i just got a yamaha and honda enduro bikes where do i start?

[quicksilver10]

Hello everyone this is my first post here so I hope I get this right. Anyways I've recently come to own a Yamaha and Honda enduro bikes that i traded for my old tv the yamaha works but needs a little work the Honda i need to put it together which i have no idea on how to yet but the guy who sold it to me said that a china-berry tree seed blew into the engine and dosnt know if it works im unsure of the exact years of the bikes but the guy told me both around 70s models. It is an enduro and a quick search on google will provide plenty of examples of what the bike looksl like. I want to make them into a cafe style bike and started searching for examples of this bike turned into a cafe racer and found absolutely none.i have no idea where to start and how to get them to start working properly Just curious if anyone knows of any and why they would not be an ideal candidate to turn into a cafe racer or any suggestions tips any kind of help would be greatly appreciated Anyways hope to hear from you all thanks.

 

[bornloser]

Find the VIN plates on the frame to identify them, usually located on the front of the frame steering stem area (but not always) and go from there. Good luck!

 

[quicksilver10]

so the yamaha is a 1980 enduro xt250 the honda is a 1976 enduro 250 any advise on what type of handle bars i should get to start the cafe racer look started and how do i go about cutting and lowering the suspension on the yamaha?

 

[surffly]

so the yamaha is a 1980 enduro xt250 the honda is a 1976 enduro 250 any advise on what type of handle bars i should get to start the cafe racer look started and how do i go about cutting and lowering the suspension on the yamaha?

cafe racers play to strengths and are not about shoe horning something into a playing dress up.
Vintage enduro bikes are becoming popular right now so if thats you thing then great, or pass them on to someone that will use them for what they are.
Trying to dress up and off road bike will be a challenge and at the end of the day not worth the work, as a good cafe base is not hard to find at all.
Lowering suspension is not the answer to most things, stuff like geometry come into play

 

[kopcicle]

If you're prepared to build a frame , assemble a front end out of available parts , make your own electrical system , lace hubs to rims and have advanced metal working skills then either engine is suitable for a lightweight cafe ,

However all you're going to accomplish with an enduro chassis is messed up geometry , chassis flex , a steering head that was never meant to absorb the type of loading that the street will subject it to and a swing arm that even if braced isn't supported by the frame sufficiently to prevent drive torque let alone cornering loads .

On the gripping hand , others have done moderate street conversions to some success . Most have simply used street rim sizes and complete front ends from street bikes as well as lightly modified fuel tanks . It's a compromise but one that with care and a discerning eye result in something that is a little better than butt fuggerly . The stickies at the top of the 1-800~ page include fork tube diameters as well as axle diameters . Complete front ends swap in a few cases .

Up to you but I suggest information as your friend , moderation as your mantra and details as a way of keeping yourself safe .

one last thing from John (Lil John) Buttera " Make each individual assembly the very best you can with available tools , talent , time and resources and only then will the sum total of the parts be greater than the whole ." Buttera was a master at detail and was fortunate in that he had an artists eye . Less was more with him .

~kop

 

[quicksilver10]

well thanks alot for all th e pointers im just starting riding bike the help is appreciated thias is one of the bikes

 

[surffly]

Love it when the first thing that happens to a bike after sitting for years is the painting of everything flat black....very bad sign in my book
Shows that the owner/seller is trying to hide something, or is being ignorant of how to treat a bike, or maybe just playing monkey see monkey do

 

[Swapmeet Louie]

Every monkey I've ever seen has been in a cage. Where it belongs, far from a bike.....

 

[Swapmeet Louie]

they missed a few apparently...

 

[DesmoBro]

just got a yamaha....Throw some D's on that Biatch

 

[JonathanCB360T]

did you get that bike from a guy named "Jacob" that lived in a town Called Forks? Did he have a tattoo of an indian tribe and never wear a shirt?