Scum !

[bike-pusher]

This is true.  Me, I much prefer ones where pople have tried to recreate the old Honda racers of the 1960s, or else had a modern 'take' on the bike in question, and fitted modern brakes, wheels, suspension etc to sort of bring it up to date while retaining the aura of the original.

I think if I see one more Japanese bike with dropped bars and standard pegs, shorty mudguards (or none at all), wrapped pipes, pod air filters and a flyscreen I'll scream.

A couple of decades ago, I examined a 400 Four that had been turned into a sort of 1960s Hailwood Rep, and the bloke had done everything himself.  He'd made his own exhausts, bending the pipes by sticking them down the tube that normally held his wife's rotary clothes dryer in the garden, and heaving hard.  And he'd made his own electronic ignition out of used photocopier parts - he was a photocopier engineer by trade.  Utterly amazing what some people can do.

[SteveD CB500K0]

I think if I see one more Japanese bike with dropped bars and standard pegs, shorty mudguards (or none at all), wrapped pipes, pod air filters and a flyscreen I'll scream.

Best to stay away from www.sohc4.net then...

[tom400f]

Anyway, back to the arson. If we think we have trouble getting parts what about those 1920/30's Brit bikes?

Insurance is only the money. I hope they catch them.

[Bodd]

The reason I decided on a cafe racer this time was because when I did the RD I was doing a proper restoration which I found very restrictive, it is 99.9% as it was when I bought it when I was 17, the only difference is that it has caphead allen bolts in the side casings instead of the olive pan heads which I found impractical, especially as being a two stroke I am forever having to remove the 2 stroke pump housing for adjustments and cable snaps (bad design by Yamaha), I enjoyed the RD build but I am enjoying the Cafe Racer build much more as it has my own personal mark on it and I have a lot more freedom of expression, I understand some people prefer restored to original and think it is butchery to make it into anything other than original but I'm not one of them, I just like bikes of any description and I especially love to see what people can make out of them as custom bikes, not all of them are my cup of tea but I really appreciate the fact someone has decided to veer from the norm and at least have a go at achieving something different, my next project is going to be a flat tracker but I haven't decided on a donor bike yet.

[Johnwebley]

re cafe racers,I see two styles,

the Brit early 1960's road racer,like Goldies and Bonnievilles,clip ons and swept pipes,

then
the late american style

open/slash pipes,big tyres,looking like 1930 HD flat trackers


I prefer the former,
 GP replica Hondas look lovely,the RC181 is my cafe racer classic
although,a mate of mine  converted a CBX1000 to a  RC166-6 replica,
on six open pipes it sounded amazing,traditional silver.and red paint job

[Bitsa (Ralph Wright - RIP)]

Like b4 each to there own.I personally have no time for  cafe racers they dont really go any faster just look it.Thats why I dont have a modern bike cos they are all boy racer stuff.
Give me a proper retro syle bike any day.I have in my time met them all tritons.Tribsas etc while owning a cb750 and to shut the lot up is to offer them a race to margate and back all backed off.Wonder why no not really.
Cheers
Bitsa

[AshimotoK0]

Like b4 each to there own.I personally have no time for  cafe racers they dont really go any faster just look it.Thats why I dont have a modern bike cos they are all boy racer stuff.
Give me a proper retro syle bike any day.I have in my time met them all tritons.Tribsas etc while owning a cb750 and to shut the lot up is to offer them a race to margate and back all backed off.Wonder why no not really.
Cheers
Bitsa

"Down to Margate" .. I feel a Chas & Dave tune coming on 

[Bitsa (Ralph Wright - RIP)]

Ash
Can see wher youre coming from but no frac chas and dave.This was a greasers pub in Rochester Kent and I was the only rocker with a jap bike.To margate and back was only 60 mileish and the frackin lot of em backed out and I did not have a k0.
Cheers
Bitsa

[Lobo]

Bodd.... you don't have to justify yourself at all. Dear god, life would be boring if every 400F was a Parakeet Yellow OEM.
Horses for courses & all that...

(but I do fancy your stock RD250!)
 

[matthewmosse]

I like to see non standard bikes, I also like restorations. My own bikes I like to be fairly original, but I bet the experts would spot lots 'wrong' with them, but so long as they are cheap to run, so I can enjoy using them as daily transport, then I am happy. When I last looked a rear mudguard for my 500/4 was not exactly cheap, but a fiberglss replica that will not rot and is zero maintenance was cheap. I make no apologies for the wrong bits on my bikes, they work, probably a lot harder than most bikes someven the footpeg hangars are essentially pattern parts, having been re made. If I didn't have the bits to rebuild one of my bikes to relatively standard I would without a doubt go cafe racer style. It takes a lot of work, but that I could see as satisfying, whereas going to work for extra hours to buy new parts I would find less satisfying.
Your bike is primarily for you to enjoy.
As to the vandal(s) who torched those classics, I found that photo heartbreaking, that was not just someones collection of extremely valuable and gorgeous bikes, it was also a sizeable chunk of our national heritage. Deeply saddening to see. I hope the remains can be rescued by someone, in some form, if only for spares.

[Green1]

Talking about Scum the old boy next door to my uncle has just had his CG125 nicked and the old bill just aren't interested.They found it dumped in the woods totally trashed 
He has had it from new and has always babied it parked in the garage on carpet highly polished and always cleaned and wiped down after a ride.He must know his stuff because it had just reached 71k and still run like a swiss watch.

Anyway the point in this rant is hes not got the money for another.So I'm going to give him a cg that I have that has been kicking around for a while.so I'm on the scrounge for a pair of 27mm stanchions and a top yoke for a T reg drum model.

Mick

[Bitsa (Ralph Wright - RIP)]

Mick
There are definatley more pieces of shit around than in my day.I dont mean bikes some just do not give a crap for anything or anyone and it seems they live longer than good guys.Christ when and if I meet my maker he is going to wish he left me down here.He must have one hell of a sense of humour.Pretty sure he started the police force cant make any money out of thefts etc.
Cheers
Bitsa

[bike-pusher]

Mick - I bought a pair of those Chinese replica fork sets for my 1980 CG125.  Haven't fitted them yet, but they look fine, have very little damping so are just like the originals, and the only difference I can see is they don't have drain plugs.  Cost about £80.