Cafe Racer!

[Nelsdou]

I became fascinated with the number of 80's vintage Japanese motorcycles that are available for cheap and the performance opportunities in stripping these bikes down, tinkering, etc., aka, Cafe Racer. Essentially, there are no "rules"; anything goes. Most of the Japanese bikes of this era have little collectible value, at least to me anyway, so let the fun begin!

'82 Yamaha 750 Virago, a cruiser bike made to compete in the Harley-chopper market. A heavy shaft driven affair, two valve heads, ergonomically terrible handlebars. Torquey V-Twin, marginal brakes.



When I glass bead blasted the heads and tank, I found the tank had grinding marks and a couple of dings but I was not ready to paint.  In that condition the tank is subject to flash rusting so I cold-blued it until such time I could get on with painting.  Surprisingly, the Japanese steel does not take easily to cold blue so over the course of repeat applications I ended up with a random mottled finish of black/blue/gray that turned out rather interesting. Finished it with a light wiping of of oil and it is good to go.

After stripping off a bunch of unnecessary parts (and weight) I modified quite a few components but the engine is basically unchanged except for new rings, cams, relapped the valves, and replaced the original carbs to Mikuni's. I was shocked to find the original cylinder bores miked to be within original factory specs on the rebuild so I simply re-honed the bores for the new rings.

The bike is back into pieces as I am powdercoating the various parts but attached are some photos when I last had it up and running.

Merry Christmas - Everyone!

[gitano]

WOW! WAY COOL!

Paul

[branxhunter]

Very very cool, looks greal. If and when you get the chance a close up of the tank finish would be interesting

Marcus

[sakorick]

'82 Yamaha 750 Virago, a cruiser bike made to compete in the Harley-chopper market. A heavy shaft driven affair, two valve heads, ergonomically terrible handlebars. Torquey V-Twin, marginal brakes.

"Marginal Brakes". That bike isn't street legal is it?? It sure looks like a speed machine!:biggthumpup:

[farmboy]

Looks good.

[Nelsdou]

Yep, 1980's braking technology was typically a single piston caliper on a cast iron disk up front and a drum brake on rear.  Takes a Popeye grip for an emergency stop.  Keeping the original forks in play limits one to using the original calipers due to the configuration of the way the caliper is connected to the fork.  A serious upgrade consists of swapping out the entire front end to gain better brakes (multi-piston calipers, dual rotors), springs, and front wheel, but also more modification to make it all fit and work properly.

Yep, she is street legal, horn, turn signals, etc., except for the exhaust; this beast is quite loud.  Since the photo I have installed a two-into-one exhaust and plan to try out a Super-Trap muffler that I can adjust to match to the carburetor jet sizing.

[gitano]

Sheesh! I didn't realize how "Neanderthal" my '70 Honda 750-Four was. Since my '38 Indian and '54 Arial Square Four were both 'chopped', they didn't have their original 'amoebic' brake systems, but since they were assembled in the early '70s, I suppose they were Neanderthal too. We thought those front discs were pretty skookum at the time. Didn't realize how 'bad' they were.

Nice bike, Nels. It's great to see old bikes restored and road-worthy.

Paul

[Brithunter]

My 79 Triumph Bonnie 750 had single cast iron hard chrome plated disces front and rear the opposed piston Lockheed caliers front and back. Braking was excellent in fact one could get the rear wheel off the ground by grabbing the front brake lever.

Of course the Bonnie only weighed 395lbs dry and 424 wet factory weights. Jap bikes had dreadful brakes which is why they HAD to go to twin front discs. Plus the Jap frames had more in common with rubber bands than steel That is why Barry Sheen had a British company wrap a proper frame around his works Kawasaki without Kawasaki knowing about it.

The Virago was never a "nice" looking bike you have improved it no end .

[Nelsdou]

A photo of my "Blued Tank" The tank really sucks up the light and my droid phone really has difficulty in focusing on metallic surfaces:



The frame on this Virago is a boxed member affixed the the engine cylinder heads and transmission, essentially the engine is a stressed member. This particular model has the mono-shock rear that many modern race bikes employ today.



Hear! Hear! My "proper" machine is a Triumph Thruxton, 2013 model with EFI and several "bits" added. Considered today as a "Retro" model, I believe it is the standard in coolness and performance, hands down, with heritage from the Bonneville.



Of course the Triumphs come with some other features than come in rather handy:

[gitano]

It's amusing to hear a Triumph bike revered over a "Jap" bike. I have considerable experience with both, (just as a 'kid' and owner, not a mechanic by any means), and you couldn't GIVE me a Triumph. They'll rattle your teeth out of your skull. That is if you can keep them from rattling apart. :kiss: There's just no accounting for taste. :D Just friendly ribbing akin to what I give to '06 owners. Don't anyone get too excited, please.

