play as they all seem to aquire. Mt cafe was built from leftovers. I had a frame, 3 in fact, with no matching engine, motor cases, several, with no matching frame, plenty of spare hubs etc. The most exotic parts on mine are the CYB top triple clamp, an Ebay find, and the Borrani rims, another Ebay find, stainless steel spokes from Bucannons. Motor is basically stock, with the eception of Wiseco pistons. I took a lot of weight off of the bike, and improved performance and handling significantly. that said, it is not a comfrotable ride, and not very practicle. I have plent of comfortable and practicle bikes, so this was built as a mountain runner/exotic/ retro cafe' bike. I'll ad some recent pics soon.
davomoto
i like the way that davomoto has his, it is pretty sweet and thank you for the pics btw. it has really helped me find a direction in what i want to accomplish with this bike. i was thinking all black for the engine in a high gloss and flat black for the tank and frame. painting the chrome side piece for the tank red looks sharp and has sparked some thought, possibly high gloss black. i want this bike to be one of a kind and not just another junker with clip-on bars and call it a cafe. also if anyone has some tips on squeezing a couple extra ponies from her it would be much appreciated, because lets face it...its called a cafe RACER for a reason.
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