I need to stop watching Cafe Racer on TV.

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Yo Jordan, I feel your pain; you're a youngster IIRC, so save your self a pile of money (AND TIME!) and go straight to the nearest Kawasaki dealer and put your money down on the latest ZX10-R, it will end up being 1/2 of what you'll spend to build a Norton Anything and 100X more reliable.

AND.....

It might even give Hobot a run for his money :mrgreen: ...

Seriously, Strive to resurect yesteryear greatness: Bring your Norton to a grade school near you and make some kid want history!

RS
 
RoadScholar said:
Yo Jordan, I feel your pain; you're a youngster IIRC, so save your self a pile of money (AND TIME!) and go straight to the nearest Kawasaki dealer and put your money down on the latest ZX10-R, it will end up being 1/2 of what you'll spend to build a Norton Anything and 100X more reliable.

AND.....

It might even give Hobot a run for his money :mrgreen: ...

Seriously, Strive to resurect yesteryear greatness: Bring your Norton to a grade school near you and make some kid want history!

RS
Click to expand...

I already have a frame, a '68 motor (the 16th made, in fact), and a transmission. ;)

Also, ew @ buying a crotch rocket. Not dissing them, but they're not my style. Plus--WAY too much power for my needs. :)

-Jordan
 
OH yes one gets to expect being the center of attention at any stop on a Commando. When Wes and me went to Ohio and we stop to fix something or gas up - alot as Wes has Hyryder peanut tank. People would pull across parks to reach up or across divided hi way centers to swing around and get a close up treat.

I think Cafe's are cute as anyone but not to live on for me. One of my dream goals with Ms Peel is to badger a big magazine into shoot out with the best custom set up specials they can gather and pilots up to the task and find pecking order any way ya care to measure. Can ya just imagine the fun of an obsolete push rod vs the world event : ) I don't expect to match top speeds of course, but sure do expect they will have to catch up to pass me a good embarrassing ways down the tract. But straights have ends so i expect to sweep past again so they must try to catch again in the easy spots.

So Peel will be desert racer with hi rise bars I can stand full upright on peg reaching throttle or put head down between hands for wind. It will be tough to tackle the traction controlled super bikes that pilot can peg throttle and not lose it. But I already know how limiting 17" fatso tires are in leans and also the need for instant skip outs just right not to lose momentum or back off to mere constant almost full traction acceleration.

I also think the Gunfighter and real racer seats are sexiest out there but
I can't live on them so cushy thick un-sexy seat on Peel for me.
 
hobot said:
OH yes one gets to expect being the center of attention at any stop on a Commando. When Wes and me went to Ohio and we stop to fix something or gas up - alot as Wes has Hyryder peanut tank. People would pull across parks to reach up or across divided hi way centers to swing around and get a close up treat.

I think Cafe's are cute as anyone but not to live on for me. One of my dream goals with Ms Peel is to badger a big magazine into shoot out with the best custom set up specials they can gather and pilots up to the task and find pecking order any way ya care to measure. Can ya just imagine the fun of an obsolete push rod vs the world event : ) I don't expect to match top speeds of course, but sure do expect they will have to catch up to pass me a good embarrassing ways down the tract. But straights have ends so i expect to sweep past again so they must try to catch again in the easy spots.

So Peel will be desert racer with hi rise bars I can stand full upright on peg reaching throttle or put head down between hands for wind. It will be tough to tackle the traction controlled super bikes that pilot can peg throttle and not lose it. But I already know how limiting 17" fatso tires are in leans and also the need for instant skip outs just right not to lose momentum or back off to mere constant almost full traction acceleration.

I also think the Gunfighter and real racer seats are sexiest out there but
I can't live on them so cushy thick un-sexy seat on Peel for me.
Click to expand...

lol

I'm a pretty sad example of a motorcyclist, I guess. I don't ride long distances (not to say I *WOULDN'T*), averaging less than 10 miles per day when I actually ride. For that reason, comfort isn't a big deal to me. I just like having something that people (and more importantly, I) think is cool..something that turns heads.

Also, for my money, there's absolutely NO beating the sound of a Commando. That's what sold me on the bike in the first place!