Paul

[Brithunter]

Ahhh Gitano actually I found it was the high frequency buzz vibrations from the jap bikes, especially the fours, that gave me grief. Rode several of friends 4's Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki not to mention the triples like the Suzuki GT380 and Kawasaki 250 S1C that one really gave you a buzz massage. They sent my fingers numb! I graduated to the T140E (DMG 664V) from a 66 Norton Jubilee 250 (NPX 129D) that I bought in bits unseen over a drink at a friends stag night. The chap I bough it fromt bought it down from Northampton in the boot of His Hillman Avenger car over a couple of weeks it cost be the princely sum of £10. Of course it cost a bit more to rebuild it and in fact the engine was only good for parts to found one advertised locally for £20 and although claimed complete we discovered the  condensors were missing.

The Bonnie was English spec with the 4 gallon (Imp) tank in gold with tan panels and a brown seat cover with Triumph on the back in Gold. I swapped the Bonie handle bars for a set of low rise ones on a Yamaha RD 250 as the low Bonnie bars gave me apain in my shoulder.

My mate found the Bonnie so comfortable he used to fall asleep on the back coming back from his girlfriends. He could not ride at the time as was recovering from a nasty accident where he lost one finger and they saved another two on his left hand by sewing them back on. he was riding a Norton Commando Interstate Mk111 that was tweeked by Gus Khans in London. Race tuned it really did fly I have been on the back more than once when he had both wheels leave the road at the brow on Cockshot Hill on the A217 going north from  Woodhatch up to Reigate.

My last bike was built around an 84 Honda 750 FB DOHC using Yamah RD/XS 250/400 front wheel with 2nd disc added in teh Honda forks held in slab alloy yokes (triple trees) with XS 650 Custom rear wheel. the engine sat is a ridgid frame made by Cycle Haven of Lincoln with single cap mustang tank and bid box battery box one side and another the other side to hold the electronics. had the machine (thin down) the front discs to fit the Honda calipers on the front. oddly enough this didn't make my fingers numb and I thing it was because in the ridgid frame it had no rubber mounts and was all solidly mounted. The pipes were the FB front pipes cut off so they finished under the gear box.

 Sold it when the knees were really playing up the cold on them was crippling.

Oh BTW in 79 the Bonnie cost £1725 new.

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Best that can be said about a triumph (apart from the shake itself to bits) is that it was good at stopping the ground going rusty. I have to agree with Paul, you could not give me one - bone shaking PO*.
Kawasaki triples were always a soft spot for me and bruv has a stable of 'em. I have an Aprilia RS250 in the garage which I modified the front end to take the RSV Mille forks n brakes, need to swap out the wiring loom as speedo etc is electronic fed off of sensor on rear socket...



Not mine but same as!

[gitano]

WOW!

You guys have some NICE bikes!

Paul

[drinksgin (deceased)]

.I am coming to this very late.
I started riding in 1953, a blistering hot Whizzer sportsman, 3 whole hp, 35 mph, slipping belt clutch, single speed.
Moved up to a CZ 125, 50 mph.
Next was a cushman Eagle, 8hp , 2 speed , centrifugal clutch,
Then a WA, Harley, 45 ci. v , 75  mph ,

Actuallyhad 4 at one time or the other, at the surplus prices you could buy them in bunches, same as with bananas.
Then a 49Hydra glide, 74 cu. 100 mph, +.
Then a Sportster, 55cu. 120+ mph.
About then , 1963, I started a M/C shop, Jawa and Suzuki, had a bunch go through as trades, one of the most interesting was a Zundapp, flat twin, transmission did not have gears, replaced with chain and sprockets, did not last long.
Another was the American Indian, 442 cc VT,cute, trash !
I even had an original Triumph come through, a Boss, weird, a VT with only one spark plug, made in the original plant in Germany, whick is where Triumph originated, not GB.
It was NOT a pumper twin such as the S-D-P things Sears sold.
My last machine was a BMW R100, sold it to Alboy several years ago.
Ah, me.Just getting old and moldy!

