Triumph Cafe Racer

Seen at Ramsey Park in Central Austin.

Ducati Cafe Racer Rat Bike

I first saw this bike parked at a Home Depot in December when I was there shopping for a Christmas tree.  It appealed to me on so many levels.  First, it is the quintessential idea of a cafe racer– stripped down to its bare essentials.  Secondly, it has that rat-bike type of neglect or at least a seemingly perceived neglect that makes it look tough.  I parked right next to this little racer and snapped this pic back in december.  This morning I saw the same bike parked in front of Upper Crust Bakery on Burnet and just happened to see it’s owner throw his leg over it.  Respect.  Every detail of this bike screams awesome, it is so very Austin.

Removing the side plastic side panels also brings out more of the nakedness of the bike. The right hand side reveals the mono-shock which looks amazing. However, there are some wires that the side panel covered that have to be rerouted.

With the right hand side panel gone the tail section begins to look more lean and sleek. The yellow mono-shock pops out and the Monster truly begins to look like a naked machine.

The only unforgiving parts are the leftover tabs on the frame. Some owners have time to disassemble the bike grind the tabs off and repaint their frame. I, unfortunately, do not have that type of time on my hands. Luckily I was able to hide one of the wiring connections behind the tab using a black zip tie. The other smaller wiring connection I rerouted behind and above the rear brake reservoir next to the oil vent tube.

The left hand side panel was hiding much more content and more important devices.

Behind the left-hand side rear set tab is the coil to one of the cylinders. It is mounted right behind the tab. Most people relocate that under the seat but that procedure requires removing the plastic oil breather tank that connects to the air filter. Thought the oil breather tank is certainly an eye sore, removing it is a procedure I will not do. Most owners throw on a slick looking K&N filter on the oil vent, plug the air filter and call it a day. Those same owners claim that no harm is done to the engine or bike. I’ll wait on that mod until I learn more, but I recall on my last bike when I vented any blow back gasses into the atmosphere instead of having the air filter reclaim them it was a smelly mess. I prefer to smell nice when I get to work.

So the only thing I rerouted where the wiring connections that led to the rectifier. The thick insulated cabling actually runs through a deep groove in the plastic oil breather tank. I just pulled the cable up out of view and bent it until it was sitting comfortable under the seat. It no longer runs through the groove in the oil breather tank and the seat doesn’t pinch it in any way. The left-hand side isn’t looking as best as it could. You can still see a little of the colored wires, the thick tube that leads connects to the oil breather tank and the bottom of the oil breather tank. Nevertheless, I am happy with removing the plastic parts. The only two I have on the bike are the seat cowl and front chain guard.

Nice texture on the Magura bars.

Rizoma billeted aluminum bar ends and OEM Ducati grips and throttle tube. Everyone and their momma upgrades to Rizoma grips and I even considered it myself, in fact, I still may one day, but I have always been fond of black rubber grips.

Removing original throttle tube.

Now that is black.

I was surprised by how light the Rizoma bar ends were, too light in fact. The whole point of bar ends,, besides the cosmetic advantages, are to decrease bar vibration. I think these may not be heavy enough. I’ll now after tomorrow morning after I take the monster to work. If there is any noticeable increase in vibration I’ll return them and get OEM Ducati bar ends.

Things to do on the Monster:

1. Remove all frame stickers.
2. Remove reflectors on forks.
3. Black out belt covers.
4. Chop tail.
5. Remove passenger pegs
6. Remove udder.

Gone

Gone

Gone

Click the link above to gain access to the updated store. I have some great bargains on stainless steel fasteners. Brand new, never used stainless steel goodies to replace your crusty, rusty intake and exhaust washers and nuts. You’ll also find allen head pinch bolts for your kicker and shifter. I just sold my last set of cylinder head allen bolts but if your interested I can get some more correct sizes for your CB550. There is also one last set of LED bulbs for your indicators until I get some more.

1976 Honda CB550 Cafe Racer

I just had a baby so I don’t get much of a chance to ride it anymore. This means the cafe racer needs a new home, preferably with someone who knows how to turn a wrench. The bike is ready to go. The last thing it needs is paint. The bike only has 8604 miles on it so the engine is rock solid. This is a great bike, try to find one with less miles. Come over and take a look at it.

For the last two years I’ve written about this bike here at austincaferacer.com.

Everything is in here, so if you want a more intimate perspective on this bike read through the blog.

Or if you just want to thumb through photos here is a link to a photo gallery: http://gallery.me.com/markgutierrez#100142

Here is the obligatory list of stuff done to the bike:

Dyna-S Electronic ignition

4 into 1 MAC exhaust

Cafe seat from benjiescaferacer.com

Stainless steel brake hoses

Nissin master cylinder off a 2008 Honda CBR600RR

Uni pods

Re-jetted mains

Clubman drop bars

Aluminum Bar clamps from Carpy

Mini chrome gauges

LED turn signals

Motion Pro throttle assembly

Carbs synced with Morgan Carbtune

CRG bar end mirror

New EBC brake pads

Stainless Steel Screws

Price $2900

Thanks to Tyler Nutter for my new banner photo.

I knew I wanted the assembly to be made of metal but I couldn’t find any cool looking billet aluminum assemblies. I ultimately went with a cast aluminum throttle from Motion Pro.

I’ve purchased their cables before and they are a good company to deal with. The kit even came with an allen wrench.

This particular model is a push/pull throttle but can be used for just pull much like the original OEM assembly.

It also comes in chrome but I chose black enamel for contrast on the chrome bars.

The whole thing is around an inch wide. Much slimmer than the original Honda part.

Gee whiz that’s pretty.

Before shot with original master cylinder, switches, and throttle.