cafe racer tv

Can A Diversion Be Cool?

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Yamaha XJ600s …”Morpheus”
This write comes to us from James Moir at JM Customs.
When Morpheus arrived it was a tired, mundane commuter. A gauntlet was thrown down when a friend said ” A Diversion could never be cool, ever!”
Never being one to shy away from a challenge , I got to work. Stripping away all the unnecessary weight, we cut off the subframe and fabricated a new , lightweight frame with a distinctive point at the back. Hand crafted a seat unit , encompassing LED Tail lights/turn signals.
We ran with the stock tank, as we loved the long flat line to the top of the tank. After milling away the bar risers, we added new clip on bars , switch gear and levers .
With a single speedo to the centre, it keeps everything minimal up front. Looking clean.
To maintain the lines of the bike we fabricated a wrap around plate mount which looks killer! Rebuilding the stock front forks , we upgraded the rear shock with a fully adjustable Hagon shock!  We wrapped out the headers for that old school look and installed a sweet can that we got from Caferacerpartsuk!
Laying on our  custom mixed gunmetal grey with metallic blue, it looks awesome set off amongst the satin black powder coating! We are proud of this transformation.
Here are some links :
Facebook:
Instagram : @jm_customs

Cafe Racer from CD175

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This build comes to us from Sylvain Tourangeau. He’s one of our Facebook fans.  Below is his description of the build in his own words.
Cafe Racer
I just completed the little CD175 Cafe. I did some small tests rides because at this time of the year it’s kind of cold down here. The bike is running very good. I rebuilt the engine with oversize piston, new bearings, and seals. I restored everything on the bike. I did the powder coating myself on the wheels as well as many engine and frame parts. I used chrome powder coat on small parts. I also did the candy red with base coat/ clear coat paint. Since I installed a flat bar handlebar, all the cables were too long. So I ordered wires and fittings and made the clutch, front brake and throttle cable myself at the right size. This bike runs on 6V, so I used a GS750 headlight and replaced the 12V H4 light with a 6V H4. I made the cafe seat from fiberglass with the recessed brake light, and my wife did the seat cover.
 
The only thing I didn’t do myself was the chrome on the tank side panels.
Vintage bike
So, what do you think of this build? Let us know and join our conversation on Facebook. 
Cafe Racer Cafe Racer Motorcycle
Cafe Racer

Maxmade Machines Latest Project

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Max Langwieder says he’s a huge fan of Cafe Racer TV. In fact Max tells us he was inspired to build his first Cafe Racer after watching the show. Here are a few photos from his shop, Maxmade Machines in Munich, Germany.

 

Cafe rAcer Cafe Racer TV Cafe Racer Cafe Racer

Season 4 Builders: Vintage Iron

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Vintage Iron has been in the motorcycle restoration business for 25 years and they have built race bikes, street bikes, collectible bikes and a few one-off projects. But the company is best known for its ability to restore period perfect motocross bikes.

For Café Racer TV, VI’s owner, Rick Doughty was asked by one of his clients to take a nearly new Rokon Cobra MX machine and make it into a street bike. Here is the story straight from Rick:

“Nothing we have ever built is as wild and interesting as the King Kobra, commissioned by Tom Reese of Moto Armory. Tom just happens to own the largest off road motorcycle collection in the country and Rokons are some of his favorites.

Rokon started manufacturing two wheel drive trail bikes and later developed full size competition motorcycles, all with snowmobile engines and clutches. Rokons were therefore very unconventional which made the brand a perfect candidate for a cafe racer project.

The original Cobra was the highest performance machine that Rokon ever offered and was very limited production with less than 100 made.

The King Kobra is a “one of one” machine that showcases a blend of old and new technology and sticks to the unique spirit that is Rokon and Tom Reese.” 

SPECIFICATIONS

Bike: 1974 Rokon Cobra (Now “King Kobra”)

Frame: Rokon

Subframe: None

Engine: 340cc Sachs snowmobile with reversed head and cylinder

Carburetion: 38mm Mikuni flat slide

Rear Swing Arm: Original Rokon

Rear Wheel: Mid-70s Harley Sportster

Front Wheel: Mid-70s Harley Sportster

Clip-Ons or Bars/ triple clamps: David Munoz Billet Fabrications

Seat: Legendary Motorcycles cafe seat

Tank: Legendary Motorcycles cafe tank

Rear Sets: David Munoz Billet Fabrication

Tires: Dunlop

Exhaust: Custom, hand made Vintage Iron expansion chamber

Paint: Vintage Iron metallic dark gray

Headlight: Legendary Motorcycle generic cafe headlight

Front Brake: Yamaha XS650

Rear Brake: Yamaha XS 650

Top Steering Clamp/Triple Tree: David Munoz Billet Fabrications

Vintage Iron

Rick Doughty

WEBSITE

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Season 4 Builders: Cycle Icons/Badger Corse

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Cycle Icons’ Leon Stanley unfortunately lives in the wrong era. Instead of weeping about it, he recreated the bygone era of racing-your-daily-rider by converting a 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet into three versions for Café Racer TV. It’s an ambitious adventure that ends in an attempt at a land speed record and it isn’t to be missed.

