Ride with the Rockers.

[Maxmosbey]

Dang, I just saw the first episode of a new series on HDTV about Cafe Racers. I have been into cafe racers for decades. I make the trip to Dalilah's in Chicago for the Mods vs Rockers ride. I have been a Rocker since I saw my first cafe racer in Spain in the early 70s. I spend my winters in the corner of my garage rebuilding and tweeking my old twin. It has been a subculture for sixty years. i was a rocker when everyone else was becoming a walking Harley advertisement. People would look at my bike, and one out of a hundred would know what they were looking at. Now, it is on HDTV. It is going to be a popular fad. We are going to see shops spring up where someone else can build you a cafe racer instead of putting in your dues out in the garage with your friends, taking an engine apart on a Friday after work, and having it back on the road for a ride on Saturday morining. There will be Rocker posers showing up at the Ton Up club events. They will have clean hands. It will go the way of Harley Davidson. Pretty soon you will be able to go somewhere, buy a factory cafe racer, and get a cafe racer uniform off the shelf to wear on your brand new cafe racer that has a three year warranty. The jackets will already have stuff on them, so you don't have to spend a lifetime of riding to have a cool jacket. I hate it. I say right here and now, I will not park my bike next to a cafe racer that wasn't built by the guy riding it.

 

[jesse]

Moved to hangar talk at request of OP.

 

[steingar]

Tons and tons of cafe racer pics here.

 

[Maxmosbey]

Tons and tons of cafe racer pics here.

That is one of the other forums that I go to regularly. My other bike is a Suzuki V-Strom and they have a forum for them. By the way, the Strom is for sale, but the twin never will be. Can I say my Strom is for sale here? I hope so.

Also, thanks to Jesse for moving me over here where I belong.

 

[vontresc]

If you don't have a pic of your Cafe Racer, at least tell us what it is...

 

[steingar]

That is one of the other forums that I go to regularly. My other bike is a Suzuki V-Strom and they have a forum for them. By the way, the Strom is for sale, but the twin never will be. Can I say my Strom is for sale here? I hope so.

Also, thanks to Jesse for moving me over here where I belong.

Yeah, I hit ADV often. I rode a Honda Hawk (400cc in-line twin) to Chiapas. I would have kept going but it fell over in the rain and broke off the clutch lever. Sold it for a huge profit.

I will probably ride my sportbike to Oshkosh for the show this summer. It will be the first big ride I've done since becoming a pilot.

 

[Maxmosbey]

If you don't have a pic of your Cafe Racer, at least tell us what it is...

I've not had a lot of luck with putting pictures here. I have an 83 Yamaha XS650 twin. It started out as a Heritage Special, but it was built with parts from three different bikes. I bought the Heritage Special new in 84. Rebuilt suspension with coil shocks, brass swingarm bushings and the over sized pivot bolt. Front forks rebuilt as well with progressive springs. Engine is stock except for an XS Performance cam and a set of Mikuni carbs. I also have a set of Keihins, which I have been messing with this summer. I may go back to them in the spring. Stock exhaust with the baffles punched. I have a 1971 Bonneville in boxes, which is going to be a project. It is missing parts, so I am slowly picking them up wherever I can find them. It actually may become a bobber instead of a cafe racer.

Also, if anyone is riding an XS650, they are a cult bike in themselves. I think that they quit building them in 84. I have a ton of parts, including an engine. I've also worked on them a lot. I'm more than happy to help out anyone trying to keep one on the road.

 

[vontresc]

Sounds pretty cool.

The easiest way to post a pic here is to click on the "Go Advanced" button, and then click on the little paperclip icon to add an attachment. This should bring up a new window where you can then browse for the photo on your PC. once you are done uploading close the additional window, and post the reply