[dogmotor]

Hey all,

First post here. Been thinking about cafe machines since I first started seeing the Japanese conversions (cheaper than Italian!).

After not riding for a few years, someone GAVE me a '78 GS750 and I was amazed how nicely it road. I think the skinny tires really help - it's not a small bike. On the road it feels like a bicycle!

A GS550 could be interesting. If you stripped all the extra stuff off, you'd have a good handling decent bike that could look almost as nice as a CB....

The Honda CB 4 cylinder bikes are beautiful, but kinda heavy, and I'm not sure about the handling. Do they have really flexible frames? Supposedly the GS series are much better, but I've never ridden a CB so I wouldn't know.

The Honda CB-1 is supposed to be good, and light at 416#. It's just really ugly.

Yamaha srx-6? Hard to find, really, really light (380#) - kind of strange Japanesey tank that you'd have to replace to make it look cool/retro.

Ducati 860's used to be really cheap, but I just discovered they're almost GS heavy...

Suzuki SV650 - this bike is almost perfect, but I can't stand the frame - it's obviously steel, but they way they treat it, it could be anything. Why can't they make their standards better looking?

OK, that's all for now...

- Mark

 

[Geeto67]

quote:
Hey all,

First post here. Been thinking about cafe machines since I first started seeing the Japanese conversions (cheaper than Italian!).

After not riding for a few years, someone GAVE me a '78 GS750 and I was amazed how nicely it road. I think the skinny tires really help - it's not a small bike. On the road it feels like a bicycle!

A GS550 could be interesting. If you stripped all the extra stuff off, you'd have a good handling decent bike that could look almost as nice as a CB....

The Honda CB 4 cylinder bikes are beautiful, but kinda heavy, and I'm not sure about the handling. Do they have really flexible frames? Supposedly the GS series are much better, but I've never ridden a CB so I wouldn't know.

The Honda CB-1 is supposed to be good, and light at 416#. It's just really ugly.

Yamaha srx-6? Hard to find, really, really light (380#) - kind of strange Japanesey tank that you'd have to replace to make it look cool/retro.

Ducati 860's used to be really cheap, but I just discovered they're almost GS heavy...

Suzuki SV650 - this bike is almost perfect, but I can't stand the frame - it's obviously steel, but they way they treat it, it could be anything. Why can't they make their standards better looking?

OK, that's all for now...

- Mark

Given that modern bikes need substantial rubber to harness the power to the road safely, and that the amreican way is to put fat tires on everything, many people forget that skinny tires help a bike handle better by increasing the turn in speed and sometimes even the lean angle.

The GS is a solid bike, japanese and not as desirable as a cb, kz, or xs. The gs1100s and 1000s were screamers but they are few and far between these days and almost as expensive as KZs when you find one. Still jap bikes are jap bikes and they are not as expensive as the brit stuff.

As for the CB I don't know where people get this stuff about the flexible frames. I have ridden cb750s 200lbs past their weight limits and have never expirenced frame flex ever. The suspensions are shite stock but almost all 70's bikes could stand for tossing the old fish oil and putting in some real shocks and fork oil. Personally I find the SOHC 750 one of the most durable bike I have ever had the pleasure of riding. I treat my 75 like a dual sport and have yet to have a problem with it. Now that th transit strike is in effect I am riding it again in manhattan, long johns and all, although I had a nasty run in with some ice for the second time this year.

The cb1000 is basically a nekkid cbr, nice bike too modern to be traditional cafe but would make an awsome streetfighter

The sv650 and sv1000 are now the poor man's ducati replacing the tls1000R as the heir to that throne. Really practical motorcycle, not very good as a traditional cafe but another awsome streetfighter. Love the sound of twins. at 363 lbs I am pretty sure the SV frame is aluminum as most bikes are outside of crusiers.



Edited by - Geeto67 on Dec 21 2005 5:08:01 PM

 

[Del]

the GS range off bikes are one off my favriote jap bikes
as ive had a couple over the years you can do a lot with them tuneing wish as the bottom end is pretty solid
go for it i say