Now operating under the name Badger Corse, Cycle Icons proved on episode four that a motorcycle can be whatever you want it to be, if only you’re willing to put in the time and effort.

If you’re curious to know more about the parts Stanley used on version 3.0, scroll below. If you want to know how Teddy Roosevelt became the inspiration for this project, click HERE.

Bike: 2007 Royal Enfield Bullet: “The Badger” Version 3.0

POWERPLANT

Engine: 500cc pushrod single

Cylinder: Alloy, Indian aftermarket

Piston: High-compression Hitchcocks by Accralite

Head: Hitchcocks “Big Head”

Cams: Hitchcocks “competition” grind

Carb: Mikuni VM38

Intake manifold: Custom machined by Desengman LLC

Exhaust: Custom fabricated

Clutch: Bob Newby Racing

FRAME/CHASIS

Frame: Modified Royal Enfield

Front suspension: Modified Royal Enfield

Top yoke: Hitchcocks

Bars: Tommaselli adjustable clip-ons

Rear suspension: Bitubo

Front Brake: Modified Royal Enfield

Rear Brake: modified Royal Enfield

Wheels: Royal Enfield, 19 inch WM2 in black powdercoat

Tires: Avon AM26 90/90v19 front, 100/90v19 rear

BODY

Tank: Modified Royal Enfield

Seat: vintage aftermarket Triumph of unknown origin

Fairing: Tannermatic

Paint: Rust-Oleum

CONTROLS

Levers: Magura

Rear sets: Hitchcocks

Cycle Icons/Badger Corse

Leon Stanley

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

PINTEREST

badgercorse@gmail.com

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Season 4 Builders: MaceTech Industries

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MaceTech Industries is a small FL shop run by Mace Livingston, a general aviation mechanic who is expanding his resume to include custom bike builds.

Livingston’s Mad Max-like KTM café racer, which he built with his wife, Ashlie for Café Racer TV, will be love/hate for most people. Livingston’s airplane and military experience has provided him with an imagination we’ve never seen before on this show and it resulted in a bike that caused 8-time National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty to say, “What the heck is it?”

Whether you’re a lover or hater of this project, you have to appreciate Mace and Ashlie’s moxie and their willingness to risk reputation by being bold.

Bike: 2000 KTM 640 Adventure

SPECIFICATIONS

Frame: KTM

Subframe: MaceTech Industries Custom

Engine: KTM 620cc single cylinder. Kick and electric start

Carburetion or FI System: 42mm Mikuni FCR carb.

Rear Swing Arm: KTM Duke

Rear Wheel: 17-in. aluminum BBS

Front Wheel: 17-in. aluminum BBS with MaceTech Industries axle conversion for the Triumph front suspension.

Clip-Ons or Bars: Modified Triumph clip-ons

Seat: MaceTech Industries custom seat pan, hand formed and upholstered by Ashlie Livingston.

Tank: MaceTech Industries “Mad Max” special. Handmade using exhaust tubing from a semi truck.

Rear Sets: Modified KTM

Tires: 17-in. front and rear Avon Distanzia’s

Exhaust: MaceTech Industries designed and fabricated exhaust system; single cylinder, dual exhaust.

Paint: Clear coat powder coated bare steel

Headlight: 1975 Honda CB500T headlight with custom MaceTech Industries mounts for a Triumph front end.

Front Brake: Triumph

Rear Brake: Brembo

Top Steering Clamp/Triple Tree: MaceTech industries custom triple trees to mount Triumph front suspension to KTM frame.

MaceTech Industries

Mace Livingston

mace@macetechind.com

WEBSITE

Facebook

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Season 4 Builders: Roland Sands Design

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Even though the project bike was a Harley-Davidson Sportster and even though it turned out to be a street tracker, the opportunity to work with Roland Sands and Travis and Lyn-z Pastrana was too good. Sands is A-list in the custom bike and accessories world and Travis and Lyn-z are action sports legends.

Roland is a former AMA 250GP champion with a gift for design that functions and Roland Sands Design is a team of innovative designers, engineers and fabricators who are as passionate about motorcycles as he is.

As talented as Sands and his team is, when they discovered that their salvage yard Sportster had napkins for an air filter, they were a bit worried about what they’d got themselves into. Pastrana lightened the mood by picking up what he called “tool number one,” a hammer.

