Cafe Idea Help

[descargaelbano]

Here's a pic of a bike I picked up for $400 and started the transformation already. The bike has a tick in the upper end so I know I need to have a new valve seat installed before it drops a valve. I wanted to get the bike looking the way I wanted before I drive it or I know it will never happen.

These are just used upside down dirtbike handlebars I put on there to see how it feels while seated. Someone had already shortened them so the controls are in very close but they still clear the tank by 1/4". The correct clipons that go forward and up for a bigger person were way out of my budget at $200. I looked at the Norman Hyde M-Bars but they really don't have a cafe look to me once you bolt them onto the bike so I ordered clubmans. My clubmans will be here tomorrow so I will install them ASAP and post more pics. The top tree of these bikes are pretty wide at 11" so I had to buy the wide clubmans with the 11-1/4" between the horns or they wouldn't be adjustable. Hope any of these pics will help U decide.

[Lorrine]

It's hard to make a true cafe racer bike with the cruiser-ish frame of the GZ.I did convert mine into a cafe style cruiser with minimal effort.Most people think it's a Triumph!

[Vegas Street Rider]

As the saying goes, pictures or it didn't happen. Would love to see your version of the cafe racer style.

[jonathan180iq]

What wheel and tire combo is that up front?

[descargaelbano]

It's a chrome Marshin rim 21x1.6 on ebay for $60 and getting the spokes(part#2000137) on sale at J&P Cycles for $32 and a Shinko 777 80/90-21 for $48. The correct chrome Radaelli rim was $137 so I opted for the Marshin rim, although new is a little lumpy at the sides. The tire was a bitch to put on!!! The hub holes will need to be drilled slightly larger and the spoke threads will need to be trimmed approximately 1/16".


If you are looking for a 19" direct bolt on for the front of your bike, use a front wheel from a GT550, GT380 or GS450 available on ebay. The GT250 comes in 18" which would have been great for me since I already had a brand new Sava MC7 3.50x18 tire laying around, but the 18 didn't have the large diameter I was looking for

[jonathan180iq]

Wow. This is good info. Did you figure this out just by doing research?

EDIT: Just say your other thread.

Great work, man.

[descargaelbano]

Sorry, new to the forum and don't know all the ins-n-outs yet, thanks for the help & the compliment Jonatahan. As for the wheel, lots of online searching and measuring some other bike hubs too.

My wide clubmans came in today so I installed them every which way I could think of and took lots of pictures. I made a Youtube video with them mounted in 6 different positions so you might get an idea if you like them or not. Here is the vid on my youtube channel.



Should this vid link be posted in tutorial also, or maybe just the pics?

.

[gz4me +]

I like what you have done to the bike and thought you did great job on the video. You have done yourself proud. Good Job!!!

[Water Warrior 2]

Well done. Personally I like the upsidedown dirt bike bars. Probably a lot cheaper too.

[King_louie]

Not sure if anyone is still around but the clubman Bars with the 19 " rim have piqued my interest. Anyone else tried this with their GZ250?