-Jordan
 
I'm a pretty sad example of a motorcyclist, I guess. I don't ride long distances (not to say I *WOULDN'T*), averaging less than 10 miles per day when I actually ride. For that reason, comfort isn't a big deal to me. I just like having something that people (and more importantly, I) think is cool..something that turns heads.

Also, for my money, there's absolutely NO beating the sound of a Commando. That's what sold me on the bike in the first place!

-Jordan[/quote]


I too do not ride long distances. The longest ride I ever did was from Milwaukee to Oshkosh. I have yet the time or resources to do long rides. I wish I could. Like many, family comes first. I don't eaven get the daily rides in any more. I've been out of the daily work scene for almost 3 years. My big riding time now is a trip to the store or to a bike nite. How I miss the days when I didn't need to pick up the kids, and could take the bike. So for now it's cool factor for the short time I have.
 
Hi Jordan,
You really don't have to spend big bucks to get the cafe look. With a pair of drag / drop handlebars, a Corbin gunfighter, and some rearsets you'll be 99% there.

GB
 
bwolfie said:
I too do not ride long distances. The longest ride I ever did was from Milwaukee to Oshkosh. I have yet the time or resources to do long rides. I wish I could. Like many, family comes first. I don't eaven get the daily rides in any more. I've been out of the daily work scene for almost 3 years. My big riding time now is a trip to the store or to a bike nite. How I miss the days when I didn't need to pick up the kids, and could take the bike. So for now it's cool factor for the short time I have.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I should feel damn lucky my wife even allows me to ride bikes, let alone spend any money on them, considering she lost her mom on one in '05. :/

I definitely hear you when you say "family comes first". I plan on going for a nice ride with dad, probably down to the Flint Hills or something, once my bike is done. Hopefully his Nortumph will be done around that time as well so we can take both. If not, he'll have to take his Harley. Either way, i think that would be a good, proper way to break in my Commando after we put it back together.

-Jordan
 
geo46er said:
Hi Jordan,
You really don't have to spend big bucks to get the cafe look. With a pair of drag / drop handlebars, a Corbin gunfighter, and some rearsets you'll be 99% there.

GB
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm thinking i may end up doing something along those lines. If I want to not cut my Gunfighter seat, it's probably going to push me pretty far back (I'm using an interstate tank).. Rearsets will probably be a necessary item. Hopefully the handlebars won't be too much of a PITA to use.. I got a new set of US bend bars from Commando Specialties, although some nice drag bars might be the way to go depending on how it all works out with the seat..

-Jordan
 
britbike220 said:
I've never seen the show, but sounds like it could be a very bad thing for me.
Click to expand...

I have never seen the show but sounds interesting a few years ago I bought a Norton 88 which was a great bike. About 6 months after I bought it the same bike appeared in a book about cafe racers

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5buP6V8GdTM/S7Iz4UV5XbI/AAAAAAAAAcA/EAt5WGaWOAM/s1600/ton5978d.jpg

Its the one top right by the time I bought it the exhausts had been replaced with a pair of goldie type exhausts. A real fun bike but the seat was like an ironing board and with the wideline frame it was not comfy. The clip-ons were also very extreme.
 
plj850 said:
britbike220 said:
I've never seen the show, but sounds like it could be a very bad thing for me.
Click to expand...

I have never seen the show but sounds interesting a few years ago I bought a Norton 88 which was a great bike. About 6 months after I bought it the same bike appeared in a book about cafe racers

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5buP6V8GdTM/S7Iz4UV5XbI/AAAAAAAAAcA/EAt5WGaWOAM/s1600/ton5978d.jpg

Its the one top right by the time I bought it the exhausts had been replaced with a pair of goldie type exhausts. A real fun bike but the seat was like an ironing board and with the wideline frame it was not comfy. The clip-ons were also very extreme.
Click to expand...

I love that bike!

-Jordan
 
I've only seen the show a couple of times and I just want to scream every time...
I've only seen them hack up a couple of Jap bikes and call them a Cafe Bike.
Sad really...
 
pbmw said:
I've only seen the show a couple of times and I just want to scream every time...
I've only seen them hack up a couple of Jap bikes and call them a Cafe Bike.
Sad really...
Click to expand...

I've seen lots of Nortons and Triumphs.. :)
 
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