The end result is a naked street tracker suitable for the dirt ovals of the Grand National Series. The Pastranas were on hand for a reveal and test that put Travis in a first-time, compromising position.

Bike: 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 from Safari Cycle Salvage in Long Beach, CA

SPECIFICATIONS

Frame: 2006 Sportster Custom 1200

Subframe: Custom RSD

Engine: Sportster 1200 with Zippers Performance Super Hammer 1200 Engine Kit

Carburetion or FI System: Mikuni Carburetor

Rear Swing Arm: Customized sportster swing arm for a single Progressive shock

Rear Wheel: 17X3.5

Front Wheel: 17X3.5

Clip-Ons or Bars: Prototype RSD Step-bars

Seat: Custom by SDG

Tank: RSD Vintage tank

Rear Sets: Prototype RSD mid-controls

Tires: 130/80-17 front and 140/80-17 rear Dunlop Trailmax TR91

Exhaust: Custom RSD stainless exhaust

Paint: Chris Wood of Airtrix

Headlight: Stock

Front Brake: PM 4 Piston

Rear Brake: PM 4 Piston

Top Steering Clamp/Triple Tree: RSD Custom Harley 48

Roland Sands Design
10571 Los Alamitos Blvd.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
(877) 773-6648
info@rolandsands.com
Website
Facebook
YouTube
Instagram: @rolandsandsdesign

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Season 4 Builders: Analog Motorcycles

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Analog Motorcycles started in the summer of 2009. Tony Prust, founder, has been riding and customizing motorcycles for over 15 years in conjunction with his job as a percussion technician for the rock band Chevelle. When the band’s drummer Sam Loeffler wanted a custom café racer he asked his drum tech to moonlight as a bike tech.

The project bike was a horrendously wide and bulky Bimota DB3 that was turned over to the Bostrom brothers for a racetrack test outside of Chicago.

Today, Prust is fully focused on Analog Motorcycles and building bikes. The attention to detail Tony has developed throughout this hobby, combined with his previous profession as a trim carpenter, is starting to result in incredibly beautiful motorcycles. His goal has always been to put together bikes that both look good and perform well.

Currently Analog is capable of small accessory installs to full custom bike builds, powder coating to fabricating and everything in between. 

Bike: 1996 Bimota DB3 Mantra

Name: DB3.5

SPECIFICATIONS

Frame: Stock Bimota DB3

Subframe: Analog design and fabricated with Mike Ardito

Engine: Ducati M900 (2 valve air-cooled 900cc) Refreshed and rebuilt from inside out by TJ of Ducati Milwaukee. Later model oil cooler and custom made oil lines by Analog

Carburetion or FI System: Keihin FCR carbs with Velocity Stacks

Rear Swing Arm: Stock Bimota

Rear Wheel: Alpina 17″ from JCPak Bikes with custom made spacers to allow fitment by Analog

Front Wheel: Alpina 17″ from JCPak Bikes with custom made spacers to allow fitment by Analog

Clip-Ons: Vortex Clip-ons with Speedy Moto bars

Seat: Analog pan and design. Rod’s Designs stitched the Upholstery

Tank: Analog design Mark Ardito Fabricated

Rear Sets: Custom made brackets by Analog. Rizoma rear sets

Tires: Front: 120/70-17 Rear:180/55-17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso II

Exhaust: Analog design with same length pipe, 3″ baffles at end and custom painted Biltwell tips. Fabricated by Mike Ardito. Ceramic coated by Hytek Coatings

Paint: Graphic layout and color scheme Analog. Paint by Kiel of Crown Autobody

Headlight: Emgo British 7″ bucket, custom headlight with integrated LED signals and LSL headlight brackets

Front Brake: 320mm custom made ISR rotors, 2x 6 piston monoblock calipers, and fully adjustable radial master cylinders with integrated control switches

Rear Brake: Custom ISR rotor, ISR master cylinder and Stock Brembo caliper

Top Steering Clamp/Triple Tree: Stock Bimota

Suspension: Rebuilt stock Pailloi forks and rear shock with custom made fork brace by Analog and Gary Prust

Speedo: Koso DB-01R

Electrical: Complete rewire with Koso gauge, relocated Earth X lithium battery, and LED taillight array with running, brake and signals in single strip.

Other: Custom made HEL brake lines, Custom fabricated belt guards by Analog, EVR slipper clutch and slave cylinder, all powder coating by J & J Powder coating, suspension refreshed by Bruce at Moto Rider, All ISR parts sourced through Mike at Power Barn, and CRG bar end mirrors

Analog Motorcycles

Tony Prust
Phone: (847)-867-6514
Location: Gurnee, IL
analogmotorcycles@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

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Season 4 Builders: Twinline Motorcycles

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Implying that they were just a bunch of hipsters from Seattle looking to make a statement on national television, Café Racer Magazine’s Mike Seate said this “Franken-bike” project by Twinline Motorcycles would never work.

