update x4 6/24/08 cx500 and cb750 almost done. Before and after pics added.
 

My dad just bought me a 1980 honda cx500 bike for $700. Less than 18k origional miles, origional tires and everything. It runs good, except that it needs a new choke cable or its a pain to srtart. This bike has an v-twin style engine, except that it sits sideways in the bike. Kinda cool. Right now the bike is ugly as ----. I hate how it looks with the gigantic seat and little wimpy tires, so those will get tossed quick.

Here is what it looks like now. (Not my bike, same thing almost exactly though)

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/5...0csubmils2.jpg

Ill be buying drag bars for the front end, and upgrade the brakes to a two piston caliper with braided steel lines up front. Dont know what to do about the drums in the rear yet.

This is the rear end ill be putting on it. Looks ten times better than stock. Just need a single seat. Non of this stuff is made exactly for this bike, but for a pretty close model. So im sure ill be doing some fabbing to get it to work right and look good.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2...9e1df46gz1.jpg

Different full bike view. I love the cafe racer look. Very cool IMO.

http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/622...e9e48cdqc2.jpg

So what do you think? I like it, and for the bike plus parts is under $1500 and its definetly not something you see every day.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

:6 :6
i always liked the cafe style of the older bikes....good luck....

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

Should be a fun project. Imagine it all flat black with a nice throaty exhaust.... mmm...

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

i love the look of those bikes, check out this website
http://www.cb750cafe.com/parts.php

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

my old man used to ride a yamaha rz350 two stroke. it was a pretty bad ass little bike

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

don't like it but not too bad

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

Yeah thats the site i have been checking out. Thats where im going to get the rear seatback from.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

I'm doing a cafe racer right now. I picked up a CM400T for 400 bones this past winter. I've been pulling as much off as possible. The sofa sized seat got majorly hacked up this weekend. Stock seatpan+rear fender+walmart fiberglass kit=gangster single person cafe seat. I hacked up the stock seatpan and welded the fender ontop of the seatpan and covered it in glass. I'm still sanding it down but overall I'm pretty happy. One, because I'm broke and I'm HMT to the fullest and two. I can't really afford the hundred or so they charge for the cafe racer style seats on ebay. I just have to mount on brake light and the licensce plate and it's road ready.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

post up some pics of that, i am considering doing the same thing with mine. i havent seen any cafe racer seats on ebay yet, but maybe ill take a look around there first.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

those older cafe bikes are wicked fun i had a 1981 kawasaki gpz550 for my first bike, it was good fun
and those cx500's sound wicked like a ducavison (ducati/harley davison)

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

Just do a search for "cafe racer seat" and it'll bring up a good dozen of them. All seem to range between 80-200. Only a very few come upholstered. I tried to make my own but it was horrible. Not to mention it was only 2 layers thick so it was super flimsy. At first I was gonna try was my next door neighboor did and just cut out some of the foam so it wouldn't be so bulky but that didn't work out. The cover was all wrinkled and ghetto looking. So I just went no holds barred and started chopping away. >:D This is where I'm at now.
before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...Picture031.jpg
now
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...n/DSCN0886.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...DSCN0887-1.jpg
next will be to ditch those nasty wheels and get some spokies!

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

Hey that looks pretty good. I think im either going to get a spare seat and try that or just go with a oem one. Check out this one, http://forums.fourtitude.com/zerothr...int&id=3250457 or this one http://cx500dcaferacerproject.pbwiki...Transformation. The second one is pretty much exactly what i want my bike to look like in the end. So $700 for the bike and $586 for misc parts and acc. Plus a little more for a clubman handlebars. I like the idea of just flipping the stock bars 180 to get the lower profile look, but if the clubmans can be had for another 15 or so, ill spring for them.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

I'm not feeling the bike in the first link. Not saying my bike is a work of art. I guess the radiator and shaftdrive setup just keep it from the cafe style. It's all about basics. I ripped out as much as I can to lose any weight. I ditched the stock airbox, center stand, rear pegs, stock bars, side covers, electronics plate that hold the fuses and whatnot. Hell I even tossed the fuse box just spliced everything together. :6 The thing I hate the most on my bike are those gay ass 5 spoke wheels. I found the wheels I want but my budget for my build is pretty limited right now. Originally I want clamp on's but they're kinda expensive. So I got some new clubman's for cheap on ebay for right around 30 shipped.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

if you head over to customfighters.com they have cool cafe section and there are allot of smart people there that arrent O0 or :8

