Cafe Racer Forum banner

Newbie to Cafe Racers!

3K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  Witworth 
#1 ·
Hello out there!

New to the forum. I picked up a nice '78 Kawasaki KZ400 and looking to convert it into a cafe racer over winter! Anyone else who has done this conversion, I'd love to hear any tips or info on your build.
It is currently in pretty good condition. Current engine isnt firing, but the previous owner gave me another (working) engine with the bike!

Hope to take some good progress pictures as I go!

Cheers!
 
#3 ·
Convert to cafe racer eh?
what does that even mean? If it's not running now then how have you ridden it long enough to identify weak links to improve?

this site is not for playing dress up. You will get little help, encouragement or praise if your idea of a cafe racer is pod filters, no fenders, low bars and a stupid seat.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the good advice so far. I am hoping to test out the spare engine within the next few weeks or so just to make sure it is working and how well. Next I will probably dismantle the engine block and see if it needs any rebuilding / TLC.
The bike itself is at 36,000 km's and the engine is at 26,000 km's.
I plan on building/upholstering the seat, grinding down the frame and splashing some nice accent color on there, maybe adding a few brackets on to clean up the wiring and what not. One of my clients is a sheet metal shop so I am looking at maybe doing a custom gas tank.
I've seen some cafe racers with the hidden battery tucked under the solo seat so that might be something I might experiment with.

I use to work on cars a lot so it is nice to change it up and try something new :)
 
#7 ·
We should turn this into a drinking game....or perhaps something like that D&Desque thing football fans play this time of year.
 
#9 ·
First, welcome to the forum. We are not a bunch of everything is cupcakes and puppies internet forum, so we may scare you away like we do a lot of folks.
Second, I also have one of these bikes and while they are not road burners they are a much better starting point than a Honda CX500.
Third, what is wrong with the motor that is currently in it? I promise you that the minumum wage earners who knocked it together 40 years ago did a better job than you are likely to on your first one. Mine was seized. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten it running without pulling it apart had I not broken off one of the intake boot screws in the head, then broken one of the oil control rings trying to put it back together. Lucky for you a 78 is a much easier motor to get parts for than the 77 and earlier bikes. If the diaphragm type CV carb on it are in bad shape you may just want to call Sudco and order a set of round slides and intakes to replace them with. They are much easier to tune.

I put mine together as a flat tracker (which I still haven't been able to take to the track, yet) and am in the process of making it street legal as well.

Land vehicle Vehicle Motor vehicle Motorcycle Transport
 
#10 ·
Get the bike fully operational. Get yourself fully operational by doing a couple of MSF courses. Get real riding gear that leaves bits of face, ankles and elbows where they belong. Buy a Haynes manual.

Honestly, get the entire bike working right first. The suspension, shocks, brakes and tires. Get the motor running as best you can, with it completely stock. Get some miles on it then to prove that it is worth spending time, emotion, cash and effort on.

After you have done that big shopping list, think about modifying it to look nice. That list will take you over a year to complete.

The idea that you can take a bike with 99 problems and cut a few things off it to make a good café racer is flawed in the extreme. Fix the "bike" part before you tackle the "dream" part; and yes they are completely separate things.

If you strip down the motor " to have a look, because I'm bored " , I guarantee it will never run again.

The best piece of advice is to stop looking at cartooncafer web sites with barely rideable Hipster café crap for a while. Troll the web looking at pre-73 café racers and genuine old race bikes for inspiration.

Danger, is my business.
 
#11 ·
Yeah please read the read me first thread and listen to the advise here. Get everything working, brakes, suspension, motor running WELL before any detabbing nonsense.

Budget 500-700 for gear - a bit more if Canada is more expensive than US. That givea you a cheper quality (ece / snell) fullface helmet, boots, gloves, pants and jacket. Get lessons. Not sure if MSF exists in Canada but something somular must.
 
#12 ·
Oh yeah if parkwood's message was not clear: do not disassemble the working motor. And even the non runner needs diagnoswd first and only taken apart on need basis. The threads where people rebuild everything from ground look cool but usually
A) are not 1st bikes
B) make no financial sense whatsoever
c) per one finished total teardown there are 99 that gets sold in cardboard boxes 3-10years later

Just getting it all working systematically, system by system is going to be enough wrenching and head ache. Trust us.
 
#14 ·
I always have a few pairs of panties stored on the bike. You never know when you may come across some young tribal guys out in the wilds, who need help uploading files to a café racer forum. If you give some cigarettes to the boss fellah, and cover the lad with fresh togs, they won't attack. So I've heard.

Danger, is my business.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top