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I know its rather subjective, cheaper good base bike the better.
It just i see a build thread then all of a sudden, building the motor, "oh there are no timing chain guides" Or i had to have this part made or that part is NLA.
I see its usually a CB/CL360, CB750, xs650, any 2 stroke. is there an ideal bike?
750's were/are pretty popular, so are 550's, theres alot you can do.
cb350 twins and fours are pretty well used too.
and man if you got a 400/four with all of its cool merged header glory thatd be pretty rad.
i think in the end its whatever make you happy though.
just make sure its a good starting point and base for what you wanna build.
look at the tank, frame lines, etc.
Regarding the KZ.... I've always been a fan of bringing back to life a snotter that has no chance of being restored back to OEM. That KZ is in pretty nice shape, and could easily be made into a nicely modded restoration.
Going true cafe, in my opinion, I would find something in worse shape visually. I think you might make some KZ enthusiasts shed a tear if you cut that one up. But that's just my two cents.
I DO agree with the sentiment that it IS what you make it. Make it YOUR bike, the way YOU want to build it.
Personally I think looking at what the bike is stock makes sense.
Decide if you are looking for a large displacement or a small displacement bike.
then you have to consider your skills, IE: you can do everything or pay to do everything or you want or can pay to only have a little done.
Now you should decide how new or old you want to go. do you want points simple electronics or do you want CDI.
each and everyone of these few points I describe have tons of answers.
Personally I wanted to know I could build a bike. though my skill level was mid range. I looked around and found the most produced bike of Japanese vintage was the xs 650. this meant cheap and plentiful parts If I screwed up. also the frame changed but the engine was the same externally from 73 to 83 so I have a titled 73tx650 with a 79 engine(CDI) no fiddling with points
having said all that I would not do it again. this time I am looking to smaller displacement and new. so my current lust is the suzuki tu250x cheap and easy again but new and fun to play with.
That was my main concern. Replacement parts, reasonably priced and plentiful.
Already did the triumph thing. No thanks.
If i can get something for $1k ish and it drives, i wanna do seat/tail, cut off the ugly, clipons, polish paint, tires and maybe rims, make it look cool and roll it. not too concerned at this time with cracking open cases if i dont have to.
and it depends on your skill lvl around the shop.i bought a 80 cb650c cheap and a 75 cb750. like the 650 forks but thats it loved the 750 frame. but found out the fours well have four of everything. so i sold both and looked around and got a 75 XS500b in very poor shape. but the frame was the right look and it was all there.so i went for it. guess what im saying is a) find a bike that has the shape you like b)find one that has most or all of it there c) GO FOR IT !
make a list of things you like clubman bars vs clip-ons , mags vs spoke , four or twin ,lots of work vs just adding things on. best thing about these bikes is if you like it then it right ! the guys on this site are some of the best around and are VERY helpfull . and lastly HAVE FUN,TAKE YOUR TIME,and any bike you build will be just what YOU WANTED. good luck
I say Honda's...any of them. Easy to work on...easy to find parts.
Making parts is...well...making parts. If you choose to fab parts...its doesnt matter what bike you're building. And that said...there are plenty of great looking Euro bikes to choose from as platforms to build on.
Jap bikes were late to the cafe bike party...so what. Once they arrived, they took over the dance floor. AND have been cuttin' a rug ever since...if what you see guys riding as any proof of that fact. You'll be hard pressed to find any other origin of bike that can provide the reliability, durability and easy of maintenance. ...and a well tuned vintage CB750 isn't likely to be out performed by any bike of its period.
The CB750 SOHC has looooooottttsss of aftermarket support for "cafe" stuff and go fast parts and everything like that. So if youre looking for something that will give a lot of aftermarket options, that would probably be your best choice.
But, if you want to make a lot of stuff yourself, get whatever bike you think is coolest. You can turn anything into a cafe with enough time and money. The CB350 is also a good choice just for availability of parts, both aftermarket stuff and NOS or used OEM bits. But just get whatever you want, whatever you think is cool, and make it your own.
kz's are awesome but that bike is in to good of shape to rip it apart. you can find them in a worst looking but still runs great for alot less. i bought mine for 300. you just have to look.
I've had a KZ and several 750s, right now I'm putting together one 550 out of two that I own plus lots of cash. That said, if I could walk out the door tomorrow and have my choice from a lineup of potential bikes I'd be looking for a Yamaha RD or maybe an old Suzuki X6 Hustler.
You could line us all up and take a poll and you would probably find a thousand different answers and different rationale for those answers. Some of us will argue that the only real cafe bikes are old Brit bikes and the rest is a mere imitation and others argue that it doesn't matter.
650 Kawasaki got a lot of rave reviews when it was new and is a great bike. I personally prefer bikes from that era as AMA Superbike replicas, which really are just next gen. cafe racers. rear sets, cut down foam seat, 4 into 1 pipes and superbike bars or Renthal fat bars and you're good to go.
I've had a KZ and several 750s, right now I'm putting together one 550 out of two that I own plus lots of cash. That said, if I could walk out the door tomorrow and have my choice from a lineup of potential bikes I'd be looking for a Yamaha RD or maybe an old Suzuki X6 Hustler.
I agree with you there, for the fun factor an RD250 or 350 would be hard to beat. The only downside is youd end up fabbing a lot of stuff, as the aftermarket for those bikes really only goes into OEM replacement parts and engine bits. Thats only really a "downside" if you dont enjoy fabbing.
Those old yamaha 2 strokes though are crazy fun though even stock. I had a 67 YZ80 when i was a kid, did that thing ever haul ass, and looked pretty cool doing it. An RD350 is definitely on my list of "Bikes i must own before i die".
RD parts are available.
TZ replica tanks and TD/TR/TZ seats are available. You can get pipes & rear sets. Motor parts are easy. Admittedly it was probably easier when Moto Carrera and others were selling stuff. Rick Merhar at Accu-products.com can rebuild your crank and supply pistons or port it and could probably supply glass and porting work.
+1 0n the RD 250/350/400
I'd have a 350 in the perfect world!
Or maybe something italian? Ducati 250/350 Moto Morini 350 Moto Guzzi 350/500 Laverda Montjuic?
Most of the work already done!
I suppose it depends on what dealerships are/were in your area and what models are cheap or undervalued.
Ultimately it will probably be decided by whats on offer before your wallet gives you 3rd degree burns.
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