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First street bike! Going for the cafe style.. I now know DOHC’s are looked down on but I am loving this bike! Let me know what you think and any tips on building a cafe, brat, tracker style bike would be greatly appreciated!
I don’t think they’re looked down on. They make for great builds, the problem is everyone wants to put pods on the stock carbs. Go with direct lift carbs like Keihin CR’s or FCR. You can fit Mikuni too if you have adapters. You’ll save yourself a huge headache trying to get them to run right. Good luck and looking forward to the build.
The thing about DOHC Hondas is that they are a little long and wide and heavy and not really what a cafe racer was all about. SO that makes it hard to make them look right and work well. On top of that the carbs are a total PIA to get right with pods.Carburation experts will tell you that those crabs are impossible to jet for pods without back bleeds and all sorts of air pressure compensation and yet people do ride with pods. I could not get the jetting right on my CB900 and I hate trying to ride around flat spots and misfires, so I put the airbox back on and that fixed things.
In terms of styling, what probably looks best is the AMA Superbike look aka Freddie replicas. The F models can be made to look really nice like that and realistically, they were the next gen cafe racers.
Personally I am no fan of the single seat, short back end look on those bikes because it doesn't look right to me. They look like a bus hit them up the arse end IMHO but fortunately for the world, we all have different sense of what looks good and what doesn't.
Update. Went with clip-ons instead of clubmans. Got a new triple clamp without the riser. Painted the forks black and have gaiters shipping. I’m also trying to split the air forks so they have each their own valve. Skipping all the crucial stuff and just making aesthetic changes haha oh and a new (old) gas tank, hope I can keep it from leaking and feeding clean gas!
Dont sweat the wiring... Follow the diagram, take it in smaller sections and take your time. It seems like a beast but it really isn't. Bike looks brilliant so far I really like the little things you've done and even tho those CB DOHC "c" models may not be the ideal Cafe racer platform, yours is looking very nice sofar... Cafes bassed on SOHC and XS650s are getting so cookie cutter anyways and guys putting big dollar performance parts on these old bikes are kidding them selfes... Thry are not a racers anymore just a Cafes.. Looks good keep it going!
Dont sweat the wiring... Follow the diagram, take it in smaller sections and take your time. It seems like a beast but it really isn't. Bike looks brilliant so far I really like the little things you've done and even tho those CB DOHC "c" models may not be the ideal Cafe racer platform, yours is looking very nice sofar... Cafes bassed on SOHC and XS650s are getting so cookie cutter anyways and guys putting big dollar performance parts on these old bikes are kidding them selfes... Thry are not a racers anymore just a Cafes.. Looks good keep it going!
Well you’re making me feel better about it haha. I’ve got a lot to learn but it’s all I think about and I love it!! Thanks for the tips!
Little more to add, motogadget bar end turn signals came in and I’ll be making my own button housing for the handlebars. Still need to secure the tank and use Red Kote to seal any leaks. Then bondo and paint. Cockpit is looking good though, super stoked!
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