Cafe Racer project '83 Yamaha xv750 Virago "Sub Modo"

HolyRoller

HolyRoller

Been Around the Block
Greetings.

This is my other bike under construction (the other one is the GS750 "Fawkes")

This is a bike I picked up for peanuts as the guy was selling it for parts.. I scooped it up before he had sold more than a few superficial pieces... tank, seat, rear fender.

The engine is intact and runs... and the bike has only 14 000 original km's. The guy bought it cheap, meant to fix it up (but he has not idea what a café racer is...) but then he came across an xv1100 and lost interest in this. It sat for a few years.

My plan is to make a café racer with Doc Chops orange tank model as inspiration. I know, I know... everyone seems to be going this way recently. It still is a great looking café bike and I would love to have one.

It will be a while before I can get it done but wanted to start a build thread to track my snail's pace progress.

If you are reading this, thanks for checking in!

HR
 

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So couple of thoughts... first of all... the name of this bike will be "Sub Modo" which means "subject to modification" in latin. I named it to both indicate what I plan to do with it... and also to commemorate why I bought it... got hired to my first lawyer's job this past week, so naming it a legal latin term will help me to remember the coinciding importance of its purchase.

The bike came with some new OEM parts which I am really pleased about cause the parts were worth about half what I paid for the whole thing and I would have had to buy the parts anyway. New throttle cable, new clutch cable, new carb boots, new carb rebuild kits and new front tire. Excellent. Feels like I got a free bike!!

Some bad points: the Binelli tanks are bloody pricey and I would like to buy two of them (one for my GS build as well). I know they are everywhere these days, but for good reason as they look great and have gorgeous straight bottom lines on them. They are overly expensive and I am wary of buying an Indian made repro... so not sure what I will do there.

Also, the sub-frame (similar to Doc Chops sells on eBay) is also pricey. It would save a bunch of time to just buy one.. but not at 600 US. That is stupid pricey. The materials are cheap as chips. I will instead attempt to fab one myself but that will take some time.

Additionally, I would love to swap to wire spoke wheels but that is quite a job apparently.. I know this much... I hate the stock wheels on it now. They will certainly be sold. I will at least find a pair of the 8? spoke cast wheels that came on some xv's.

Good points: these bikes do make nice café racers and in fact I think this, with its early use of the mono shock, may be the perfect platform for a modern café racer. There is ample opportunity to shed weight as well. I will eventually swap out the current and very heavy rear suspension for a Triumph replacement (though this may be down the line a ways, I haven't time for that in the short term). I think that removing the plastic, the factory sub-frame, using a smaller lighter battery, going simple with instrument and controls etc... will all contribute to a lighter bike and therefore faster bike. I also think that it is not too difficult to switch to larger carbs for more power (I think Doc Chops made a bike using Mikuni VM34s on his "Varient" build).

So... there are a few thoughts. This build will be a build that I will keep. It marks the start of my legal career and will stay with me. I will take my time and do this right. I will also defo make a ton of mistakes! Everyone and anyone with any advice will be great appreciated!

HR
 
If I were you I would just go on ebay and look at tanks, there are tons of used tanks on there. Look for something different so you end up with a truly unique bike.

For me at least making my own parts is the way to go, far cheaper, unique and satisfaction knowing you did it. Try not to look at what others have done to these bikes too much, go your own route and build a bike that stands out from the rest.

Good luck :)
 
Hello johnu! Thanks for the advice.

Is it possible to fab a tank without years of experience doing so? Are there plans available for something like that? I also love the idea of making a project as much "my own" as possible but the thought of trying to fab a tank seems daunting.

HR
 
HolyRoller said:
Hello johnu! Thanks for the advice.

Is it possible to fab a tank without years of experience doing so? Are there plans available for something like that? I also love the idea of making a project as much "my own" as possible but the thought of trying to fab a tank seems daunting.

HR
Click to expand...