[drinksgin (deceased)]

Forgot my DuoGlide, a '59 and my frankencycle.
H-D bought Aeromachhi,started importing some under the H-D name , a C, 300x17 wheels and 18 hp, then a CH, 3.50 x18 wheels and 21 hp and finally an H, 3.50x18 wheels and 25hp.
I had a CH, the sorry rear spring/ shocks lost all the oil by 3 months, A friend had a totaled BSA 500, I salvaged the spring/shocks, rigged them up, worked, raised the machine about 1-1/2'.
I picked up a junked Zundapp Sabre, long travel forks and a 3.50-19 front wheel, I fitted that and seriously improved the off road handling, Started winning or placing in enduros.
Paul, how did your squirely 4 do on head gaskets?
We had a local with an Arial 500 twin, no problems, but the 3 who had the 4's rarely got a month out of a head gasket.
There was a bronze head and 2 aluminum heads.
Lapping did not help, there was not much thickness so a lot of milling was out, lapping the block did not help, either.
They seemed to be as troublesome as Ace/ Indian inline 4"s were.
Just not good air circulation and cooling.

[gitano]

I bought the Ariel and the Indian "in a basket" and handed that 'basket' to guy in Jamul, Ca. named Shooty. Shooty was known as a 'wizard' when it came to making "choppers". (That was before "guru" was the word to describe someone proficient in some skill.) Since it was '73, and all us young bikers wanted to be "Easy Riders", I wanted a chopper. Or two in this case. It pains me that the few pictures I had with those bikes were 'lost'. Both were very nice choppers. VERY nice indeed. Both were hard-tails, so the ride was not exactly "BMW-esque". But then BMW-esque wasn't what I was looking for at the time. Since I didn't do much hands-on with respect to refurbishing the engines, I don't know what magic Shooty did with respect to the Ariel heads and gaskets but I never had a problem with them. I know he bored the Indian's cylinders out so they took Chevy 327 pistons. :) I had those two bikes for about 2 years after they were road-worthy. I made A LOT of money on them when I sold them. I haven't owned a bike since.

Then a 49Hydra glide, 74 cu. 100 mph, +.

I've got a story about pegging the speedometer on a 74 I might tell some time.

Paul

[Nelsdou]

Ahem...., back to the thread topic, Cafe Racer;

Due to the vast numbers of Japanese bikes imported into the USA in the last 40 years there are still a surprising number of machines that can be had cheaply and are still in fair shape, and a lot of spare parts can still be obtained.  Just look at your local Craig's List and see the Honda CB350's being pulled out the barns and estate sales. I can remember when people bought those as a run and throw-away item. That particular machine got a lot of attention as a scrambler in the movie The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo. Today I saw a '82 CB450 on CL that looked almost new. Posted by a widow clearing out her late husband's garage and since she could not find the key, was selling it super cheap. What temptation!

Bikes of the '80s are my favorite targets. By then most have electronic ignitions, and I hate fiddling with points. Secondly, the horsepower race in that time-frame was strong and the selection of engines in size and power is good, and little to no air emission ****. Third, you can still obtain a lot of parts, both OEM and secondary sources (Check out Partzilla). And fourth, bikes of this era are generally too young to be collectible and are more prone by people to get "rid of" and are therefore CHEAP.

From my tinkering, I've found some aspects of these machines pretty well engineered, with a few shortcuts here and there. In the Cafe-Virago project I was resigned to boring the cylinders for new pistons and rings upon discovering the previous owner had apparently never changed the air cleaner and the element had numerous rotten holes. After tear down and checks and double checks, the bores were still within factory specs! I did replace the cams that showed some pitting and the rockers that had moderate wear.

My experience with Yamaha has been that many parts between models and model years are interchangeable and I would not be surprised if that was not the same case for the other major manufacturers. This also allows some creativity in making your own Frankenstein, function over form, Mad Max kind of machine. I went the Cafe Racer route in eliminating anything unnecessary for performance/reliability. No plastic origami-insect look for me!  However, I am now considering a conversion to a Scramber that can be done by simply exchanging front and rear 18 inch wheels from a XZ550 Vision mounted with dual-sport knobbies and a dirt tracker handlebar. Oh, and a rock grill for the front headlamp.

For you Triumph-bashers out there and anyone reading this thread; a point of history.  Triumph Engineering Co, LTD went bankrupt in 1983. The name and manufacturing rights were purchased by an individual who established Triumph Motorcycles LTD soon thereafter. It is my understanding that although a few motorcycles were made in the interim to carry on the tradition, the new company started an entirely new set of designs and factory(s) with production starting in 1991. The first model year of my Thruxton was 2004. Although it looks similar to the Bonnies of the '70s, that is where the similarities end. I have never experienced vibration, "buzzing", or oil leaks from this machine, an air and oil cooled 865cc parallel twin. And it doesn't go potato-potato-potato either.

