how does one go about learning how to build a cafe racer?

H

halffttime

New Member
i've searched this everywhere and i can't find the answer. i tried looking for a book i could buy to teach me, and i couldn't find any. i tried looking for videos either, nothing...

i see people on all these forums from left to right building/rebuilding/restoring/etc. cafe racers. surely not everyone's a mechanic.

any advice/suggestion how i can go about all this?

first post by the way.
 
you have to try, then fail, then lose any pompous dickness you may possess which will allow you to admit you failed, then be able to take lessons from failures, ask questions from people who have failed and learned also, and try again. that's how it's done, there's a lot of mansy pansy kids around who think they know how to do something from youtube, do it once, post up a gig of stinking turd photos and expect to be ass kissed. that's about what it takes
 
Be aware of what you like, and then learn how to visualize what you want on the rough canvas (chosen bike). 8)
 
Uhm... Forums like DoTheTon?
Don't have to be a mechanic... just mechanically inclined. Lot's of us are here to help, so when you get stumped go ahead and ask.
Be warned that being able to post it on you-tube does NOT mean you know what you're doing. Plenty of Hacks out there that come across as "experts".
 
Read, Watch, Like, Create. Oh and scuff your knuckles a lot and learn how to swear. It's a passion of the constructor. Visit a billion web sites. Talk to dozens of people. Go to meets and swaps.

Main thing I think is to enjoy yourself. No one is getting rich at this. We all just love Bikes.
 
First off I think the term "Cafe Racer" is more of a cliche than a style. There are so many different variations in the art of building a bike that it comes down to what you can physically create. Failing isn't always going to happen and thinking you are going to fail will never truly let you grow. Putting the effort in and creating what I consider art is in my opinion a learning process of technique, concept and personal interest; consider it evolution. The very definition of building a cafe racer could be to some simply just adding more power, to others it making it handle better and to many it's purely cosmetic. Basically what I am trying to say is read read read, forums are everywhere and there is a lot of good and just as much bad information out there that will help you build a safe yet very functional machine with what you yourself considers to be a cafe racer. One of the main reasons I love DTT is the variety. I gives me my outlet when I feel I need to create/design and build something. It may not turn out like I wanted the first time but I would never call it a fail but more of an education. You'll never learn and grow if you don't get out there and try.

-Some Guy From Indiana
 
Re: Re: how does one go about learning how to build a cafe racer?

TheCoffeeGuy said:
Main thing I think is to enjoy yourself. No one is getting rich at this. We all just love Bikes.
Click to expand...

"To make a small fortune with vintage motorcycles, start with a large fortune"
 
Just start taking the bike apart. You'll learn pretty quickly how everything works. Carbs are a good place to start.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
 
All pretty sound advice. Simply put: Research, research, research. This place is a great start. Absorb info, anywhere you can. Some will be good, some will not. The hard part is telling one from the other.
Online, I general looks for two different forum pages: One dedicated to cafes, like here, and one that is more bike-specific. In my case, that is the GSresources page. That helps me research topics specific to my make and model of bike.
Forgive me if already mentioned, but do you already have a bike in posession?
 
youtube will be your friend, be prepared to spend a lot on you first build; time, money, patience, blood.
Everyone starts some where and in this technological age, if you are so inclined there is no reason not to find out the information. Some is hard to come by than others.
 
As has been alluded to...

Learn by doing. Its the only way. Go buy a bike. The most complete and good condition one you can afford. Learn to ride it and keep it running before anything else.

After that, take it apart. Once you feel like you're properly fucked, you can start learning.
 
Learn by doing. Its the only way. Go buy a bike. The most complete and good condition one you can afford. Learn to ride it and keep it running before anything else.

After that, take it apart. Once you feel like you're properly fucked, you can start learning.
Click to expand...

Amen !!!
 
And always remember that all the free advice you get on Youtube and other parts of the interweb is worth exactly what you pay for it. The great thing about the internet is that it allows anyone to publish. The bad news is that not all information is as valuable or as accurate.

A lot of it is misinformed, misguided and just plain wrong and leads people to follow the herd because they have seen the same thing in multiple places. That's one reason the guys have said research, research research. It takes time to learn everything and it's easy to lose track of parts if everything is stripped and chopped up.

It has taken me a long time to learn and I'm still learning. The best way to start is to buy a bike and get it running safely and reliably and ride it for as many hours/miles as you can. Enjoy the bike for what it is, a personal freedom machine. Plan your changes and play with different shapes and colors and try different design elements - on paper first. There is no rush.

The way we built our Cafe Racers was to change one part at a time as cash became available. Very few of us did a "build". The guys that built Tritons and Norbsa etc were in a different class to teh rest of us and we all knew we had to start somewhere.

A typical progression might be a cafe seat followed by different bars and maybe headlamp brackets and then rear sets and maybe a different exhaust if they were available. Back in the day we customized and individualized our bikes (made them our own) one small step at a time. No one with at least half a brain threw out their fenders or chopped up a perfectly good frame.

So take your time and enjoy the journey.
 
VonYinzer said:
Learn by doing. Its the only way.
Click to expand...

There the best advice you're going to get. Visualize what you want and try to build it. Fail, fall on your face and try to learn from your mistakes. None of us were born mechanics. We all had to learn. Usually the hard way.
 
The best thing you can do right now is sit back, grab some brews and READ. I mean read every thread. Then read them again. Spend a few months here reading and you'll learn a SHIT LOAD.
I know so much more now than I did when I got here just from reading. Everyone has questions,everyone needs help that's why we're here. You can learn from everyone's questions. And you should.
 
As Von already said, get your hands on a runner!! IMO, this is EXTREMELY important for your "mental state" moving forward. From my experience, there's nothing as hard as trying to get something running that you've never had running or hasn't been running in 10 years. :p

Lot's of other good advice too! Your ability to observe and learn is important which will minimize errors but you will (and should!) make mistakes. :) Some of my best mods were the result of "mistakes" and changes in direction. ;)

Also, as others have said, have fun with it. 8)
 
Drewski said:
As Von already said, get your hands on a runner!! IMO, this is EXTREMELY important for your "mental state" moving forward. From my experience, there's nothing as hard as trying to get something running that you've never had running or hasn't been running in 10 years. :p

Lot's of other good advice too! Your ability to observe and learn is important which will minimize errors but you will (and should!) make mistakes. :) Some of my best mods were the result of "mistakes" and changes in direction. ;)

Also, as others have said, have fun with it. 8)
Click to expand...

Agreed.
Nothing more frustrating than not having a damn clue what to do next when the motor doesn't run.
 
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