Where you start with building your own café racer depends on whether you are going to take the job on yourself or get it done with a professional.
Generally speaking it could be cheaper to do it yourself, but there is a higher risk of something going wrong, especially if you lack experience with building motorcycles.
Once you have decided who is doing the job, the first thing you will need to do is pick the motorcycle that you want to transform. Most people tend to choose a Japanese motorcycle for this task because you can get them at bargain prices, and they are easy to modify. I personally love BMW`s Boxer bikes. We got a list of 5 Hacks you should check out before starting your own build!
After you have chosen your bike, you should check for any issues and fix any problems that might have occurred due to the age of the vehicle.
After your vehicle has been prepared for a modification, you can then plan out what you want to do with the bike. This is perhaps the most exciting and thrilling part of creating your own café racer because it is when all the fun happens.
Once you have your design you can get to work, and that is how you start your own café racer.
Can you turn any bike into a café racer?
Generally speaking, yes you can turn any bike into a café racer. However, some types of motorcycles are not as good for this job as others. Before you choose to transform any bike into a café racer, you should do your research into whether or not it is appropriate for the job.
Depending on the type of motorcycle that you are using you will get a totally different experience when you are creating your café racer.
The motorcycle is, after all, the base of the design and the starting point for your café racer. In particular, older Japanese motorcycle models tend to be a popular choice when it comes to creating a café racer.
But one of the most important factors when you are making a café racer is choosing a design that you like, and a lot of this comes from the motorcycle that you use.
But if you put your mind to it, yes you can turn any bike into a café racer.
It might make the job more difficult as some motorcycles are difficult to modify, but the main priority is that you are happy with the finished product, and a lot of that relies on the motorcycle.
How do you build a café?
Building a café racer is a complete project, and because of this it can be difficult to know where to start. Aside from researching what goes into building a café, the main starting point is purchasing the motorcycle that you are going to convert.
Building a café racer is not a cheap project either, so when you are choosing your motorcycle, you should also consider the budget that you are working to. It usually costs between $700-5000 to do the job yourself, but you can set a specific budget for yourself and aim to stay within this if you want to. There are no borders…
After you have bought your motorcycle you can then begin planning the different modifications and additions that you want to make to the motorcycle.
When you are setting your budget, it is important that you leave some wiggle room as these modifications can quickly become more expensive than you might expect.
Even if you are doing the job yourself, there is always the potential for something to go wrong so bear this in mind when you are in the planning stage and building your café racer will be a breeze.
Is it hard to build a café racer?
Building a café racer can seem like a hard job, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, a lot of the time you will find that this job is a lot easier than you expect it to be.
Even if you do not have much experience with motorcycles, and this is your first real project with them, you will be surprised at how smooth this process really is.
There are a few points along the way which you might find stressful. For example, choosing the perfect motorcycle for the job can be a bit of a hassle, especially if you are buying second hand.
It can also be frustrating when you are putting your design for modifications to the motorcycle into place as you will often find that some of the changes that you wanted to make simply aren’t possible. But it is all part of the project.
So in a way, building a café racer can be a hard job, but it is only as difficult as you make it. If you go into the process with an open mind then you will be surprised at how enjoyable and stress-free this project will be overall.
Where can I buy café racer parts?
One of the most difficult parts of building your own café racer is finding the parts, but there are lots of stores all over the country which sell them.
Choosing the motorcycle that you will modify usually isn’t that hard but finding the parts that you need to modify the bike can be a bit stressful.
Thankfully, there are lots of stores that were set up solely to sell parts for motorcycles, and these stores can be used to purchase parts to modify and create your café racer.
In the USA, some of the best stores to check out for motorcycle parts are:
- Cognito Moto
- Revival Cycles
- British Customs
- Dime City Cycles
- And lots more…
You will be able to easily find companies which sell these parts near you by doing a quick search online, and you will also find that lots of these stores also have websites and will send parts to you in the post.
So while finding parts for your café racer can seem difficult and stressful, it is only as hard as you make it.
