Thread: Bike Porn - Regardless of the motor, Show off your "two wheeled" beasties

Threw the new cafe racer bars on the vt 750 . Definitely looks a lot less Harley like now... but I am finding the reach a bit excessive , so it looks like I am going to make my own handlebars so as to get them where I am comfortable with them .
Love the new mirrors though .

Originally Posted by Ftx325

Threw the new cafe racer bars on the vt 750 . Definitely looks a lot less Harley like now... but I am finding the reach a bit excessive , so it looks like I am going to make my own handlebars so as to get them where I am comfortable with them .
Love the new mirrors though .

Attachment 175742
Attachment 175743

@Ftx not sure I like those bars....but I will not say anything other than as long as you like it that is all that matters....I have seen a number of XV1000 / XV1100 turned into bobbers and cafe's and it can be done. Once you start down that road.....Steering (rake will need to be steeper?) seat. weight, etc all comes in for a change....Great engines in the jap twins too. Watch out for the BT1100 though.....Yamahas version of a sports bike with the XV1100 motor in it...big, not a lot of power and looks good....Interesting to look at but I would not buy one...

I hear ya @timattalon but won't be going down that route . Besides fitting a bobber style sprung seat to hopefully lessen any jarring through my back on the crap roads here I don't intend to make any major changes . I am well aware it's no sports bike... But after a lifetime of racing bikes it just doesn't feel natural to me sitting upright and is no good for my back either .
So I will have a crack at making some old style salt racer bars which will be low but swoop back along beside the tank so reach is not so far . Should be a good compromise between upright and racer crouch and make the bike look more old school , along with the seat , which is the style I am going for .
I do miss my R1 ....

Originally Posted by Ftx325

I hear ya @timattalon but won't be going down that route . Besides fitting a bobber style sprung seat to hopefully lessen any jarring through my back on the crap roads here I don't intend to make any major changes . I am well aware it's no sports bike... But after a lifetime of racing bikes it just doesn't feel natural to me sitting upright and is no good for my back either .
So I will have a crack at making some old style salt racer bars which will be low but swoop back along beside the tank so reach is not so far . Should be a good compromise between upright and racer crouch and make the bike look more old school , along with the seat , which is the style I am going for .
I do miss my R1 ....

@Ftx in that case you may enjoy what I looked at before I got my Katana....Sol Apollo....

https://www.solinvictus.com.au/pages/apollo-cafe-racer

If it looks familiar , it should. Its an Aussie / chinese copy of the GB400TT from Honda...Around $8k new...

Yep , that looks good . Just my style . Would really like a 1200 triumph thruxton with top fairing but can't afford one of those (thanks to the kids...) but love the classic cafe racer styling . Like an old Bonnie I built many years ago but without a fairing . One of those machines I wish I had kept .

Made a start on new bars for the VT by cutting up the original western bars and will make inserts so can fit them to some clip-ons I have kicking around the shed in my random bike stuff .(original bars 1" , clip-on clamps for 7/8 bars)
Should look something like this when done...


They should wrap around front of tank and will be 4 inches or so further back at the grip hopefully .
Should sit something like this...



Heaps of room for the switchblocks and more oldie looking shape . Saves me having to make shorter cables to suit the bars on there at the moment too . So hopefully they work out okay and being clip-ons will retain full adjustability .

Well that's the plan anyway.......

Originally Posted by Ftx325

Threw the new cafe racer bars on the vt 750 . Definitely looks a lot less Harley like now... but I am finding the reach a bit excessive , so it looks like I am going to make my own handlebars so as to get them where I am comfortable with them .
Love the new mirrors though .

Attachment 175742
Attachment 175743

I like narrow flat bars but if those bars were on my bike I’d rotate them so they don’t ‘droop’ so much, you could try that and see if it helps with your reaching issue?

PS: I had similar bars on a previous Harley so your bike doesn’t look as ‘less Harley’ as you imagine!

Tried all that @Finnwolf . Started with drag bars but have to be on 4inch + risers to clear the tank so still 'sit up and beg' upright seating . The problem is the tank is so wide there's no room for the bars to come back or they hit the tank on lock . Those fitted at the moment just clear the tank but are waaay forward to do so and lifting,rotating them moves them even further forward so I have come to the conclusion the bars need to swoop out and around the tank and sweep back along the side to give room around the tank front for the switchblocks , rather than cut the corner on the diagonal like clipons or drag bars ....if that makes sense to you...

This sort of thing .... With a double bend rather than a straight line ...

Originally Posted by Ftx325

Tried all that @Finnwolf . Started with drag bars but have to be on 4inch + risers to clear the tank so still 'sit up and beg' upright seating . The problem is the tank is so wide there's no room for the bars to come back or they hit the tank on lock . Those fitted at the moment just clear the tank but are waaay forward to do so and lifting,rotating them moves them even further forward so I have come to the conclusion the bars need to swoop out and around the tank and sweep back along the side to give room around the tank front for the switchblocks , rather than cut the corner on the diagonal like clipons or drag bars ....if that makes sense to you...

This sort of thing .... With a double bend rather than a straight line ...

Attachment 175761

I can't imagine getting my body into a position to be able to ride that.

Ready to go for summer. Classic next year, cheap rego.