1971 BMW R60 with R90 Motor

No matter how many times I rant and rave about bikes missing some key cafe racer feature, I always manage to find these bikes again and again. Here we have a 1971 BMW R60 that’s been cafe’d out… almost. Everything is there except the bars. I know, I know, the bars are more comfortable than clip-ons or clubmans. But they just don’t work with the rear-sets. And having your feet behind you doesn’t work so well if your hands are up high.

However, if you want a BMW cafe racer, this is a perfect bike for you to finish up by selecting your perfect set of bars or clip-ons that fit you perfectly. The price is relatively low at $1,800 with 2 days left and a fair number of bidders. I expect it will close higher, but not sure how much. It’s a clean bike with most of the cafe mods done already…

1962 Norton Featherbed Cafe Racer

A while back I posted a listing for a Hogbitz Sportster cafe racer that was the most expensive bike to ever hit the blog ($25K asking price). It was relisted at least once, if not multiple times. This Norton comes in a close second with a Buy-It-Now price of $22,500. As is this the second Norton in a row I’ve posted, it is interesting to compare the bikes, and what differentiates an unrestored Norton Commando from a fully restored and cafe-racerized (including lots of motorwork) Norton Featherbed/Manx. I guess the difference comes down to this 1962 Norton being what is essentially a show bike with a hopped-up motor you could ride, versus the 1971 Norton Commando posted before being an unrestored daily rider that has a frame in good shape with “no visible cracks”.

You decide. $22.5K for a beautiful bike that has been gone through with a fine-tooth comb, or $7.5K for a bike that you might put a little elbow grease into over time (and maybe a motor rebuild while you’re at it). It would be interesting to see what this bike sells for, but it is a Buy-It-Now with Make Offer (2 offers so far), so we won’t be able to watch any climbing auction prices.

1971 Norton 750 Commando Cafe Racer

Here’s a nice looking example of a first-gen Commando that has been converted to cafe-racer duty. Overall, the modifications are spot-on, but I do have one minor quibble: the rear ride height. Shocks one inch longer would really balance the bike front-to-rear, and lifting the back end up would also probably quicken the handling just a smidge.

Other than that, this is an unrestored runner that is currently not seeing much action in the auction. There is a a day and a half left in the auction, and the current price is $4,550. Reserve has not been met, but there is a Buy-It-Now price of $7,500, so we can probably assume the reserve is set somewhere around $7K. With only two bidders so far, it seems there isn’t a huge chance the bike will end up selling.

1974 Honda CB750 Project Bike

“Hey, Billy Jack!”

“Hi, Frank. How you doing?”

“Just great. You know that CB750 I picked up last month?” asked Billy Jack.

“Yeah,” said Frank, rubbing his chin.

“I’m gonna add on some new suspension parts from that old CBR I’ve got sitting in the shed. It’ll be wicked cool!”

“You sure you wanna do that?” Frank asked. Silence greeted his question…

1976 Moto Guzzi 850 LeMans

Sorry for the break from the blog, but I was busy. What can I say?

Up for auction right now on eBay is this really clean, pretty-but-not-truly-restored, Le Mans 850. It has almost 40K miles on it, but the odometer reads only 14K. The suspension is upgraded, and the engine has some upgraded electronics, so it should be a great ride once the carbs are gone through. Cosmetically, I like the bike overall, but I’m not a fan of Corbin seats (looks or sitting on them). The seller admits the bikes current issues and shortcomings in the listing, so if you are interested, click through and check them out.

There are 4 days left in the auction, with one bidder and the price currently at $5K. This seems like a decent bike that could use a good home, but the price seems like it might be a bit on the high side.

(From the seller’s listing)
– Body work repainted to original design pattern
– Stainless fasteners
– Stainless braided brake lines thru out
– Dyna III electronic ignition and dyna coils
– 38mm Marzocchi strada front end, make the bike very stable at high speed
– NOS Marzocchi rear shocks (wow!)
– Agostini rear sets
– Corbin seat is very comfortable on long rides
– BUB exhaust system
– ‘Square’ type front brake reservoir and lever makes it stop like a modern bike

1976 Yamaha RD400 Kenny Roberts Replica

Is this a cafe racer? Not really.

Is it ultra-cool? Absolutely!!!

This is a really well-done Kenny Roberts replica that has been made street legal to boot. The look is there, and the seller’s description claims that the bike is fully mechanically sound (“IT RUNS PERFECTLY WITH A ONE KICK START”). Overall, this is one great bike up on the eBay auction block.

Bidding is currently at $4K on the nose with the next bid supposedly breaking the reserve. There are almost 4 days left in the auction with 14 bidders. If you’ve got +$5K burning a hole in your pocket, this bike could be yours…

Vintage CB750 NOS Interpart Rear-Sets

As I always point out (complain about) bikes that are missing rear-sets when every other possible cafe part has been added, I was glad to see these vintage rear-sets come up on eBay. If your CB750 is done except for the foot controls, here’s your answer. From the picture, everything appears to be there and to be new. Bidding is quite furious with three days still left in the auction and $142 already tendered…

Tarozzi Folding Rear-Sets For Your Cafe Racer

Here’s a nice set of Tarozzi not-really-used rear-sets that might make a good addition for your cafe racers. Like most, they don’t come with a bracket, so it’s up to you to find a suitable place to mount these footpegs/controls. Because they aren’t technically new anymore (although they have never been used), the seller has started the auction at a very low price, but reserve has not yet been met…

1983 Moto Guzzi LeMans III Cafe Racer – Form vs. Function

I think I’ve written previously of my belief that cafe racers need to combine form and function to create a functioning (i.e. fast) motorcycle that follows a certain aesthetic principal. Lots of bike go one way or the other, but very few actually find that nirvana. I believe that the bike pictured below is fairly close to balancing form and function into a workable whole.

Up for sale on eBay is this Moto Guzzi LeMans III that has been cafe’d in all the right ways. Clip-ons, aluminum gas tank, rear-sets, and a custom (albeit non-traditional) cafe seat create a visual package that really is set off in a good way by the cool fairing. All the bits that create the vision of the cafe racer are on this bike. But in addition to the visuals, the owner of this bike has done some things to make this twin-cylinder Italian beauty live up to it’s good looks. Carbs, headwork, and upgraded brakes and suspension will make the new owner of this bike happy with the performance, too. (Click through on the photos to eBay to check out more description and pictures)

Is there anything I would do to this bike. Hmmm. Maybe paint the fairing. Maybe. I wish I had a few grand sitting around so as I could make a bid for this beauty…

Honda CB550 Cafe Racer (and more…)

I found this CB550 on Google, and it turned out that the site hosting it was a whole lot more than just pictures of this bike. The bike itself is very cool with a beautiful paint job, and an overall nice aesthetic quality to it (check out the speedo insert). Clubman bars and a great seat mostly complete the look, but it really needs some nice rear-sets to complete the build.

What I found more interesting was that the couple who own this shop in central Washington state used to be locals at Alice’s Restaurant in mountains above San Francisco Bay. They supposedly had a shop adjacent to the restaurant, and were part of the scene for a few years until moving the shop up to Wahington, and creating this moto-destination. A motel, the motorcycle shop, a market, and a gas station make this a potential stop-over on a criss-cross Cascades ride, or even a destination unto itself as they also rent dual-sports and cruisers in conjunction with a local shop.

Visit their site (timberlinemotorsports.com) and show them some love both for the nice cafe racer build and for the creation of a motorcycle-friendly spot in the far northwest…