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

Looks like they would suck ass for any long trips but they probably arnt that bad for short weekend rides
http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/622...e9e48cdqc2.jpg

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

i found a picture of a bike identical to mine that has a rear fairing from a cbr600rr molded on to it. Looks ------- hot. But like a dumbass i set it as my background and didn't save the picture to post up, so you will have to use your imagination. Looks light a badass street fighter/ stunt bike now. Nice set of clubmans up front, and i cant see all of the fender, but it looks pretty chopped up too.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

The first time I saw one of those bikes I thought it was a moto guzzi


https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Ga...2082%20%20.jpg

one of the best forums out there right now is www.caferacer.net

btw it takes a weeee bit more than a glass seat, rear sets, and clip-ons to make a cafe racer.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

just found this one

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/33/cimg0796on7.jpg

http://www.cafe-racer.info/phpBB2/vi...c094c820363d20

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

that is so ------ bad ass...

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

looks like it would get the job done.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

streetfighter

Attachment 18174

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

thats not a street fighter this is

http://www.customfighters.com/forums...88&postcount=3

what you posted is considered a standard

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

you're a dork.

my bike is a superbike

i said its a streetfighter jokingly, because i rule the streets on this sweet machine. thanks wikipedia for allowing cornfuzed to post everything you know here

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

what are you talking about wikiperdia
that is a forum im on (and have been for like 2 years)
called custom fighters

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

have you made any progress on your cafe?

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

strip it down, rake it, flat black.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

a raked cafe racer??? kinda defeats the purpose of making a cafe racer....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_racer

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

no im still waiting the doctors ok to ride a bike before i go pick it up. probably wednesday. i dont want to risk ripping the tendons in my finger open again on the clutch. but i have a doctors appointment on wednesday about 10 minutes away from it so ill probably pick it up then.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

I cant believe how much this cafe brought....someone stole this thing....I think he was desperate for cash because I would have at least put a reserve on it.
ebay link--> http://showip.be/url/aw3

https://i4.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/eb/2b/8c7b_1.JPG

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

i know what a cafe racer is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_bike

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rvivalbike.jpg

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

what is that? a 87 ninja 500 or somthing lol

id roll it anyways :6

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:M...ke-exhaust.jpg

thats HomeMadeMotorcycle right there!

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

Now thats a ratty ass bike. Looks fun.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

the anti-cafe racer
http://www.neatorama.com/2006/08/06/roadog/
http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2006-08/roadog.jpg

http://www.ratrod.org/WILDBILL1.JPG

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

That thing is scary looking. And you thought semi's made wide right turns....lol.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

looks more like a early to mid 90's suzuki bandit like 750-1150 or maby a katana 1150

the ninja 500's are 2cyc that is a 4

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

well i got the bike today. damn it was ugly. i already tore it apart and stripped the paint on the tank and rear fender, they will get painter tomorrow. ill post some pics in the morning.

Re: Cafe Racer anybody?
 

its 84 fj1100. 10.75@125mph

its aint no goddamn ninja 500

you are cornfuzed are both dumbasses ;)

Re: Picked up the bike yesterday, work started already. PICS up.
 

I forgot to take a before pic with the camera, but i have two on my phone. The paint was so thick and cracked i just decided to strip it off all the way to the metal. We pulled the tank, rear fender, side covers and started to pull the front wheel yesterday. Took and angle grinder with a wire wheel to the tank to get the paint off. It was this thick blue sparkling paint that made me want to puke.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/4039/bike1003zk4.jpg

Some more stripping

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/1276/bike1004or4.jpg

mmmm... purdy

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/1066/bike1005dc5.jpg

Not so purdy. This is the only side that was left when i remembered the cam.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/6475/bike1006rz2.jpg

Fueled by cold pizza and keystone
See the snake in the background?
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3341/bike1007br6.jpg

First coat of primer. (spray can krylon primer ftw! I love this stuff)
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/6289/bike1009rl6.jpg

Better shot of the tank after another coat of primer.
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/4882/bike1011bw3.jpg

Re: Picked up the bike yesterday, work started already. PICS up.
 

got the new choke cable today. still gotta get front and rear brakes and a tack and speedo cable. then figure out why my turn signals dont blink, they just stay on solid. im thinking about buying a junked rebel 250 from a friend of a friend and using the gauge cluster and headlight from that. its much smaller and more modernst looking, but still looks eom. oh and i need a new rear tire. probably go ahead and get both though.