Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 7:26 pm
What’s a soixante sept?
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Cafe Racer thread.
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Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 7:44 pm
Pretty sure the number plate gives the French Departement, 33 in this case, which is Gironde (named after the estuary that runs into the Atlantic). Bordeaux is capital of Gironde.
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 7:57 pm
I'd bum her into the middle of next week. 
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:17 pm
The Davida models for the Guzzi shoot were Katrien and Job and it was shot at Amsterdam docks. Dunno anymore than that...
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:43 pm
Only about 800 miles out, then...Taipan wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:17 pm The Davida models for the Guzzi shoot were Katrien and Job and it was shot at Amsterdam docks. Dunno anymore than that...
Crackin' photo, anyway...Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:43 pm
I always think she looks bored ...
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:51 pm
Needs a 954 engine .
Photo from Japan 2000
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 9:12 pm
Probably is. Been there 2 hours waiting for the RAC...
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 10:34 pm
Original 60s/70s cafe racers are fine, but not to my taste, taking a modern bike and trying to make it look like one of these is total wank.
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:32 pm
She might be Thai. That's a very big helmet she's got
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:38 am
I'd be mortified if (s)he was a ladyboy...
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:04 am
Talking of Guzzis:
- 4845392ee6dff1012736bf7ea5397f5f.jpg (54.33 KiB) Viewed 1681 times
- moto-guzzi-1000-sp-c.jpg (64.06 KiB) Viewed 1681 times
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:41 am
That's kinda my point. The Featherbed was the pinnacle of frame design in the 50s, but it was superceded in the 70 (ish) with frames that were more suited to the power outputs and characteristics of the time. Doesn't mean it's not a lovely frame for riding, and the 60s/70s cafe racer culture of shoehorning things into the Featherbed became a bit of a theme all on it's own. There's a chapter devoted to it in Mike Clay's 'Cafe Racers' book. (I sometimes wish I still had that book - donated my copy to the 59Club library a few years ago).JackyJoll wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:19 pmThe classic bike bores always go on about “handling” of Nortons. I’m just a road rider: my Norton (Triton) is steadier on the road than various other old bikes I messed about on, but I couldn’t say it steers or corners better than my previous “full power” old model Suzuki GS500 or Honda CB500 twin. The Suzuki had comparable engine performance to a 650 Triton; the Honda was significantly faster.Rockburner wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 5:57 pm I'm guessing you've been on the wrong end of unsolicited advice in the past....
To be honest, a Fireblade engine in a Norton frame does sound like a recipe for a bike far inferior to a Fireblade.
Could possibly be a Historic registration cheat bike, but you’re risking a claims nightmare if you’ve deceived your insurer.
This is my Dad's contribution to the ouvre:
JAP 400cc 'speedway' engine in a (IIRC) Slimline Featherbed.
Custom tank (double chambered),
BTH mag
double Pilgrim pump
Twin leading shoe Grimeca (IIRC)
Norton (I think) gearbox
etc etc
He'd seen someone racing a JAP engined Featherbed in the 50s/60s (when he was racing himself) and always fancied building one, finally managed it after 50 years.... It's more of a race bike than a cafe-racer, but it's all road legal.
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:58 am
Here's the Cafe-Racer I "built"* in the '90s:
Did it handle any better than the original?? Not noticeably (Hagon shocks back then were the very definiton of 'cheap and cheerful')
Did it go any faster than the original? Maybe a little (open filters, re-jetted, Conti race pipe)
Was it more fun to ride than the original? Yes, definitely.
* well - recommisioned with improvements after crashing it.
Did it handle any better than the original?? Not noticeably (Hagon shocks back then were the very definiton of 'cheap and cheerful')
Did it go any faster than the original? Maybe a little (open filters, re-jetted, Conti race pipe)
Was it more fun to ride than the original? Yes, definitely.
* well - recommisioned with improvements after crashing it.
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:10 pm
A friend of mine took a T3 Guzzi and turned it into a cafe racer. Piaggio actually heard about it and asked Brian if he would loan it to them for the 2019 (or was it 2018?) NEC bike show...
- Brian's Guzzi (low res).png (987.33 KiB) Viewed 1658 times
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:19 pm
One of my FiLs bikes, which I have in the garage, spent a bit of time as a "cafe racer" that he and a mate built in the 70s. My FiL eventually rescued it from said mates garden in the early noughties looking like this.
Somewhat amusingly its actually a former police bike Its a 1965 3TA with the engine from a 100SS. It looks nothing like that any more.
Somewhat amusingly its actually a former police bike
Its a 1965 3TA with the engine from a 100SS. It looks nothing like that any more.Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:05 pm
Being a speedway engine does it have a total loss oil system? And stop putting up pictures of that hideous LS.Rockburner wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:41 amThat's kinda my point. The Featherbed was the pinnacle of frame design in the 50s, but it was superceded in the 70 (ish) with frames that were more suited to the power outputs and characteristics of the time. Doesn't mean it's not a lovely frame for riding, and the 60s/70s cafe racer culture of shoehorning things into the Featherbed became a bit of a theme all on it's own. There's a chapter devoted to it in Mike Clay's 'Cafe Racers' book. (I sometimes wish I still had that book - donated my copy to the 59Club library a few years ago).JackyJoll wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:19 pmThe classic bike bores always go on about “handling” of Nortons. I’m just a road rider: my Norton (Triton) is steadier on the road than various other old bikes I messed about on, but I couldn’t say it steers or corners better than my previous “full power” old model Suzuki GS500 or Honda CB500 twin. The Suzuki had comparable engine performance to a 650 Triton; the Honda was significantly faster.Rockburner wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 5:57 pm I'm guessing you've been on the wrong end of unsolicited advice in the past....
To be honest, a Fireblade engine in a Norton frame does sound like a recipe for a bike far inferior to a Fireblade.
Could possibly be a Historic registration cheat bike, but you’re risking a claims nightmare if you’ve deceived your insurer.
This is my Dad's contribution to the ouvre:
JAP 400cc 'speedway' engine in a (IIRC) Slimline Featherbed.
Custom tank (double chambered),
BTH mag
double Pilgrim pump
Twin leading shoe Grimeca (IIRC)
Norton (I think) gearbox
etc etc
He'd seen someone racing a JAP engined Featherbed in the 50s/60s (when he was racing himself) and always fancied building one, finally managed it after 50 years.... It's more of a race bike than a cafe-racer, but it's all road legal.
Guzzis suit the cafe racer look very well, it's the engine and the long low look that does it I think.
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:16 pm
Always think I love the sound of Ducatis, but then I hear old Brit bikes...
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 2:56 pm
I think my 865 Thruxton was a 270 crank? Sounded bloody lovely whatever. Miss that bike...inewham wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:22 pm 360 twins sound lovely. They vibrate but for some reason it feels good compared to a Japanese bike with a 180 crank.
Re: Cafe Racer thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 3:11 pm
I think 180 cranks are pretty rare. AFAIK all the common garden parallel twins (CB500 etc.) are 360' cranks. Brit bike almost univerally are are too. 360' cranks mean both pistons go up and down at teh same time, one is intaking while the other is on the power stoke.
180 cranks would be where one piston goes up while the other goes down. They rock side to side loads and have an uneven firing order.
The 'big bang' engines still have 360' cranks, they just change the cam timing so both pistons are doing the same thing at the same time.
EDIT: Here you go, neat little gif.
180 cranks would be where one piston goes up while the other goes down. They rock side to side loads and have an uneven firing order.
The 'big bang' engines still have 360' cranks, they just change the cam timing so both pistons are doing the same thing at the same time.
EDIT: Here you go, neat little gif.