If marrying a Honda and a Kawasaki wasn’t tough enough, Twinline also took on new challenges that they’ve never tried before, like building a custom gas tank, rebuilding an unfamiliar engine and manipulating and strengthening a frame for a powerhouse that it was never intended to house. 

Although it was ambitious and took a bit longer than anticipated, Twinline, led by a group of young craftsman and artists, proved that mixed technology and generations can work. Yes, the future of custom bikes is good.

Bike: “The Thorn” 1977 Honda CB550 and 1990 Kawasaki EX500

SPECIFICATIONS

Frame:  1977 Honda CB550, strengthened & gusseted

Subrame: Modified stock, gusseted

Engine: Rebuilt 1990 Kawasaki EX500, Bored to 600cc with Engine Dynamics kit, Webcam 245 cams, Barnett clutch, heavyweight springs

Carburetion or FI System: Keihin CR33, 70mm velocity stacks

Rear Swing Arm:  Modified stock

Rear Wheel (Size): 2.15” x 18” Warp 9 rim, stainless spokes, KDX200 hub

Front Wheel (Size): 2.15” x 18” Warp 9 rim, stainless spokes, Warp 9 KTM hub

Clip-Ons or Bars: Woodcraft 35mm clip-ons

Seat: Custom one-off seat and upholstery

Tank:  Modified CB550ss tank, Pingel high flow petcock

Rear Sets: Motobits pegs, levers, linkage, Moto-R bracket

Tires (Sizes): Front: Avon AM22 110/80-18, Rear: Avon AM23 130/65-18

Exhaust : Modified stock headers, hand made cones

Paint: Frame: 20% powder-coat, Bodywork: none, raw mild steel

Headlight: CB350 bucket, H4 bulb, handmade mounts

Front Brake: Nissin 14mm master cylinder, stainless braided line, Brembo dual pot caliper

Rear Brake: Nissin CBR master cylinder, stainless braided line, Nissin caliper

Top Steering Clamp/Triple Tree:  Modified stock, steering damper

Electronics: Trail Tech Vapor gauge, Shorai battery, stock CDI, customized wiring harness

Twinline Motorcycles

2106 S. Holgate st.

Seattle, Wa 98144

Phone: 206-768-8686

Jeff: tower@twinlinemotorcycles.com

Ian: ian@houseonfire.com

www.twinlinemotorcycles.com

Facebook

More photos and specs for “The Thorn”

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Season 4 Builders: RAS Moto Detroit

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Ry Seidler is classic do-it-yourself-Detroit. From tattoos to automotive engineering, Ry is one of those rare people who can both sides of his brain. The guy even designed his own CNC machine. Some of the feedback we’ve received for “Café Racer” TV is ‘What about the regular guys building in garages?’ Ry is way too talented to be classified as ‘regular’ but he’s definitely in a home garage. When asked to describe Ry’s best skills, the segment producer of this story called Ry “The most complete dude we’ve ever had on the show.”
 
The CRTV crew met Ry back in season 2 when we worked with the Café Racer Ypsi shop in Ypsilanti, MI. Ry was the tank and seat fabricator for the gift bike for CRY’s Melissa.
 
For season 4 of CRTV Ry took on a beaten and forgotten Harley Davidson 350cc Sprint that looked like it was a chopper/dirt bike in a previous life.
 
Bike: (Make/Model/Year) 1972 Harley-Davidson Aermacchi Sprint

Specifications: 350cc 4 stroke 4-speed

Frame:  Modified 1969 & 72  Harley-Davidson Sprint

Subrame: NA

Engine: 350cc

Carburetion or FI System: Carbureted

Rear Swing Arm:  modified stock

Rear Wheel (Size): 18”

Front Wheel (Size): 18”

Clip-Ons or Bars: Hand made bars

Seat: Modified vintage Bates flat track seat

Tank:  ‘69 Aermacchi

Rear Sets: Handmade, modified stock

Tires (Sizes): 2.75 X 18 front 3.5X18 rear

Exhaust : Handmade pipe with 70s Sportster muffler

Paint: By Ry Seidler. Orange candy with gold pearl over cream

Headlight: Sportster lamp bucket grafted onto a Aermacchi SS body

Front Brake: Drum

Rear Brake: Drum

Top Steering Clamp/Triple Tree:  Original, smoothed and polished

 
Ry Seidler

RAS Moto Detroit
seidlry@aol.com
rasmotodetroit.com

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