1975 Honda CL360 Possible Cafe Project??
- Thread starter humblegeo
- Start date
They are easy cafe racer projects. For the most part, parts are cheap and plentiful and they are simple to work on.
Here is mine (75' CB/CL360) – I have less than $2700 into it and that includes the price of a complete spare parts bike (without title) and every can of spray paint and degreaser as well as some special tools and parts that that I got but didn’t use (two other tanks). I could have easily done something very close to this for $1,700.
Here is mine (75' CB/CL360) – I have less than $2700 into it and that includes the price of a complete spare parts bike (without title) and every can of spray paint and degreaser as well as some special tools and parts that that I got but didn’t use (two other tanks). I could have easily done something very close to this for $1,700.
You're going to get about as many opinions about what makes a café racer as there are people who have opinions on the subject. With that in mind, here's my two cents:
Café racers are all about performance and that means form follows function. If you're looking to increase the performance on your bike it's going to come down to a lot less weight and better suspension. Engine upgrades help too, but that gets expensive very quickly (I dropped $1200 into my engine and my total build budget was $2000).
If you just want the look of a café racer, I can suggest a few things:
* Trim down the fenders or remove them and replace with a front fork brace
* Knee dents in the tank
* Lightweight seat pan with hump/bum-stop
* Clubman or clipon bars
* Rearset foot controls
* Remove all unnecessary items such as the center stand, air boxes (pod filter replacement will affect the running of the bike, not always for the better but some consider it part of the "look")
* Replace turn signals with something smaller and less wind resistant
etc, etc, etc
Café racers are all about performance and that means form follows function. If you're looking to increase the performance on your bike it's going to come down to a lot less weight and better suspension. Engine upgrades help too, but that gets expensive very quickly (I dropped $1200 into my engine and my total build budget was $2000).
If you just want the look of a café racer, I can suggest a few things:
* Trim down the fenders or remove them and replace with a front fork brace
* Knee dents in the tank
* Lightweight seat pan with hump/bum-stop
* Clubman or clipon bars
* Rearset foot controls
* Remove all unnecessary items such as the center stand, air boxes (pod filter replacement will affect the running of the bike, not always for the better but some consider it part of the "look")
* Replace turn signals with something smaller and less wind resistant
etc, etc, etc
kioskguy
Vintage Bike Fan
It's a great platform. It's basically the CB360 with high pipes and a few other smaller differences. Parts are readily available (although you usually have to look for CB compatible parts) and not too expensive. You can go all out or you can keep costs low. Cafe is about what appeals to you and what can go fast!
Nice clean example, and a good starting point. Keep us updated!
Nice clean example, and a good starting point. Keep us updated!
Rusnak_322 said:They are easy cafe racer projects. For the most part, parts are cheap and plentiful and they are simple to work on.
Here is mine (75' CB/CL360) – I have less than $2700 into it and that includes the price of a complete spare parts bike (without title) and every can of spray paint and degreaser as well as some special tools and parts that that I got but didn’t use (two other tanks). I could have easily done something very close to this for $1,700.
Your CL360 looks great!! I'll be lookin to do something very close to what you did. Do you have a photobucket site or somewhere that I can see more pictures of your bike? More closeup detail. Appreciate it my friend.
