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In the early eighties I had a series of t-shirts that featured vinyl, metal flake prints. They varied in subject matter from Spider man through to Moto cross themed designs and I wore them till they pretty much disintegrated. Since then I have kept my obsession with sparkly things a secret but today I'm coming out and saying it...I love metal flake paint.




And apparently so do the guys at Old School Engineering. Their 73 Honda CB750 K2 is an all black beast with a splash of 70's "old school" cool.


Very little lustre remains on the once chrome covered CB. After a full tear down all of the bikes engine casings and covers received a concealing coat of gloss black. The chrome of the four header pipes has also been hidden with graphite heat wrap before they converge in to the one single muffler. Lower profile lights have been used to reduce bulk and the indicators and tail light all have smoked lenses. The front fender has been done away with and the rear chopped giving the always stylish Firestone rubber the exposure it deserves.



Other items on the Honda that received the black treatment include the velocity stacks and carbs, the wheel rims, forks, fuel tank and clip on bars. To counter act the sheer amount of black there is on this custom motorbike that lovely metal flake paint was applied along with a set of striking blue Beston grips. While the modifications to this Honda aren't as extreme as some of the other Cafe Racers we feature, a good eye for design has ensured that this ride oozes old school cool.

We just received images of this outstanding 1974 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer from photographer Phil Foss. The bike was put together in a warehouse space in Chantilly, Virginia by the guys who Phil shares the space with. The motorcycle underwent a full custom resto with many parts being replaced or refurbished and is up for sale now on eBay with no reserve.




The Hondas original switches and speedo were removed and the original bars replaced with Clubmans to keep the front of the bike as clean as possible and give it a lower, Cafe Racer style stance. Fresh steering bearings were fitted along with new tyres front and back so the Honda is ready to take on the twistys straight away. Plenty of fuel and air is fed to the engine via a set of Mikuni carbs tuned to maximise throttle response and according to Phil these combined with the 4 in to 1 exhaust make her "scream".


The CBs custom made tail section and single seat give it a 70's flavour, true to it's birth date and add to it's Cafe Racer styling. Some basic modifications to the frame have helped to remove redundant tags and the unwanted tail loop before a fresh coat of black. The engine also received a face lift with a full clean and plenty of polishing to the side covers, case covers and head. The black and silver paint finishes off the CB750 with a salute to the classic Cafe Racer colour schemes of the fifties.

Well I don't know about you but I'm just about as stuffed as the Turkey I polished off yesterday! Today is a great day to sit and relax in front of your computer with a beer and find inspiration for your holiday  custom motorcycle project, so without further adieu here's the best Cafe Racers and custom motorcycles that have found their way into our inbox this month. We hope they get you as excited as they did us.

Brad's 1976 Honda CB750:




We're kicking off this months round up with a CB750 ground up rebuild and resto Cafe Racer from Brad in Wisconsin. It's a 1976 CB750 which is Brad's first custom motorcycle build. The build was began after a nasty chain snap that resulted in a busted engine cover. The rebuild included a new refurbed and painted engine, fresh paint job, polished covers and some nifty cutting to produce the rising sun emblems on the sprocket cover and engine mounts. Clip on bars, a Yoshimura exhaust, small indicators and tail light and custom designed  decals on the dials complete complete the look of this CB750 Cafe Racer.


If you check out Brad's Flickr page he has put together a selection of CB750 wallpapers for those of you who are die hard fans and the might Honda Four.

Pommy Jon's T120R Triton:

Jon's Triton Cafe Racer is a real looker and unfortunately the shot above is the only one we have (Jon if you're reading this feel free to send in some more photos). It's the perfect mix of a 1965 T120R Triumph engine and a 1961 Norton Slimline frame. 1970 GT750 forks were polished and fitted along with the hubs which have been custom laced and again polished to a mirror finish. A Joe Hunt magneto keeps the electrics in order and a pair of halogens in the nose provide the light needed for night rides. In classic Cafe Racer style Jon took a Suzuki 250 petrol tank and cut it out to form the seat pan and tail section...it's a trick that we think make those fibreglass options sound pretty lame!

1978 Honda CB550K3 Cafe Racer:

After being surrounded by Cafe Racers for most of his life Sean wanted to build a bike in the style he had grown to love but with the same reliable characteristics of the sports bikes he owned. In Feb 2011 he got his hands on a Honda CB550 which he promptly stripped down to begin converting in to his dream ride. Here's how it came together:


"This is the 1st bike that I have ever completely built from the ground up. I have done all of the fabrication myself, the only thing I didn't do was powder coating the rims. I taught myself how to weld, how to work with fibreglass and how to spray paint and pinstripe. Just a few of the numerous changes I made to the bike include fitting the fuel tank from a Honda CB500T, adding a CEV Tipo 105 headlight and bucket converted to run a halogen, the seat and tail were made by myself and also upholstered by me also. The exhaust is a mis-mash of parts, two of the pipes are CB500K, two are from a CB650 and the 4 into 2 collector is also from a CB650. I rebuilt the engine and the braking system which included changing the rear drum brake from rod to cable operated for better modulation and feel."


