Cafe Racers and legalities

[skelstar]

Im ashamed. Ive only been riding for two weeks (on a NEW bike) and Im already thinking about other bikes! Im facinated by the prospect of "building" another bike (in time for full licence?) from scratch in a cafe racer style.

So...am wondering how building custom bikes are governed by law? I know if you want to build a car from scratch you have to jump through hoops before the law before you can drive it. Is this the same for motorbikes? Or do you just have to get it to stop quick and turn nice?

Can anyone put my mind at rest? Thanks.

[FROSTY:Me]

cosmetic changes are fine -brakes and stuff will require an engineers report.

[Bonez]

Plenty of old '80s shitters for sale out there for under a grand to pick up and play with too.

[skelstar]

Yeah, I had wondered about getting an oldish bike and having a play. I believe you can take a fully faired bike and strip all the plastic off, essentially making a naked-style bike. Bit of detailing and it could look real good. Good opportunity to get into the mechanics of a bike I reckon. Anyone around doing that sort of thing?

[Wolf]

Yeah, I had wondered about getting an oldish bike and having a play. I believe you can take a fully faired bike and strip all the plastic off, essentially making a naked-style bike. Bit of detailing and it could look real good. Good opportunity to get into the mechanics of a bike I reckon. Anyone around doing that sort of thing?

That sounds closer to a street fighter than a cafe racer (most modern full-faired race rep bikes are bloody-near commercial cafe racers - look like a race bike but have all the legal bits on for road use.)

Hondacmx450 up here in Hamilton has done that sort of thing - his gixxer looks the bomb - serious streetfighter. He can certainly tell you what you'd need to do if you decide to go that path.

[skelstar]

That sounds closer to a street fighter than a cafe racer (most modern full-faired race rep bikes are bloody-near commercial cafe racers - look like a race bike but have all the legal bits on for road use.)

Oh sure, I appreciate the difference between the two styles. Just want something custom (ie orange) that would hopefully be a much cheaper option...and more fun of course .

[Ixion]

That sounds closer to a street fighter than a cafe racer (most modern full-faired race rep bikes are bloody-near commercial cafe racers - look like a race bike but have all the legal bits on for road use.)

Hondacmx450 up here in Hamilton has done that sort of thing - his gixxer looks the bomb - serious streetfighter. He can certainly tell you what you'd need to do if you decide to go that path.

I thought it was the other way round? Was when I used to hang out at cafes, anyway. Cafe racer, was road bike (Norton, BSA,Triumph etc), with a fancy tank, single seat , and clip on bars. Dunstalls mandatory, ram tubes on the carb intake, any other tuning optional (and unlikely to achieve much) . Looked like a Clubmans racer of the period (race bikes didn't have fairings then), but didn't go like one. Always used to be plenty hanging around outside the Queen St cafes.

Streetfighter I thought (not so sure on this one) was a racer with the fairings removed and road bits added. Didn't look like a racer but went like one.

[skelstar]

Yeah Axion, thats how I understand it is. Both are cool, but cafe racers are cooler. Would be quite cool to take a GN250 (and blow it up?) style bike and modify the frame so it is a little elongated in the middle, drop the seat lower down between the wheels/tank, and put sports-style bars on it (like BSA./Norton/Bonnie). A repower would be a step after that. Not all that interested in all-out power at the moment (been riding for only two weeks after all), but just would be styley.

[Motu]

My Cafe Racer was a beach racer turned street bike,and I guess the motocrossers I rode on the street would be called streetcrossers,that's what Yamaha call the DT230.

As Frosty says you can only do sorta cosmetic stuff,no cutting or welding on the frame,no radical changes to forks,wheels etc.But you could for example fit an alloy TT500 swingarm into an SR500 with no mod cert as it's a standard replacement item,but a single sided job would be a no no.If you make your mods look like they should be there you would have no real worries.

[Bonez]

Yeah Axion, thats how I understand it is. Both are cool, but cafe racers are cooler. Would be quite cool to take a GN250 (and blow it up?) style bike and modify the frame so it is a little elongated in the middle, drop the seat lower down between the wheels/tank, and put sports-style bars on it (like BSA./Norton/Bonnie). A repower would be a step after that. Not all that interested in all-out power at the moment (been riding for only two weeks after all), but just would be styley.

The GB series would be an ideal starter for your project.

[Wolf]

Cafe racer, was road bike (Norton, BSA,Triumph etc), with a fancy tank, single seat , and clip on bars. Dunstalls mandatory, ram tubes on the carb intake, any other tuning optional (and unlikely to achieve much) . Looked like a Clubmans racer of the period (race bikes didn't have fairings then),

My bad, I thought they put fairings on 'em. I know it was a modded street bike trying to look race spec (except for cunningly sited roadlegal shit like number plates and (later) indicators.) I'm sure I saw a few pics of cafe racers with bikini fairings.

I'd like to get a road/trail bike and make a few mods to it to make it more suitable to the streets - like road tyres, probably upgrade the headlamp (most road-trail headlamps look depressingly small) and indicators.

Pah. Right now I'd settle for bloody-near any bike so long as it was road legal. I had hoped the GSX250 would be running by now but there's more wrong with it than first thought. I'm dreaming of Beemer R100s and Motards and the reality is, I can't afford to get the GSX running.