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the cafe project
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 3:47 am
by mike
well, I got asked by a couple of folks to post up what went on in my garage. well, here's the scoop.
I had this nice K1100RS, which, after I moved, was languishing in my cellar:
This is not a bike to be parked, so I traded it for this:
then chased down this... a 1983 R80RT that had been crashed, stripped and left to rot on the side of a house.
so I bought it for cheap, brought it home and began removing everything I could and started cleaning things up:
first thing was to remove the huge rear fender assembly
then I elminated the airbox and flip/flopped the bars
then, I did some finishing work on the wheels, engine components, and had Corbin build a custom saddle.
I've still got aways to go, but all in all, it's been a fun, fun project. Next up: elimination of the instrument pod, a better taillight solution, and a chrome front fender
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 3:50 am
by mike
here's a couple more angles
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:59 am
by Skins
Well done, Mike! Looks like it should handle pretty good. Reminds me of my youth ..
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:29 am
by Tamburinifan
Looks cool!
Really nice exhaust!
Suggestions: Keep the painted fender, reroute front brake hoses along forks &
angle out lisc plate, it might hit the wheel in the first deep road bump.
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 4:58 pm
by mike
the brake hose situation is a tough one because the bike was an RT so the plumbing is all built like that to route the lines out the lower fairing. I'll have to do some parts swapping. Since that photo was taken the plate has been relocated and I've got another taillight/tag bracket in the works that will further improve the rearend.
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 3:06 pm
by persempre907
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:45 pm
by redpaso
Thanks for the pics Mike, that is really nice & very much along the lines of what I am wanting to do in the future (hopefully not too distant).
I really like what you have done with the seat, these BM's were just made for cafe` conversions. It is hard to part with a good K series but it looks like you have put the revenue to good use.
Keep us updates as you upgrade guages etc.
So as your paso is stting on display in your house (I assume it is still there) is the BM your regular ride nowdays?
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:27 am
by mike
redpaso wrote:Thanks for the pics Mike, that is really nice & very much along the lines of what I am wanting to do in the future (hopefully not too distant).
I really like what you have done with the seat, these BM's were just made for cafe` conversions. It is hard to part with a good K series but it looks like you have put the revenue to good use.
Keep us updates as you upgrade guages etc.
So as your paso is stting on display in your house (I assume it is still there) is the BM your regular ride nowdays?
yes, I ride the BMW when I can. with the neuro problems I experience these days in my hands, combined with the colder climate here in OR I don't ride even 50% of what I did in northern CA. I'm investigating electric gloves, and perhaps some form of tidy heated grip retrofit.
btw: the seat is almost a 'one off' from Corbin. Let me know if/when you get ready to buy one as they don't advertise this particular model in the catalog.
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 1:59 am
by Fraser
Mike,
Here's a link to the Ace Cafe site in London, where there are pictures of more BMW cafe racers that you can poke a stick at.
http://www.ace-cafe-london.com/postcard ... ?cat_id=19
Fraser.
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 5:04 pm
by persempre907
Very nice bikes in that historical (web)site
.
I also saw some cute Guzzis there...
Ciao
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:23 pm
by mike
Oh yeah I perused that site and cafeboxer.com before I decided to jump in and do this project in the first place. good stuff mate.
btw, you're the only person I know that has tintin as an avatar. I read those books with verve when I was a child.
Re: the cafe project
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 11:23 pm
by Fraser
Yep, have had a long term relationship with Tintin (of a plutonic nature), starting as a school boy where the books were in French. It seems that a new movie is being made about his adventures, Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) and Steven Speilberg are the producers, so bound to have some spectacular effects (looking forward to a Captain Haddock drunken tirade).
Fraser.