Sean had his fair share of frustrations with the build especially with the rewiring and relocating the electrics but he's proud of how it turned out and rightly so. He's now planning a more modern Cafe Racer based on a Ducati Monster.

1974 Norton Commando 850 Roadster:




It's not as extreme as the other custom builds listed above but this Norton Commando is an absolute work of art. Joe bought the Norton as a "non running rusty mess" that had been updated several times in its life but had never had a full resto.


A "mild" Cafe Racer was achieved with some basic aesthetic upgrades but the rest of the build wasn't so easy. Joe tells us that "the list of upgrades it too long to to list!" and during this ground up rebuild every nut, bolt and part was either replaced, upgraded or rebuilt. Judging from these photos we're not about to question that claim as it's one of the nicest Commandos we've seen in some time.


If you've got a custom motorcycle or a Cafe Racer you'd like to see on Return of the Cafe Racers send it to us here.

"Derek Despain has never been one to settle down. A week of knowing Despain can somewhat be related to the feeling of trying to find a mysteriously lost set of keys within the confines of your own home I know they are here somewhere? Honestly, what could my keys possibly be doing right now? Alright, now, where the fuck are they? Regardless, the past years of acquainting myself with the guy has been a refreshing experience to say the least. Through a spectrum of highs, lows, different jobs, physical confrontations, women and long nights of boozing, it has always been an seamless idea of calling upon the soft- spoken, yet uniquely dark, humorous vagabond, Despain. As a key family member to the CHAPTER brigade of individuals, we sat down with Despain to criticize his life on a motorcycle and some of his most recent endeavors."

Cream Motorcycles have released their ninth build, a 1980 Honda CB 750 named "Brownie" and it's sweeeeet.


The build took 3 months to complete and included a handmade battery box, simplified wiring harness, custom leather seat, de-tagged and smoothed frame and the lovely brown/gold/black paint scheme. We've pulled these images from their website along with the specs you can see below.


Specifications: 1980 Honda CB 750 (CRD #9 Brownie)
Carbs: Keihin with increased gum
Air filter: Power Filters
Exhaust: 4 in 4 + Megaton handmade CRD
Chassis: Honda
Forks: Showa
Shocks: Hagon
Fairing: Mini CRD
Handlebar: Renthal Ultra Low
Finish: Cafe Racer Dreams


You want it don't you? Well tough, it's sold and I bet the owner isn't letting it out of his sight. For more images and details head over to the CRD motorcycles website.

The value of a vintage bike is usually calculated by how common that bike is in that particular country. It's the basic laws of supply and demand. For instance, in America there's still quite a lot of Honda CB750's for sale - so they still offer pretty good value for money. However in a country like Greece, these Honda CB's are extremely rare. So when Aris Pavlidis from Adrenaline Junkies in Greece found one laying in the back yard of a carpenters workshop, he couldn't believe his luck. "It was in very bad shape but due to the rarity of this bike in Greece, I immediately went nuts about it, my mind started to make crazy plans for it" says Aris. So the next day, after a bit of haggling he bought it for $600 usd and got busy on his new found project.  

The value of a vintage bike is usually calculated by how common that bike is in that particular country. It's the basic laws of supply and demand. For instance, in America there's still quite a lot of Honda CB750's for sale - so they still offer pretty good value for money. However in a country like Greece, these Honda CB's are extremely rare. So when Aris Pavlidis from Adrenaline Junkies in Greece found one laying in the back yard of a carpenters workshop, he couldn't believe his luck. "It was in very bad shape but due to the rarity of this bike in Greece, I immediately went nuts about it, my mind started to make crazy plans for it" says Aris. So the next day, after a bit of haggling he bought it for $600 usd and got busy on his new found project.  

Electric motorcycles are here. There's no denying they're fast and that the concept is amazingly cool, but I have to say the styling I've seen on most electric motorcycles to date hasn't been my cup of tea. But that's all about to change. Introducing the world's first electric Cafe Racer, "Juice" by Ed and Tammy Fargo of South Carolina.

Juice is the fourth electric motorcycle built by the husband and wife team whose automotive past lies in kart and drag racing. After previously completing street spec and a drag spec electric motorcycles, Ed decided to act on his long desire to own a Cafe Racer and with the experience he gained with the first bikes he would make it electric.


