Team,
As you reminded me before, posting pictures of scantily clad women sometimes gets people all sorts of riled up. Therefore, I did not post the image I used before when this bike was used to sell the cafe racer seat pictured on this bike. The post, dated 8/5/08, can be seen here if you wish to behave in a depraved manner and ogle the bike/bikini model! 
However, in a bid for a late-season BCS bid, I am reposting the bike here (minus bikini model) as it is now for sale. What a beautiful bike! If it was beat to crap it would have a certain Mad Maxian image to it, but it isn’t…
Instead of summarizing, I have decided to simply cut-and-paste the ad copy from the eBay listing. The bike already has one bid, and I am sure it will meet reserve and go to a good home. Now get out there and kick some ass in the second half! And ignore the scantily clad bikini model in the tunnel on the way to the field!!!
“1975 CB 750 Cafe Racer
This bike is featured in the Nov/Dec 08 issue of Road Bike Magazine, on page 58. This is a rare opportunity to own a show quality and very rideable vintage street custom at a reasonable price. Recently built by Ken Glenn, one of the countries premier custom motorcycle builders. If you want a bike to put in shows this one will get the trophies. A quality addition to any collection. Every bit a piece of art, yet is not garage furniture. It runs great and is ridden frequently. Scroll down and see all the photos. For more information on this bike go to KGCycles.com
Some of the many features are;
*New fork tubes. *New Clipons. *Air suspension. * NOS Manx exhaust system. *New spokes. *New bar end mirrors. *Hand made custom oil tank. *Custom KGCycles fiberglass Front and Rear Fenders, Seat, Gas tank and Fairing with dash panel. *House of Kolor Orion silver paint, *and many more custom made items.
Viewing of the bike will be done by appointment only, and only to qualified buyers. Please contact me by email to request an appointment or for any other questions. A phone number will only be given to qualified buyers. A $500 deposit is required at the end of the auction, and the balance is required in cash at the time of pickup. No checks, MO’s, or other payments accepted. Buyer is responsible for pickup with in one week of the end of the sale.
To see more about this bike go to KGCycles.com”
Bikes, Parts, eBay
1975, cafe, cafe racer, cb750, custom, honda, honda cb750, magazine, racer
I found this auction on eBay this morning. It includes a seat for a CB750 (no year listed) and two non-model-specific parts: clubman bars with grips and turn signals. The seat looks to be unmounted (new), but does have a few scratches in the black gelcoat. The bars and seat would make a good start to a cafe racer project if you have a CB750 sitting around that you have thought about modifying.
Parts, eBay
cafe, Cafe Racer Seat, cb750, clubman, honda, honda cb750, racer, turn signals
Maybe it’s that it is Sunday morning, but this is my second posting of a good project bike. In fact, this may even be better than the Triumph since it has a much friendlier price and already has clubman bars on it (motor issue notwithstanding). Since I am starting on a Honda SL350 cafe project, I like the sound of someone else taking this on and seeing where it ends up.
That engine problem sounds to me like either an electrical thing with intermittent spark or a flooded cylinder. Or too much oil in the cylinder. But what the hell do I know?!?
The best thing about these early- to mid-1970s Honda twins is the availability of parts for fixing or customizing into cafe racers. Like that disk front end might very well bolt on to an SL350. Hmmmm. I might have to look into that….
Bikes, eBay
cafe, cafe racer, CB360, CB360T, clubman, honda, Honda CB360T, project, racer
For your perusal, a Triumph Tiger that would make either a great frame-up restoration, or the beginnings of a great cafe racer project. It is relatively clean with (claimed) numbers matching.
Since this is mostly a stock bike (that exhaust looks very JCW), there isn’t a lot to say about what has been done to it. Cosmetically, it is a clean starting point for anything that might be done to it. I look at it as kind of a blank slate; what you do with it is up to you…
(Click on the photos to go to eBay and see more pictures and the full description)
Bikes, eBay
1972, 650, 650cc, amal, cafe, cafe racer, project, racer, restoration, Tiger, triumph, Triumph TIger
Here is a really clean build-up/restoration of a Yamaha XS650 into a cafe racer. So much about it is right, and just a few things need help (but they’re easy).
