1973 Suzuki T500 (with Reed Titan bodywork?)

This is an interesting, and low priced, Suzuki T500 in need of a bit of work to get it ready for either the street or a track day. The seller claims it is fast and “runs/rides well”. The neatest thing about the bike is the bodywork. While the seller thinks it is original Reed Titan bodywork, I would tend to believe that at this price and condition that it is replica fiberglass. It needs some work and parts to be fully rideable (missing front master cylinder being the most obvious thing), but it is 95% complete. Check out the listing to get more details.

The auction still has almost 10 days left at this point, and the starting bid is $999. Interestingly, it has a Buy-It-Now of only $1,999. This seems like it might make this bike a really good deal, but it also speaks to the fairly beat-on bodywork and the need for some work before riding. It will be interesting to see what happens with this auction as it moves towards completion…

1978 Suzuki GS750 Cafe Racer

I’ve been trying to be nice lately. Really. Haven’t you been able to tell? But I can hold back no longer…

There are three things wrong with this bike. I’ll take the flack if you disagree. First, the seller is unclear on whether or not the bike is a 1978 or a 1979. Maybe that doesn’t matter from a technical standpoint, but it does from a “seller knowing his sh!t” standpoint. Secondly, there is no paperwork to go along with the bike. That can make it difficult to register (especially here on the left coast). Thirdly, the seat. Do I need to spell it out? The TL1000R seat is just wrong. It was iffy on the actual TL1000R, and here it is just not right. The stock seat would be better. A pillow seat would be… well, not better, but not worse.

I get the fact that all of us trying to build cafe-styled bikes makes choices as we design the final look, but this feels more like someone who had an extra TL1000R seat sitting in the garage. That reminds me, I’ve got a TZ250 GP seat in my garage that I just might mount on the ’05 Sportster. I’ll post a pic if I do it. 🙂

5 days left in the auction, with 4 bidders, and the price at $510. Good luck if you are interested!!!

1972 Suzuki Titan 500 Cafe Racer

I’m not quite sure what to make of this bike. The idea seems good in concept (fully-faired two-stroke cafe racer), but in looking this bike over I’m not sure that it has been executed fully. Stock, it’s a great bike that I would love to own and convert to a cafe. I just think I would keep it more traditional.

Gripe list – square headlight, stock taillight, cafe seat plopped on the rear fender.

Like list – full fairing, two-stroke 500cc engine, fairly reasonable price.

There are zero bidders right now, and the starting price is $2,750 with just over 2 days left in the auction…

1978 Suzuki GS1000 Cafe Racer

Do you know the K.I.S.S. acronym? “Keep it simple.” This bike ignored that dictum. For you Suzuki fans out there, this bike has potential as more of a street drag bike given its lowered stance. But as a cafe racer, I think that it moves away from balanced function/form that we see in the most successfully built bikes, and enters into the realm of bikes where stuff was done to it just to do it. My only comment on this bike would be to lose the brown stripe on the seat. That sucker is going to wear off quickly…

If this big GS floats your boat, there are only 10 hours left in the auction, and the bidding is currently at $635. Quite a deal if you want a big bore bike from the 1970s.

1978 Suzuki GS1000

Here’s something we don’t see every day. It’s a very nice 1978 Suzuki GS1000 that has a mild cafe treatment done to it. I like the clean, somewhat stock appearance of this bike. It’s very much as if a guy back in 1978 rolled this bike off the showroom floor, stuck a cafe fairing and some shocks on a new bike, and went riding.

By no means is the bike perfect. The seller is very honest in the listing about the small things that are wrong with the bike, but I’ve owned new Suzukis in the last 10 years that have had far more problems than this bike. I think it will end up selling for a reasonable price if it breaks reserve, especially compared to the last bike I posted. But that could be perfect for someone who isn’t interested in a radical cafe build, and just wants a comfortable but sporty ride. There are four days left in this auction, and the price is only at $560.

1982 Suzuki GS1100E Cafe Racer

And now for something completely different. With its first appearance now occurring on the “I Love Cafe Racers!!!” blog, let me introduce the somewhat funky GS1100E cafe racer. This is a really neat bike that takes a more modern big-bore zook and inserts a couple of cafe-type styling cues with very interesting results.