Personally if I see another Mojave tank it will be way to soon - what happened to individuality ???

rather than join the let's all be different together club how about some lateral thinking ?

Yes the Benelli tank DOES look right [ actually proportionally too short enough ], but let's see some others.

OK, not much in the way of alternate off the shelf tanks that are useable due to the 'normous depth of the Yamaha Frame at the front - and width at the back. The frame cam easily be waisted at the rear - just what I'm doing to fit a Metisse 5 gallon tank.

Now then - no good at fab ? No, neither am I [ missed out on the metalwork classes ], but I am reasonable with moulding GRP - and you can make up in patience what you lack in skill.

Take the stock tank - decide what shape you want and then just add the foam / filler until you get the shape you want.

The results will be truly individual ....................

Start with a rough idea / mock up



Work in progress



nearly there

 
Hey Beachcomber! That tank does look great... my problem is I bought the bike cheaply (which is great!) but partially because it didn't have a seat, tank, or any plastic. The guy I bought it from didn't know anything about café racers or customizing and figured a bike with parts missing would *obviously* be junk.

Not junk to me.

I need a tank (even if I were to go the route of modifying it.. .which by the way looks really interesting!)

HR
 
The other issue is as you mentioned. Although it has been done to death! (ie. see this month's BOTM by T.Stanley) the Mojave tank is by and large the best tank I have seen on a Virago café.

I was pondering whether it would be wise to go with something like a Mojave tank and make the bike look unique in some other way.. focusing on something other than tank. Dunno what that would be though. I know I am not keen to fork over mega-bucks for a Mojave tank from India.

HR.
 
HolyRoller said:
The other issue is as you mentioned. Although it has been done to death! (ie. see this month's BOTM by T.Stanley) the Mojave tank is by and large the best tank I have seen on a Virago café.

I was pondering whether it would be wise to go with something like a Mojave tank and make the bike look unique in some other way.. focusing on something other than tank. Dunno what that would be though. I know I am not keen to fork over mega-bucks for a Mojave tank from India.

HR.
Click to expand...

There's some beautifully crafted bikes out there [ Virago specific for now ] - most vastly differing in choice of late model forks, wheels, etc.,etc. BUT as soon as you put the Mojave tank on - that IS the major styling cue.

Once you have the base bones [ engine / frame ] - the bike takes it's styling cues from the Wheels, Tank, seat.

It depends on what YOU want YOUR bike to look like.

If you are going for a 60's style Cafe Racer- then it's race bike tanks inspired from that era. Docs bike [ and clones ] are from a later era and specifically influenced from your side of the pond. The German take is different again - that's the key word - different.

All that said - whatever floats your boat ........... after all I'm using a 60's Rickman Metisse tank - not that the market is going to be flooded with Metisse tanked Viragos / TR1s as they are rarer than Mojave OEM tanks and the Indians haven't caught on to them ....... yet !!
 
I'm in the same boat about my tank. I love the look of the Mojave, but they are more and more common.

I have had to put my bike on hold since last year. Between travel for work (I am currently in Iraq at the present moment) and re-siding the house, I have been occupied with other things (plus with a garage with no heat and the brutal CNY cold we had, I found myself in front of the pellet stove when I was home). But when I stopped last year, it was because I couldn't decide on what to do with the tank. You could drop the coin on a Mojave tank from India, find another OEM tank or find something that will fit the lines of the bike. That is my problem. Without a pile of gas tanks lying around, it is hard to determine what will fit or look good.

The OEM tank is in the body shop having the dents popped out and the badge mounts welded and filled. I told them to primer it only for now, as I'm not sure what I am going to do with it.

If you want, take a look at my thread and see if it helps. I am hoping to start updating it soon.

Who knows, perhaps I will have a tank for sale in a few weeks when I get home from Baghdad...
 
It's that old advertisers trick ............... "the 3 second ident".

If you can't determine the manufacturer of a product from a 3 second glance - your logo / ad hasn't worked.

