1975 Yamaha XS650 Cafe Racer

Up for auction on eBay is the really nicely done Yamaha XS650 cafe racer. Like the bike I posted earlier today, it has been nearly entirely converted with nothing really left off that detracts from its cafe-ness. And it has a cool paint job. The only thing potentially missing is a “cafe”-style gas tank, but I think the XS650 looks great with either the stock tank or aftermarket. This is a clean build that shows off the potential of the XS as a good starting point for a cafe racer.

There are 2 days left in the auction and the price is just over $1,500. Good luck!

Rearsets = no kickstarter...

1981 Yamaha XS650 Cafe Racer

This is easily one of the purest cafe racers I have posted in a while. This XS650 has been distilled down to the essence of cafeness. But not only that, it is extremely well built to boot. The paint looks near perfect, the parts are all new or very clean, and it even has rear-sets (the usually forgotten part). I think the seller is very optimistic on the price, but it is certainly a nice bike. I copied the list of features the seller put in the listing to below the photos, so scroll down for more info on what’s been done to this bike…

Fresh Powder coating on everything
Custom Tank w/ Por15 lining and rebuilt pet cock
Custom Fiber Glass Seat
Custom Paint
Custom Made Rears Sets
Brit style starter and horn handle and Light bar pod
XS650 1975 Alloy Rims 19F and 18R
Re-laced wheels w/ Mikes XS cadmium Spokes
All new Wheel Bearings and Dust seals
Avon 26’s Tires and tubes and Balanced (only one low mile summer on them)
XS650 1975 Chrome Fenders
Rebuilt Fork tubes w/ seals
New Steering Bearings
Mikes XS Racing Front Brake Disc
Rebuilt Front Brake Calipers w/ New pads
Mikes XS 13mm Front Brake Master
Braded Stainless Steel Brake Line
Fresh Chain and Sprockets 17-34
All new seals in engine
Re-built Carb’s w/ extra jets, new floats and seals. Dialed in!
All new Wiring harness from Mikes XS
Brit style Head Light w/ Café Brackets
1975 Tail Section w/handle with small fender tabs has been welded on
Brit Style Alloy Tail Light
Norton fork dust covers
Mikes XS Commando Pipes w/new thick walled Headers (not the thin MAC ones)
New Swing Arm Bronze Bushings and Bearings
All new brake and clutch cables
New Shocks and rear wheel adjusters
Mikes XS Fined Oil filter w/modern Honda oil filer
Polished engine covers and valve covers
Front end fork Brace
Super bike racing seat foam on seat
New air fillers
New Battery
New coils and spark plug leads w/boots
All locking tabs on brake disc, gears and bolts are new

BMW R-Series Cafe Racer Seat

For your perusal, a fiberglass cafe racer seat for BMW R-Series models. The bikes pictured below are pretty sweet, an that is a good looking cafe seat on them. These bikes are generally as reliable as can be, and they build up into really nice cafe racers. The bikes can be bought for a reasonable sum, and there are lots of them still around.

The listing claims fitment for 1973-1984 R90/6 and R100/7 models, plus fitment to some other beemers, Hondas, and Yamahas that may require some fiberglass trimming. The price ($155 + $20 shipping) seems mostly reasonable compared to the other offerings out there, and the feedback for these seats has been good. If you have one of these seats on your bike, send me a pic and a description and I’ll post it!

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.

Yamaha XS750 Cafe Racer / Street Tracker

Here we have a bike that combines aspects of the street tracker and cafe racer styles of bikes. The triple motor is really cool, and the overall build is super clean.

Now that I’m thinking about it, I would probably call this more of a street tracker. I like the fact it has a uniqueness that won’t be seen very often when parked at breakfast during a Sunday morning ride.