1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR

Not a lot of info on this bike in the listing. There is what appears to be a low serial number, and the bike doesn’t seem to be too far from stock if at all (unrestored and very clean looking). Low miles, but no good pictures of the VIN. Current bidding has the bike at $8,700 with 11 bids and 14 hours left. However, reserve isn’t met, which means there’s a good chance the bike won’t sell. I’ll repost if it comes back up for sale and maybe we will see what a nice XLCR can sell for in this economy…

1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR (Super Clean!)

I’m not going to write a lot about this bike. I’ve written about lots of these, so if you want to read more search the archives. This bike is probably the cleanest XLCR that I’ve seen come up on eBay at auction. It isn’t completely original however, as the seller has put some kind of non-stock muffler/straight-pipe on the bike.

Currently the bidding is at $1,025 with 5 days left and just a few bidders. Of course, at this price, reserve has not been yet. There is a Buy-It-Now offering the bike for $11,500 if that’s how you roll.

1977 Honda CB750 (Stock and Low Miles)

Up for auction right now on eBay is this very clean and very low mileage 1977 CB750. According to the seller, the bike is in nearly perfect condition, with only a recovered seat as an imperfection (he still has the original with a tear in it if you want it, too). I don’t know if I would feel bad about this bike being converted to a cafe racer. Maybe it’s that I’m not a fan of the color. I don’t know. The new owner can decide…
(Sorry about the poor pictures. Because of the interesting nature of the bike, I decided to post anyways.)

And now for something completely different…

Those of you who read the blog regularly might remember my recent post about the billions and billions of Honda motorcycles that seem to end up on the site. Yes, I am a whiner, it’s true. And then comes along this… I’ll call it a cafe racer. While maybe not a cafe racer in the classic sense of the word, this 1977 Kawasaki KZ750 definitely has many cafe styling cues. Maybe it is more of a Euro street fighter with clip-ons. Regardless, the seller has done some cool stuff to a bike that doesn’t see much love from the cafe crowd.

Here’s a list of the things the owner has done to the bike (I deleted many, many exclamation marks when I cut-and-pasted the list):

Dyna electronic ignition
Accel Super Coils and Plug Wires
Vance & Hines 4-1Exhaust
Pod Filters
Fresh top end
Carbs Rejetted
Ness Batwing Mirrors
Italian Custom clip on handlebars
Rearset foot controls
New Tires Front and rear 16”
Custom Seat
Drag Specialties tach (CR – check out where the builder put it!)
Custom wiring harness
Almost all powder coated, not painted

I have to give the guy credit. This is a unique bike with which the builder has followed a unique vision. I’ll leave you with this quote from the eBay listing: “This bike is fast and very eye catching. I guarantee no one else will have a bike like this one.” Huzzah, I say!!!

1977 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer

Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer
He’s a demon on wheels
He’s a demon and he’s gonna be chasing after someone
He’s gaining on you so you better look alive
He’s busy revving up the powerful Mach Five
And when the odds are against him and there’s daaangerous work to do
You bet your life Speed Racer’s gonna see it through

Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer go

He’s off and flying as he guns the car around the track
He’s jamming down the pedal like he’s never coming back
Adventure’s waiting just aheeeeeeeeaaaaad

Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer Go!

On eBay right now, you could own the motorcycle version of the Mach 5 done up cafe racer style…

1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR (Daily Rider)

Unlike most of the Harley-Davidson XLCRs that come up for sale, this one is actually a daily rider (or at least that’s what the seller claims). But who are we to doubt this claim? And why would anyone claim that if it weren’t true?

Overall, it is a relatively clean bike, although it does have some indications of the fact it is no trailer queen. A few chips on the gas tank, road grime, and a reasonably used look are all indicators of this. But maybe the reserve is set lower than some of the other XLCRs that have been appearing on eBay lately. And you wouldn’t have to feel too bad about buying this bike and then riding it a bunch more…

Best Harley license plate ever!!!

1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR

Here again on the blog is another XLCR up for auction right now on eBay. These seem to be (reliably, at least) the most common factory cafe racer appearing for sale. I know, I know, it isn’t truly a cafe racer what with the high-ish bars and lump of a motor. But at least Harley tried. And my friend Paul loves these bikes…

This one is a Canadian model with about 25K kilometers on the odometer. Currently at $8K with 2 days left in the auction. Sorry, there were no pictures of the left side of the bike…

Honda CB550 Cafe Racer from Lossa Engineering

Wow. Wow. Hmmmm. Yeah.

This Honda CB550 is sweet. I was reduced to single syllables when I first saw the pictures of it. I think I may have seen it before on eBay, but it is still so beautiful even this second time around. While not as classically understated and true to the original as maybe bikes from Steve “Carpy” Carpenter, Lossa Engineering seems to build cafe racers with a lot of “look at me” to go along with the cafe styling.

Reserve is nowhere near met at its current bid of $1,125, but you could have a lot of fun bidding right now and not run too much risk of actually winning the bike for a couple more thousand dollars at least. This is a beautiful bike that seems like a no-brainer to buy if you have the money.

1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR Cafe Racer

Here we go again. Another XLCR up on eBay right now (about 9 days left). This one is probably the lowest actual mile XLCR I’ve posted (5,318 miles), but it is also in no way a restoration bike like some of them. Bidding right now is under $1K, but somewhat obviously, it hasn’t met reserve yet. The only text in the listing about this actual bike says that it has new tires, a new battery, and had the fluids changed. Since it’s a Harley, I’d assume it probably leaks a bit of oil. That’s it, nothing else interesting to say about this bike. Click through if you want to check it out…

Yamaha XS650 Cafe Racer

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.