First up, the spoked wheels. I think they look very cool and unique. There are no sizes listed in the seller’s description, but from the fourth photo down, it looks like a 3″ x 18″ rim. I’m going to hazard a guess that the front is probably a 2.15″ rim in either a 19″ or 18″ diameter. Check out the photos to make your own guess.

While it doesn’t have clip-ons or clubman bars, it does have drag bars which get this bike most of the way there in terms of looks (and I would guess handling/bike-feel). Performance wise, there have been a few things done to this bike that should make it scream (listed below). Currently there are zero bidders and the starting price is shown as $2,650. If no one bids soon (there are 3 days left in the auction), I suspect the seller will lower the starting price to generate interest.

Vance & Hines welded/trued crank
Mikuni 33mm smoothbore carbs
V&H high flow oil pump
Kerker FULL exhaust
APE clutch basket
V&H timing chain
K&N filter pods
Lockhart oil cooler with braided SS lines and Russell fittings
Fork Brace
low miles on Pirelli Sport Demon tires & o-ring chain
recent fork seals

Interesting and Cheap Project Bike

Usually I seem to post complete bikes even if they haven’t been converted into complete cafe racers. Tonight I decided to mix it up a bit. I also really like the Suzuki two-strokes, so this one caught my eye. The truth of the matter is that I almost didn’t post it because I would like to bid on this bike, so maybe I should keep it on the down-low. But I’m waiting on a paycheck and have some other expenses. C’est la vie…

What we have here is a partially dismantled Suzuki GT550 that comes with a bunch of spares and other parts to complete the bike. No idea if it will easily run or not. The seller says compression is good and it shifts through the gears. That and $4 at Starbuck’s will buy you a fancy-ass cup of coffee.

That being said, this is probably a good candidate for a cafe build. The price is right. Most (if not all) of the parts are there to complete the bike. And did I mention that the price is right? Currently, there are zero bids, and the seller has set the starting price at $500. Given the selling price if this bike is restored or converted into a cafe racer, it could end up being a steal. There are almost 4 days left in the auction, and maybe I’ll be the first bidder on this motorcycle… 🙂

2006 Suzuki GSXR1000 Street Fighter

Every once in a while I post a street fighter. Is this a street fighter? Almost. It surely goes like it has a fire lit under its arse. But it is missing one key piece of kit – a superbike bar kit. If you are lucky enough to win this bike at the end of the auction, the first thing I would do is contact Spiegler USA or any one of the many other companies selling handlebar kits for the GSXR1000 (most of which are just selling the Spiegler riser plus bars) and get rid of thy clip-ons. And add a fender before you put a rock through either the radiator or oil cooler!

Oh, think of the wheelies. Think of the mayhem. Think of the pure, unadulterated hooliganism that will happen!!!

2006 Suzuki SV650S Street Fighter

You might remember one of the few street fighters I’ve posted over the last year. They’ve been few and far between. In large part that’s because most street fighters here in America suck. They’re just wrecked sportbikes with a 12 o’clock bar bolted on.

I found this bike on eBay today, and I really like most of it. The custom black paint (covering up a crash no doubt) looks really nice (Shiny shiny!). It’s got some cool Buell headlights on it. I like the 5.5″ rear wheel conversion. Overall, a nice conversion of a wrecked SVS.

What’s not to like? That crazy flyscreen and vertically mounted instrument panel. Maybe the thing won’t run without the stock instruments, but that has got to go. That’s it. Cool bike otherwise. A modern day cafe racer…

Why are they all Hondas?

I know, I know. This is something of a rhetorical question. But looking back through the posts over the last couple of months, most of the bikes I’ve written about have been from Honda. The CB750, CB550, CB350, and the CB350T have all been featured multiple times in various states of cafe build or disrepair.

I suppose it’s because so many Hondas were sold in the 1970s that they have become the ubiquitous cafe racer starting point in the United States. And so we have lots of aftermarket manufacturers supporting these bikes. Then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy…

I say bring on the other makes and models of bikes. Let’s see more Suzukis, Yamahas, and Kawasakis! Don’t keep that old Norton in your garage stock! And bring on the Beezers, Triumphs, and other older British marques! And while we’re at it, let’s build more Beemers and Ducks into classic cafe racers!

Sorry for the rant. It’s probably time for my meds…