To sum it up, now is a tinker's dream for older Japanese motorcycles. I wish I could stash away a few more!

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Not a basher, only speak from experience.

[gitano]

In the grand scheme of things, I find it encouraging to see any form of mechanical renovation, be it restoring old firearms, or old cars, or old bikes, or old watches, or... We have some skilled folks here, and it's a privilege to see their work. I'm looking forward to more pictures of bikes and cars and guns and...

Paul

[Brithunter]

Ahhh drinksgin Triumph was always based in Coventry in fact I have the book of the company history here as well as "It's a Bonnie". The two gentlemen who founded Triumph were indeed Germans but they lived in Coventry England. One became Mayor of Coventry City.

They chose the name Triumph as it means the same thing in many European languages.

Don't forget that Triumph made bicycles and cars as well as motorcycles the car division was sold off some time in the 1930's I believe. The pre war Dolomite was a handsome car and I have some photos of one here:-








Now I owned two Triumph motorcycles the 79 T140E mentioned and later after it was stolen I ended up with a basket case Triumph 21 a 350cc twin (21ci) that was rebilt as a sort of cafe racer/street scrambler with hi level 2 into on exhaust and a slim thin seat. 7" Chrome lucas headlamp and alloy mud guards. In fact when I rebuilt it I used a set of new Norton Jubilee rings filed and gaped down to fit the slightly over sized bores.

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Ha! Eventually found original pic of when I bought the 'prilia - it has orig pipes and front end.

[sakorick]

Who is Alice? Nice bike.

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Was an Italian ISP that used to sponsor a lot of bike racing (motogp etc).

[farmboy]

Who is Alice? Nice bike.

A song asks that same question!

[farmboy]

What's your thoughts on motor guzzi?

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Moto Guzzi 850 le mans....always liked that one!

[farmboy]

I found a moto guzzi centrauro for sale they were never imported to Canada just eighty of them to the USA anyhow at least one got brought up here I really live the look of it but not sure I have enough to get it. Anyhow hopefully somebody else buys it before I get my money for my little bike.

[farmboy]

How's your project coming along?

[farmboy]

With spring here in the northern hemisphere how are everybody's bike project coming along?

[gitano]

I long gave up on "bike projects"!

Paul

[Nelsdou]

It's been awhile but I tore down the '82 Yamaha Virago and got a number of pieces blasted and powder coated.  New head bearing and swing arm bearing.  Removing the original swing arm bearing was a PITA being stuck in there for 34 years.

In this pic the frame is more of backbone as the engine is a stressed member. The swing arm suspension to the frame is a monoshock.


On the rebuild I took an option to a scrambler theme by change tires, wheels and handlebar. By swapping these three items I can interchange between a cafe racer and scrambler at will. At least that is the idea. I found that I can bolt on the wheels from a 82 Yamaha XZ Vision that are 18 inch diameter and narrower width that will accomodate moderate knobby tires. The same diameter wheels front and back also balances the look getting further away from looking like a cruiser.





After assembling everything except for switching our the lowbars for the dirt tracker handlebars, I got it up today for a shakedown run just to make sure the the wheels and brakes worked OK. The Vision front wheel uses a different brake disk that required some minor fitup issues with the stock Virago fork and brake caliper set up and so far so good.  I also rejetted the Mikuni carbs pilot jets one size richer, and that vastly improved the engine performance and drivability. Something else I am fiddling with is a Supertrapp muffler that one can adjust the number of flow discs to better match the carburation so more experimentation is in order.

More pics to follow.

[gitano]

Great to see you, Nels! Man! That's some work!

Paul

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

That is why Barry Sheen had a British company wrap a proper frame around his works Kawasaki without Kawasaki knowing about it.

When did Barry Sheene ride a works Kawasaki?

[Nelsdou]

I saw a recent ad, "See the bikes that make Sheene a star", and the associated photo displayed a Suzuki.

Pics as promised:




The tuning is coming along great, I believe I have the carb jets and the number of disks in the Supertrapp muffler properly matched

[gitano]

Dudn't look real comfortable even with a soft-tail, :) but nice work!:eek:

Paul

[Nelsdou]

It has a mono-shock mounted between the rear swing arm and frame, just below the seat. The spring coil is dampened by a charge of air up to 60 psi and there is a regulator of sorts to adjust the dampening rate.  At least I thought that was how it worked.  Without the air charge the stroke is greatly diminished as well.  I rode it once without any air charge just to see what it was like on the coil spring alone. No fun, it was like riding with your butt on a skateboard.

[gitano]

Just a really nice looking job, Nels!

Paul