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

2003 Harley-Davidson Sportster Cafe Racer

Here’s a really well done last-generation Sportster cafe racer. Nearly everything that can be done to it has been done. Only thing missing in my humble opinion is longer shocks in the back. Something like a 13.5″ adjustable Ohlins, or the Progressive 15″ shocks.

The price is kind of high for this bike. It is up on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $8,500, but the auction price is starting at $7,400 and it has zero bidders.

I have to admit that I wish my Sportster looked like this. I have a feeling that mine would out-handle this one, but in looks and motor this one leaves mine for dead. Oh well. Maybe I can make some progress soon…

My Bike…

Clip-ons, 15″ Progressive shocks, modded forks, full Harley tax paid, and sticky Bridgestone BT45 tires.

2001 Harley-Davidson Sportster Cafe Racer

I am really torn by bikes like this. Converting a Sportster into a cafe racer is kind of a daunting process. There aren’t a lot of sources for true cafe-styled parts for these bike (especially 2004+ rubber-mount bikes), and when you tell the parts guy at your local shop what you are doing, most likely he or she will give you a blank stare.

So if you do manage to find the parts, then you have to do a good job with the conversion. With this particular bike, it is certainly beautiful, and has a number of really nice parts attached to it: Storz rear-sets, nice race-style seat, beautiful H-D themed paint, and a great intake/exhaust combo. But a well-built cafe racer is more than a simple sum of its parts.

In this case, I am concerned that the bike looks lowered front and rear. For my personal Sportster cafe racer, I actually raised the bike 1″ in the front and 2″ in the rear to try for more ground clearance. And I don’t really want to be careening through corners while trying to maintain a grip on the shiny bits at the end of these drag bars. Cafe racers typically have a form-follows-function aesthetic, while this bike is trying to go both ways. Like Storz rear-sets on a lowered bike.

Now, if I could bolt my 15″ shocks to this bike, add my clip-ons, and put some stiff Race-Tech springs in the front end, this would be a great bike…