Cafe BMW's - advice and please post some pics

Need some inspiration to get my R100 off the ground

I am going with a light cafe style treatment, no clip on's though, I am going to keep the bars at a semi-reasonable angle because I am old and fat

and yeah I know a real cafe would be brit or eyetallian, don't care, my big ass fits on a beemer


Plan is as follows
rearsets,
blacked out wheels maybe,
S type fairing with a dark shield,
custom bumpstop corbin seat,
bobbed fenders (maybe ditch the rear all together),
mini turn signals,
polished carb tops with stacks and shitcan the airbox altogether,
maybe wrap the headers and put some dunstalls on it,
I have a smaller /5 tank (non toaster, but same size, fucking gas cap is like $80 though) for it but I cannot decide if I want to use it or the larger /7 tank
and bar ends

I have most of the parts, just gotta get off my ass and get stuff to the powder coater and start getting it back together
bike has 27K original miles on it so I am not worried about the heads yet, but I'll get them done eventually - no 336 cam for me, I rather have the torque than the top end

This is close to what I am going after, but I am not going to polish the valve covers



I have snowflakes and I am going to powder coat them, maybe blacked out or maybe aluminum color

anyone got some Cafe BMW pics to share, I keep talking about this project and now I need to get it off the ground, damn work anyway, takes up too much moto time

Mutt,

I'd go with the /7 tank and "S" bars- they're as clipped down as you want to be. They're also narrow. Extend your arms to shoulder width and that's going to be your hand position. Here is a pic of my old R90/6 that had the S treatment. I really wouldn't call it a cafe bike, but it was leaning that way. I'm also not sold on rear sets. Once out on the road, just put your feet back on the passenger pegs for the rear set ergos; while still enjoying the standard pegs for comfort and variety. On the mirrors, get the good ones made by Napolean or Albert- $60-$70 for the pair.





Here's one that's a bit more radical.

I like 'em old and stock.

This is a r65 cafe bike I built a few years ago. I had Evan Wilcox make a tank which sort of made the bike. Sold it to a fellow in Chicago that has half a dozen airhead cafe bikes. Put a /5 headlight on it with the stock tach in place of the speedo/tach combo and used a sigma bike computer for a speedo. Raask rearsets, a glass from the past Triumph cafe seat, and some telefix clipons. Good fun and always a conversation starter. JT

Start by ditching everything that doesn't make the bike run or stop.
Ditch the air cleaner box and install K&N or other filters directly to the Bings
Lighten the flywheel
Install some Koni's
Install some aftermarket fork springs
Aftermarket pipes from Luftmeister are nice-but loud.
Update the ignition to dual spark
Increase the compression
Balance the pistons, connecting rods etc.
Add a competition clutch spring
Relocate the electrics to somewhere else other than the headlight shell.
Upgrade to a hall sensor
Update the brakes to a Magura bar-mounted master cylinder instead of the below-the-tank POS
Install stainless brake lines
Update the charging system, diode board and voltage regulator
Update to post 1980 forks with Brembo brakes instead of the ATE POSs.
There are Heinrich tanks that come up for sale every once in a while on the MOA website. Those tanks are instant sex.


That about covers it....

Cheers,
Jorge

This is probably the most amazing airhead cafe bike I've seen. Believe it or not it's a r80g/s. JT

That ROCKS!

Check this one out, probably my favorite.

http://www.teamincomplete.com/

also, some guzzi's for inspiration, some ideas may transfer

http://www3.telus.net/gdockray/

&

http://www3.telus.net/gdockray/racing/

be sure to post pics of the project!

Cheers

this one makes me feel all ooogly inside.

Mutineer-

My ongoing cafe racer project is a '74 R90S. I also scoured the web for ideas and found that same photo you posted. I think that's a Corbin Gunfighter seat made for a /5- the corbin people told me it wouldn't fit a /6. Here's some inspiration: this beauty belongs to Jon-Lars Sorenson.

Mute, just sell the R100 and use the dough to buy this one. It's for sale on the IBMWR site . But I guess that would take most of the fun out of it.

Jon Lars Sorenson built this one too! JT

I bought a custom made Corbin from the who runs the suicicemission.com site with a lot of good cafe pics.

/7 pan but the /5 gunfighter style, I think it is a one off

dude, mine is a R100T as well

The T is bastard child bike so I have zero concern over history


here is the bike when it came home - ugly sumbitch




and right now, well, there is some work to do







and steeering races are a stone cold motherfucker to get out on this bike

It's a small world, Craig C. who is behind the suicide mission, now cafeboxer.com website is the fellow who bought my r65 cafe (above)!

JT

These sorts of projects need both inspiration and $$$. . . .

Light cafe is the way to go. Trying to make an old BMW go fast is like gift wrapping a dead beaver. Also keep in mind you will only be able to recover about 50% of the money you spend on modifications.

Rearsets will make the already clunky BMW shifting even worse. Also, the RAASK rear-sets I installed many years ago on a /6 required machining to fit properly.

The Corbin seat you reference is available stock for a SWB /5. I think Corbin will make one to fit a LWB bike, but they say it looks a little weird.

Removing the airbox for K&N pods or velocity stacks will result in a loss of torque and power. Not a big deal on an old bike that will be slow by modern standards however much $$$ you throw at it.

There was only one small /5 tank. If yours doesn't have toaster panel brackets, they have either been removed or you have a small /6 tank. Somebody recommended a Heinrich tank - - - I think an 8+ gallon tank looks kind of stupid on a cafe bike, but to each their own. Plus Heinrichs go for about $1k or more in need of paint, and prices keep going up. I have four Heinrichs and would only install them on a sidecar rig or for some really serious days in the saddle.

The 336 cam is NLA from BMW, at least for /5, /6, and /7 models. Motobins might have some stock left. Installation will require swapping pulling the clutch to install the later model oil pump.

A /5 headlight will set you back some $$$. I would buy a generic headlight and run without a speedo or tach - - - or maybe just a bicycle computer to track mileage. Just rig up some dummy lights for generator, oil, and neutral.

Can't really lighten the flywheel on post '81 machines. Not a bad idea on earlier bikes though. Shifting will improve but the engine will loose some smoothness and you will probably have to set the idle higher.

Koni shocks are NLA. Hagons and Ikons are good. Ohlins are better but expensive. For the front end, go with a RaceTech kit.

Epco makes a nice set of sport pipes for not too much money. 2-into-1 systems (MAC, etc.) will most likely reduce torque and power.

Dual-plugging is a waste of money unless you are running high compression, which (along with most other engine modifications) involves spending serious $$$ with little benefit (remember dead beaver giftwrapping). You can get more power and better handling from a < $1000 Japanese bike, so stick with cosmetics.

Handlebar master cylinder is a good idea. Or install an R60/6 front end with a 4LS drum brake for a really retro look and no more brake fluid worries.

Steering races - - - buy the Ed Korn tool.

Wow, now I know who not to give a wrapped dead beaver to...

Rear swingarm races are worse. Need a blind bearing puller? Or you wanna just weld a bead to the race and let it shrink?

The /5 short wheelbase Corbin will fit fine on a /6 and /7 and many others with minimal modification. Here's a photo on one I put on my /7. You need to put the seat where you want, throw away the hinges and move the seat pin and fasten it in a new place. I drilled, used a T nut and epoxy. I also installed a second pin to help align every thing. The seat becomes a lift off and works and looks great. Plus I think they are just over $200 so very reasonable. ducsingle is right the ones Corbin builds on the different pans just don't look right, they haven't gotten the proportions down. JT