The base for the Electric Juice Cafe Racer was a 1979 Honda CB750, a motorcycle that many modern Cafe Racer fans would know is a great base. As the engine and bodywork weren't of importance, Ed managed to source an example for only $250. He then pulled the engine, exhausts, air box, battery and wiring harness off the bike and made a few bucks back by selling them on. He then set himself a deadline of 60 days to complete the full build in time to enter the finished bike in an upcoming custom show.

Batteries are what makes the bulk of all electric vehicles so using similar sized post boxes the frame was tested for space and it fit! The electric Cafe Racer was to be powered by a set of 4 Headway batteries hooked up to an Altrax 450 amp controller and an ME1003 electric motor.


The original instrument cluster has been replaced with a trick GPS speedometer which sits on top of the triple clamp above a set of inverted clip on bars. Custom mounting plates were fabricated to fit most of the electrics to the bike as the original CB frame certainly wasn't set up for this type of running gear. Balance is a major consideration with any motorcycle build so the location of every part fitted to the bike was carefully planned. This motorcycle wasn't just going to go fast in a straight line, it needed to be quick in the twistys if it was going to stand up to its Cafe Racer name.


An already existing relationship with Airtech Streamlining helped them score a great deal on the period correct (racing CB750R style) fiberglass fairings. The fiberglass tank was gutted as it's purpose is now to be a fairing rather than a fuel vessel and a set of instruments for monitoring charge have been custom fitted.


The total weight of the motorcycle came in at under 312 pounds (141kg) which is considerably lighter than it's original weight of around 490 pounds (223kg). As with all electric bikes there's plenty of torque on hand but the big question is will she do the Ton? The answer thankfully is yes. The Juice Cafe Racer pulled a top speed of just over 105mph which in my opinion completes all the requirements of being a bonified Cafe Racer.


Prowler orange was selected for the paint scheme and a full set of racing decals were ordered. Ed even managed to register a set of plates especially for the bike, a very nice finishing touch.



The Juice Cafe Racer took second place in the custom motorcycle division which is a great achievement and now, all of a sudden I'm interested in electric motorcycles (!?).Watch the videos below for some street action of the Juice electric Cafe Racer.

For me the exhaust note is the only thing that is really missing from electric motorcycles. Every other aspect of them is amazing but I just don't know if I could give the lovely growl of my Cafe Racer away to adopt the new technology.

What's your opinion on electric motorcycles? Do you think it's safe to be cruising the street in silent stealth mode?

 

"We have Drag raced a door car, a carbureted Rear Engine Dragster, a blown, injected Front Engine Dragster (even a Go kart at the drag strip, but that is another story) and now, Electric drag bikes."

The Tarantulas are a collection of motorcycle loving friends in Portland, USA. They are riders and builders of Cafe Racer styled motorcycles and are focused on building a community of like minded people to share their experiences and knowledge with.

There's something about The Tarantulas work that really appeals to me. They aren't just producing bikes to a Cafe Racer template. Each motorcycle they have completed looks a little more individual than the last with beautifully fabricated custom components and timeless finishes. Here's a taste of their work...

1971 Honda CB175 "Maybaline"



Kara's Boom Boom Cafe Racer. This bike is a mix of CB and CL parts pieced together using all the best bits from the two bikes. As with any performance based project limited by small engine capacity a lot of components have been done away with. The seat now does the job that a rear fender once would have (keeps the riders back dry) and the original seat has been replaced with a much leaner single saddle.


The chocolate/honeycomb paint scheme works great against the primarily black engine and wheels of the bike, it's a combination that most wouldn't consider but one that certainly works here.


"The Natural" Honda CB750

Another Honda in the Tarantulas lineup except this one has a lot more grunt. The Natural has been a couple of years in the making but is nearing completion. I'm a huge fan of raw metal and I can only assume this is how the Natural got it's name.
 Most of the custom fabrication work on this bike was completed by Crowe Customs and regular contributor to Tarantula custom builds. The work done by Crowe on this bike includes the incredibly clean clip on handlebars, levers, throttle assembly, cowel and seat pan.



The custom covered seat by New Church Moto and gum finish Beston grips add the only color to the bike and I hope it stays that way.



2007 Triumph Thruxton "Doomrider"







The Doomrider was a very quick custom build taking place over a few weeks/weekends. The list of mods included powder coated wheels, fork tubes, clip ons and headlight bucket in satin black, the rubber was also upgraded and fork gaitors were added for a classic look. It was primarily an aesthetic upgrade which as you can see places this bike firmly in the "Cafe Racer" style category.

"We are working on building a community to share learned experiences / wrenching tips / stories / advice / anything motorcycle related. The goal is connection." - The Tarantulas.

Other bikes in the pipeline include a Yamaha XS650, an 07 Ducati Sport Classic and plenty more Honda CB builds. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the Tarantulas will grow to become...could they be Portlands own version of the Wrenchmonkees?