I think the overall look of the bike with the nice paint, fiberglass, and decals is really nice. It will stand out in a row of bikes at Alice’s Restaurant while not being over the top. That rear seat is particularly nice, and I like the way the CB500 tank looks on the bike. The red pin-striping/decals on the white bodywork is quite classy.
But here are two things that would change the bike radically on the cheap and easy: ditch the crazy square mirror, and get some clip-ons or clubmans. I know it is more comfortable to have the drag bars, but it is the one missing element for me. And the square mirror? Enough said…
This bike is only a little ways from my house, but finances dictate I stay away and concentrate on the SL350 cafe build-up I have coming up with my friend Paul at TheMotoWorld.com.
Bikes, eBay
1977, 650, cafe, cafe racer, caferacer, cb500, cb500t, clip-ons, clubman, drag bar, gas tank, racer, xs, xs650, yamaha
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE…
Paul has rescinded his thought about this bike not being a BSA. Apparently he looked at some of the details and decided that BSAs just look like Nortons, but are not actually Nortons! ***********************
UPDATE…
I got an email from my friend Paul over at TheMotoWorld.com telling me that this wasn’t a BSA. Hmmmm. Anyone else have an opinion on that?
***********************
Wow. This is a cool bike. The real deal it would seem. The only thing that is a bit out of place is the Yamaha 4 leading shoe brake, but I bet it stops that thing quickly.
Take a look at the description from the seller. He goes into some of the trick bits on the bike and in the motor. I think this BSA will make someone a wonderful half-century-old Sunday morning ride…
Bikes, eBay
4, 650cc, A-10, A10, bike, brit, british, bsa, cafe, cafe racer, leading, Norton, racer, shoe, yamaha
In my mind, there is a gray area when it comes to bike modification. Specifically when looking at what makes a bike a cafe racer. If one were to look at all of the potential descriptors that one could use to define the prototypical cafe racer, the list would be reasonably long: low bars (clip-on or clubman), rear-sets, custom tank, stylized rear seat, spoked wheels, and maybe modified suspension that keeps the hard parts off the ground during cornering.
So then I look at this particular bike, where it has been modified with a set of clubman bars, and I think to myself, “Is this a cafe racer? Or is it just a bike with clubman bars?” I’m not sure if I have the answer.
However, as my bike (a 2005 H-D Sportster 883) has received only a partial number of the modifications that would generally describe a cafe racer, is it even okay for me to say that it has been cafe’d? Hmmm. I think I need to post some pictures of it and get opinions from all of the readers of this blog.
Regardless, this CB500 is a good starting point for a cafe racer, although I am always happier with clip-ons than clubmans…
Bikes, Commentary, eBay
cafe, cafe racer, cb500, clip-ons, clubman, Honda CB500, racer, what is a cafe racer?
This bike looks like a good starting point for a decent cafe racer build up. The owner has acknowledged the problems with the bike, and they seem reasonably easy to fix.
My wishes for this bike would be clip-ons. Wait. That’s only one wish. I like it and think it is close to perfect (minus fixing the broke bits).
Bikes, eBay
bsa, cafe, cafe racer, III, racer, rocket, rocket 3, rocket3, trident
Here is a mostly stock 1967 Suzuki X-6 Hustler. It appears that the only mod is the clubman bars. The owner seems to be honest about the condition, noting the fidgety transmission and the fact that the bike isn’t perfect.
I really like the Japanese bikes from this era. The shape of the tanks and the molded headlight nacelles (like the X-6 or the Honda Dream) mark this period and were consistent design cues within the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers in the 1960’s.
There’s only a few hours left on this auction (actually a Buy-It-Now or Best Offer), so hopefully this bike goes to a good home. If I still lived in Ohio, this would be within pick-up distance for me…
Bikes, eBay
1967, cafe, cafe racer, Hustler, racer, stock, Suzuki, X-6, X6
Here’s a really clean Kawasaki cafe racer based on the KZ900. The owner (an Australian and different from the seller) appears to have done a good job of replacing all the parts that would be marginal on a bike of this age, and it looks like a pretty clean build.
From a styling perspective, it is pretty standard Kawasaki cafe racer/street fighter until you get to the tailpiece. Wow. That it is different. Not sure how it would be under hard acceleration give the flatness and lack of any kind of rise or hump at the back. But it is certainly unique, and I like the tail lights.
Bikes, eBay
cafe, cafe racer, fighter, Kawasaki, KZ900, mad max, racer, street