Take all the World advertising Icons - MacD, The petrol companies, etc.,etc - you get the idea.

Then look at a Mojave tanked special ..................... what did you see in that 3 seconds ? I bet it wasn't the superbly engineered details, what forks or wheels were fitted, the instrument electronics ..............

The majority of us haven't got the skill to knit a new tank from scratch, and even fewer have the funds to get one made - £500 + for a one off.

And even when you look at more modern tanks - none have the correct look of the Benelli ; given it's too short enough AND the fact it almost fits the TR1 / Virago frame.

Some of your domestic [ US ] aftermarket tank manufacturers claim "universal fit" .......maybe that's an option ?
 
Lots of good thoughts... for me, I think I would be open to any old school tank that is completely flat on the bottom. (as in its profile) I think that is what most attracts me to the Mojave tank. It isn't huge which is good and it has a great flat profile... so the tank through seat line is unbroken.

Just looking through Benji's tank catalogue (for options only! these tanks are pricey!) http://benjiescaferacer.com/tank-fiberglass.php I think there are lots of options... and I would love to try something different than the Mojave.
 
The biggest challenge with fitting another tank to the Virago is the size of the tunnel required for than huge frame backbone.
I'd be willing to bet that a CX500 deluxe tank could be made to look right on an XV, as could some early 80's KZ and GS tanks but there could be a fair bit of work to get them to sit down over the spine.
I like that you've identified what you like about the Mojave, the flat lower line. I tend to agree that is important.
I would argue that a slightly taller tank in section, like the cx tank, could look even better as the upper profile line would be closer to the plane of the top triple.

In the end, make it what YOU want. Your opinion is really the only one that counts!
 
You ask if it is possible to make your own tank if you have never made one before. Well I built my own tank never having done it before but i have years of fabricating behind me. Here is the link to my build if you want see what I made http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=20290.945 If I were you I would find a tank and modify it, mostly it will be the tunnel and the mounting points that need modifying, this is relatively easy to do. Good luck and keep asking questions :)
 
Hey Johnu.... thanks for the encouragement ... I haven't had time to read through all of your build thread but that bike is absolutely gorgeous! I grew up on two-strokes and love them. I just didn't enjoy all the times when they broke down on me! I had a CR500 at one point that would climb trees... if I had it now I would enjoy attempting to customize it.

Hope you get the carb issues worked out on that T500... what a head-turner.
 
You and I must have the same taste in bikes because the inspiration for my current build was the Tin Shack bike. During this build I saw that Doc Shop Yammy and thought wow that will for sure be the next build I want and there I see that's your inspiration for your second build as well. :)
 
Bozz said:
The biggest challenge with fitting another tank to the Virago is the size of the tunnel required for than huge frame backbone.
I'd be willing to bet that a CX500 deluxe tank could be made to look right on an XV, as could some early 80's KZ and GS tanks but there could be a fair bit of work to get them to sit down over the spine.
I like that you've identified what you like about the Mojave, the flat lower line. I tend to agree that is important.
I would argue that a slightly taller tank in section, like the cx tank, could look even better as the upper profile line would be closer to the plane of the top triple.

In the end, make it what YOU want. Your opinion is really the only one that counts!
Click to expand...

It's fairly straightforward to alter the GBFO fugly frame. There's great chunks can be removed from the offending areas that are basically designed [ ???? ] to take the intake trunking [ junk it ! ].

With that done, that open the way for a whole range of tanks.

That's precisely what I'm in the middle of now - pix asap. Once I had determined I WAS going to use the Metisse tank [ OEM Alloy ] it was a case of making it fit ! Cutting and shutting the underside of the tank was the very last option.
 
Well, I sold this bike. I just had so many other projects ahead of it... all of which moving at a snail's pace or not at all, so rather than the bike sit in the garage for 4 years, I let it go to someone who I have no doubt will make something of it.

I already have a line on another one... a 920 but shafty so I am not sure whether I will buy it. Time will tell.
 
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