Hokey Dokey sportsfans:
I have now decided to get after the
'81 Special-to-Cafe bike build a little more actively. I guess its something about living your danged life -
NOW - rather than later....
Accordingly, I have assembled the following:
- a running / riding XS650SH Special II with the zillion-spoke wheels;
- an 18" rear rim and spoke set (which match the number of spokes in the zillion-spoke rear drum hub) so that I can replace the 16" doughnut wheel (man - does that affect handling IMO. The Special seems to steer so much slower and "lazier" than my 1976 Standard);
- a pair of slotted XS11 front rotors and a LH side SR500 caliper (yes, I do know about unsprung mass - but I really like the double-disc look and I am not a knee-dragger anymore);
- a chrome XS1100 Special headlight bucket (same diameter as the stock XS650 unit but MUCH deeper for more wiring room), plus a very powerful LED headlamp;
- a nice fibreglas bum-stop cafe seat;
- a 1977 XS750 fuel tank and matching lid plus a set of nice new fuel petcocks AND some cool silver Yamaha logos;
- a pair of steel 1976-79 sidecovers with a set of very pretty metal XS650 logos;
- a set of LED turn signals;
- that gorgeous MAC Products 2-2 exhaust system that I won a couple on this Forum of years back (I've never won anything of significant value before or since - I was absolutely stunned);
- I also have a set of the usual re-building spares / seals etc.
In terms of the design, I have been inspired by Brassneck's superb
'79 Special-to-Cafe bike (check it out -
awesome build with a spectacular paint job!) and the beautiful Honda GB500 which was a very slow seller back in the early '90s, but is now nearly unobtainable and fetches crazy-high prices on the used market (if you can even find one for sale - I have never actually seen one of these in the flesh).
See photos of Brassneck's XS650 and a Honda GB500 below.
As is visible in the above two photos, a design key element of any cafe bike is that the
bottom of the fuel tank and the
top of the sidecovers should form a straight line that is close to parallel with the bottom of the seat.
As you will know, an '81 Special has a lower seat line that slopes
down toward the rear and the sidecovers match that line (i.e. the stepped king-queen seat etc.). So, I will be welding a set of tabs to mount the straight-topped steel sidecovers onto the frame, as used on the earlier model Standards. I also plan to make the seat hinged, rather than lift-off - and incorporate a helmet lock (I have never been comfortable with leaving my helmet on the bike when going into a store or diner). I will likely use fairly straight bars rather than clip-ons or clubmans as I don't think that my back and knee-hip assemblies would work with the more cramped stance. Similarly, I have a brand-new set of rear-set controls, but these may also not make the cut - I'll have to see.
I want the bike to be practical, safe and comfortable, as well as pretty.
The one remaining item <
I think> is a taillight / license plate light. I am looking for something fairly small that can mount under the back-end of the seat - but I'm a safety guy so I want it bright - with LEDs and a built-in flasher type function (so that I do not need to add a
Back-Off brake light unit).
Any suggestions on brake lights?
BTW - I have picked out a name for the bike and a colour scheme - which I will reveal when the bike is completed.
Pete
