The Cafe Collection

You thought that was cool? N.A.S.A tec
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The one that got away. I missed buying this for $1500 last summer by about 20 minutes :(

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Yeah.. I remember that one... I didnt have a chance.. I was 4th in line, 2nd person after Tim...GEEZZ...
I called the guy with cash in hand an hour after he posted it...

sheesh....
 
That was my friend Craig Waller's bike ..... I told him he was crazy for selling it !!!. He's on to another project, so something had to go.
 
I shot Craig an email, but maybe XS650RR knows - what sort of tank is that on the bike? I'm contemplating an XS650 purchase, and am already thinking about tank/seat combo's. Any suggestions on relatively compatible tanks? What I know so far is the front mounting is the reverse of the Honda's - i.e. the 'cups' are on the frame and the 'posts' are on the tank. I've read that some people drill through the frame and put a rod in there with rubber mounts to mount a Honda tank as an example.

I think I'll probably buy it and immediately pull the engine, wheels and front end so i can put the frame etc. up on the shelf in my garage, and work on the engine in my basement. Figure it would be a year+ long project just tinkering.

one more question - the engine in the bike I'm looking at is a '77, while the frame is a '72. The main engine case, cylinder and head seem to be black with silver edges on the fins, while the engine side covers are aluminum. I've never seen a black engine from the factory - any thoughts?

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I shot Craig an email, but maybe XS650RR knows - what sort of tank is that on the bike? I'm contemplating an XS650 purchase, and am already thinking about tank/seat combo's. Any suggestions on relatively compatible tanks? What I know so far is the front mounting is the reverse of the Honda's - i.e. the 'cups' are on the frame and the 'posts' are on the tank. I've read that some people drill through the frame and put a rod in there with rubber mounts to mount a Honda tank as an example.

I think I'll probably buy it and immediately pull the engine, wheels and front end so i can put the frame etc. up on the shelf in my garage, and work on the engine in my basement. Figure it would be a year+ long project just tinkering.

one more question - the engine in the bike I'm looking at is a '77, while the frame is a '72. The main engine case, cylinder and head seem to be black with silver edges on the fins, while the engine side covers are aluminum. I've never seen a black engine from the factory - any thoughts?

If memory serves me correct I beleive it is a Ducati SS900 replica tank seat and fairing. With the Yamaha frame rail it is quite easy to adapt almost any tank, although having said that true cafe / racing tanks can be hard to come by.The posts are on the frame so it is the same as the Honda set up. Drilling the frame has been done by guys installing the old style Norton or Dunstall style tanks.The frame will require some bracing should you decide to go the full engine mod, they are weak in certain areas and tend to flex if ridden hard. Keep an eye on ebay ... cafe tank and cafe seat search, you can pick up some real treasures there, that's where I got the seat on my XS.

The Yamaha makes a great cafe bike ... there where 1000's of them made through the years. Yamaha still has many parts available, plus the fact there ia a huge amount of performace parts as well. The engines are bullet proof !!

I would say by looking at the engine, that the cases have been painted. The bike looks in reasonable shape and if you can pick it up for a reasonable price I would say 'go for it"

Any help I give ya on the project .... just let me know. If you want to go the extreme check out the pics below !!!. Hans from Holland is building this. My next project will look somewhat similar, hope to start it this summer.

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Hmmmm.... where did I put that Norton engine.... aw shit, let's just throw this Harley in. Nobody will notice.
 
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