What's a Cafe Racer?

[Dante]

In another (unrelated) post, MJMP asked me what a Cafe Racer was...

Here's the story (pretty close to how I heard it)

Café Racers (originally pronounced "caff" racers) were born out of the Ace Cafe in London. The patrons would put a coin in the jukebox, race around a circuit on their motorbikes and try to beat the song back to to the cafe before it finished. This developed a style of bike called Café Racers

Since there were no "race bikes" back then, they started doing everything possible to make their bikes faster. Engine upgrades, suspension upgrades, tires, etc. They'd also strip the bike down to it's very frame. So, you're left with a minimalist bike that's nothing but a frame with wheels on the ends and a motor in the middle.

Here are some before & after shots of my bike - I need to take some updated pix that are at the same angles as the 'before' shots

[MarshallJMP]

Ah ok I see, must say never heard of these before.

[Dante]

I like to ride sport bikes, always wanted to build a Cafe Racer...finally did it and I'm pleased with the look

I'm battling these carbs...she is not running great, but she is a big, fast gal

[MarshallJMP]

What is the problem with the carbs?

[Dante]

They're not native to the bike, so I have to get them jetted correctly in order to work at all. I put after market Mikuni racing carbs on...because they're cool looking...I'm a poser - haha

I had the bike running pretty rich (too much gas) and started rejetting to compensate for that. In the process, I may have fouled my spark plugs one too many times, so I have new plugs...but my wire boots are too small...bigger boots on the way.

Once I have my spark plug wires back together, I can see if the new spark plugs help me get her started easier

The jetting is a puzzle. Pilot jet to handle the idle and 'slow' riding. Needle Jet and Carb Needle to handle the 1/4 to 3/4 throttle range. Main Jet to handle the Full Open Throttle (FOT). The thing is, when you change the main jet, it affects the needle and the needle jet...so that may change again later too. Fun fun

[rnolan]

Tuning carbs is a dark (and dying) art.  This is why god invented fuel injection and electronic distributors LoL.  From the various car tv shows I watch from time to time, you may also need to balance the air flow into each carb.  There was an episode of Wheeler Dealers where they got a guy in to tune the carbs and he balanced the airflow across the carbs, he had a device to measure the flow into the carbs and tweaked them to be the same.  IIRC it was for a ferrari or lambo engine ??

[Dante]

I'm way ahead of you man, I already bought a carb synchronizer called the CarbTune Pro...yup...way down the rabbit hole, like buying gear. Except, I'm buying carb jets, needles etc.

BTW: The air screw is the first adjustment, I have that set already...but I'm at 2,000 feet - which has a bit less O2, so there's that. Hence, my pilot jet adjustments

Don't think I haven't started looking at EFI systems - haha

[JarrettBlackBridge]

Lucky you didn't build an RE-5, good luck getting someone to work on one of those, lol! 

Sweet ride, I'm a fan!

These guys usually work on cars but the one guy did a cafe build, pretty neat video although they don't narrate like they usually do since it's usually 99% car content.

https://youtu.be/EZF6iT_X8Rk

[MarshallJMP]

Yeah tuning carbs can be a pain in the butt. I also saw that episode from wheeler dealers, looked pretty neat. I always used 4 vacuum gauges to tune my carbs on my Suzuki GSX600. Still have but I haven't used it in a decade. Maybe I should get it out again. I miss driving a bike.

[Kim]

I always liked the look of most of those cafe racers.   

My current motorcycle (2016 Harley Davidson Road Glide Ultra) has an aftermarket tuner module on it (Vance & Hines FuelPak) that allows the rider to download an app on their phone in order to make adjustments wirelessly to the fuel maps and stuff.  I've never messed with it since getting this bike, as it seems the previous owner had it dialed in pretty good for the Screaming Eagle Stage 1 upgrade it has.  The bike has PLENTY of power now IMO; I won't need to go to a higher Stage upgrade but I'd lower the Idle RPM slightly if I ever did want to mess with it though...

[rnolan]

Hey Kim, that looks super comfortable.  My mate used to have a GPZ1100 back in the day, not so comfortable for the pillion (me)  but man was it fast  :whoohoo!:   

@MJMP, so you are a bike dude as well, look out.

[MarshallJMP]

@Kim, wauw didn't know that even existed for bike's, so did the Harley have carbs originally?

@Rnolan, yep been driving I was 16 on 50cc bikes, when I was 18 I went to 250cc two stroke dirt bikes (or cross bikes??) and then to the one I have now.
But for the moment I drive around on a spedelec bicycle, with the high gas price I don't even use my car anymore.

[JarrettBlackBridge]

with the high gas price I don't even use my car anymore.

I wish I could say the same  :'(
I'm like 40 mins away from work at 100$ a week now that used to cost me 35$. One day to and from work though in the rx7 is like 60$ though so it's not too bad in the civic I guess 

[Dante]

@Kim: I believe you are referencing a Power Commander, but I could be wrong. They have them for aftermarket stuff too, I think.

My last bike had one, it was a 2004 YZF600r (pictured below). Her name was Trixie, had all the fairings, cowlings etc. My new bike has ZERO body parts - naked bike with a semi-bobber fender (not very cafe, but whatever...it's mine).

Your Harley looks sweet man. I've only ridden one - my dad's Road King. I was going through all the gears like I was on a sport bike & my dad yelled at me - haha. He had a full dresser later...said his reverse gear was mom pushing on the windshield :)

BTW: I have to re-learn Machine Head by Bush (got a gig coming up). I never saw the video before, but it's about a Cafe Racer - lol

[Dante]

Lucky you didn't build an RE-5, good luck getting someone to work on one of those, lol! 

Sweet ride, I'm a fan!

These guys usually work on cars but the one guy did a cafe build, pretty neat video although they don't narrate like they usually do since it's usually 99% car content.

https://youtu.be/EZF6iT_X8Rk

That guy encapsulated my last 2 months perfectly. 1 month of pulling shit off, cutting the frame, ripping out extra wires, fixing the lights, draining very black oil, etc. 1 month of wrestling carbs (so far). I must point out that he only had one carb to deal with, way easier. Very nice video, thank you for that. One of the better 'build' videos I've seen.

Did you see the gaggle of wires he had in the headset of that bike? I have that too. I will invest in a simple wiring harness pretty soon, they have some that are a lot less wires (how many do you need for a bike anyway?)

That rubber boot holding on the carb? I had to replace mine too - all 3. That's what got me down the carburetor rabbit hole. My carbs were shot...yes, I could find jets for them, but getting them out was not easy and I did some damage. So, new carbs! 

Ride on, adventurers!