Cafe racers [pics]

I like everything about that BMW. Except that seat.....

Goodlooking:




Not so good looking:

:eek1















:eek1







and the subframes are, at least in theory, the same.........! omfg...............

Interesting, pretty much how I feel an air head engine looks in a cafe compared to, say, any engine that's pistons face skyward, which is pretty much every other bike. Oh except when you strip them down to cafe trim, the comparison is more like the above pics in bikinis. :huh

^^ You mean, you don't like this:




Actually, it does sorta remind me of this shot....and they both can go on the same frame.....

Oh come on MIOB, you don't like a little junk in the trunk? I bought that seat 10 years ago back when they were unique, now there are at least 4 copies being made for 1/4 the price. I actually like the balance of it, but have considered a slightly shorter seat. I'm not partial to the real bobbed look.

@ r77toy- the seat is a knoscher piece from the munich dealership, the forks are an early k100 unit with later calipers on rim made up at Woody's in CO.

I miss the 1/2 fairing, need to fab up a new mount that accommodates the wider forks.

Hehehe, I was obviously trolling a bit

But in al seriousness: It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I would have liked to have seen it smaller, the bike (the average cafe racer) is build according to the 'less is more' principle. So why then fit a seat that big? But it's all a matter of taste.

I hear ya- I always had a soft spot for the endurance racers of the 70's and 80's- to me the tail piece balances the proportions of the bike WITH the fairing on, without the fairing the lines are pushed back towards the rear, and a shorter seat might be more appropriate. But I appreciate your comparison, particularly the first photo...

Considering the aforementioned seat, easily bears a strong resemblance, to early seventies bevel drive 750 Sports / Super Sports, I think it looks just fine, thank you.

Some of the modern / present day interpretations of cafe / bobber seats, are in my eyes, utterly abhorrent juvenile hack jobs.

996DL

I don't know of any controversy...?

Don't worry, the paint stays...

Man, that is too gorgeous...!

Hey Rad guzzi, nice find!! Picked up a 76 400 f for the wife in the middle of the guzzi build ...Saw that seat and had to have it , sill trying to make it work??

Hey way,
Wow, that is lookin' awesome...! late model brembos with ed's adapters up front...?

I like the cut down Lemans seat on that pan... make it work.

Comin' along nicely.

Thanks, actually I made the brackets ,and the swing arm brace (Thanks ED). got the tarozzi pegs on now too .A couple more grand should do it !

That seat is gorgeous. Where did it come from?

alister102

Man-o-man... You absolutely must reinstall that 1/2 fairing!

No kidding. It really pulls the bike together and here in the US it's something that sets your bike apart from the also-ran's. OTOH, if you're not going to reinstall it, sell it to me! My bike would look so good with your fairing on it!

I remember when Knoscher was the one-and-only only source for those cafe seats but then maybe a year or two later, every Dick and Harry was knocking them off and selling them cheap. Now they've become one more piece of cafe fluff, like the dog chains and chrome studs on jackets. Oh well... Always did like your bike!

Here is the seat guy,,don't know how I found it???
http://stores.ebay.com/Witcheys-Creations?_rdc=1.html

Thanks Ken,

yes, must get the fairing back on- a small job compared to last winter, although I'm sure I can find some other project to keep me busy...

Cheers,

Aric

That's not the same seat.

He makes them one at a time (one offs) so thats what he has right now .... go to the site and e- mail him, see what he says?? (dig). maybe he will make you one ?? Here it is.
http://witcheyscreations.com/content.html

I took a good picture, but that seat was crap.

So I got a super-bitchin' piece of motorcycle seat foam from Air Tech.



Cut a seat.

And it turned out like this.



















There's a piece of sheet metal underneath with two screws at the front and one at the back. It's rock solid.

Nice Job!!! HD, can you give us a pic of how the seat is mounted??