Next project- 1100 Cafe Racer

[Baldini]

...Nice road btw- is that near the A494, or a bit further down?..

 

Very close! Come on over one day - I'll show ya!

 

KB

[Guzzirider]

Been doing a bit more fiddling- the Tarozzi adjustable high rise clip ons arrived the other day from Disco Volante- I whipped off the front wheel, dropped the forks and fitted them under the yokes. I am really glad I bought these as you can adjust the riding position from full on racer to high bar touring. Now that I have taken off the big handlebars and risers, she is now beginning to look like a cafe racer.

 

I think I may have twisted a fork around in the yoke when I had my spill in Scotland because the bike feels much straighter now when I push it out of the garage ever since I fitted the clip ons. Wobbling the forks about must have fixed it.

 

I was going to take her up in a van to Dumfries to the tank shop but the proprietor John has very kindly arranged to pick her up as he is driving within 50 miles of here at the weekend- what a nice guy!

 

He will then have the bike for a while so he can fabricate a long classic styled 24 litre alloy tank, triangular side panels, shorty mudguards and a humped seat.

 

In the meantime, I have bought some used Le Mans V lower frame rails to make finishing fitting the Tarozzi rear sets much easier- I will leave this job until the end so I don't have to whip off the centrestand because this makes the bike easier to work on.

 

When I get the bike back from the Tank Shop, the forks will be delivered to Maxton to be rebuilt to fast road / race spec and the wheels to Central Wheel components to have new alloy rims fitted (powder coated in black with stainless spokes) including a larger 18" rear to replace the cruiser style 17".

 

I will then need to put it all back together, sort out the electrics, cables, instruments and lighting- I am tempted to get a mate who is an electrical engineer to help me because I want a proper job rather than my usual bodging. I need to borrow a mate's upswept Mistrals from his 1000S to see if they fit, and if they do I will buy a set from Agostinis.

 

Once the rear sets have been finished, it will be a case of seeing how she rides and making necessary adjustments- my gut feeling is that she will be a beauty- I have just been sitting on her in the garage and she already feels so right- and the increased rear ride height, top suspension, reduced weight, lighter wheels and revised riding position should make her steer sweet as a nut I reckon.

 

Too dark for any pics- will take some at the weekend before she is shipped off to the Tank shop.

 

Guy

[Baldini]

Sounds great Guy, looking forward to seeing it - you can't beat a sporty Tonti !

 

Raising rear should be a good thing. Try Pirelli Sport Demons if you just want handling/grip & don't care about mileage (really - they wear quick as a supersports radial).

 

I have hopes of doing something along these lines one day, but now work & family takes all my time, money & energy.

 

I started on spoke wheels for the Tonti but got sidetracked. I was going for black rims, but think now I'd stick with plain alu - Black will need care on tyre changes & I wonder if in a few years it could just look like a "fashion" thing?

 

Losing bottom edge on triangle sidepanels emphasises horizontals (LM not V7S). You may have to mess with mounting points - old Tontis had a mess of plates - i got shot of all of it. I also bent top edge over rather than just flat plate (kept face of plate vertical). See pic but I can post better if you want detail.

 

Have you considered Keihan exhausts? I've had several bits off them - quality is great. They do Lafranconi style in S/S. They can modify design to your spec too. I used to run a Crossbow system (you know it? short rev cone PR style) til it rotted. Loved it (tho a bit loud) - often thought to duplicate it in S/S.

 

Moving things about & eliminating things you don't need on a cafe bike can drastically reduce wiring. Eg - put ignition/starter switches by battery, lose indicators. does Cali already have Saprisa (Ducati) alternator s/s rect/reg unit? You're not relocating battery below gbox?

 

Guzzitech do a alu plate to replace battery carrier/frame gbox brace.

 

Re Maxton: Do you need to take bike to them or just give them shox/forks with bike/rider specs?

 

A question for anyone interested (I know GuzziJack is working on something): If you were going to build a FAST, TORQUEY, GOOD HANDLING, SOKE WHEEL, SPORTS TONTI, without worrying about originality etc - How would you go about it. I figure Guy has right idea, & Todd Egan's V11 engined Jackal looks good, how about starting with a 1000s? what are differences between Cali/V11 motors? LM1000 (IV & V) look cheap - what differences on those frames, they had a higher headstock I think? Or should this question have a new thread?

 

How you don't mind me butting in, Guy, just a few options. Good luck w the project.

 

Cheers,

 

KB

[Guzzirider]

Hi Keith!

 

Thanks for the advice. I will try the Pirellis as you suggest- I fancy something different to the usual BT45s I run and you have given some good feedback about the Sport Demons.

 

I think you may have a point about the black rims- they look ace on the Ducati sport classics but I can see the local goriila at the tyre shop scratching the rims.

 

I have used Keihan pipes before- when I used to run a 1000S as my daily transport (before I took a car test) I replaced the rusted originals with Keihans because they were well built with an excellent guarantee.

At the time, they did not make rorty pipes- do they do throaty versions now? The Mistrals look good and have a nice bark to them.

 

I am probably going to leave the battery and electrics in situ- to save hassle and to keep them out of the elements.

 

With the forks, I will take them to Maxton and they will build them to spec based upon my weight and riding style- they did a fantastic job on the forks from Helen's V11 so I am happy to use them again. They are used to converting low spec classic style forks- basically they throw away all the internals and fit new cartridges, springs, adjuster etc. The forks are 45mm Marzocchis and look quite butch and chunky and I trust Maxton to make 'em work better. They are in Cheshire so only about 80 mins drive away.

 

I chose to use the Jackal as a base for a Tonti cafe racer as it was cheap (I bought it back from my Mum's husband for around £2500) and most of the ingredients were already there- most importantly the frame inc braced swinging arm, punchy 1100 motor and modern brakes and suspension.

 

I guess you could use any Tonti but may have to throw a bit of cash at an 850 if you want a fastish one. round barrels would look nicer though. I think the LMIV is a bargain- nobody wants one and they are quite cheap- about £1500 for a decent one. The LMIV / V has big valves, 40mm Dellortos which help it chuck out a reasonable amount of power and torque. I think the 1000S is overpriced- many are over £3000 because they look nice.

 

I think framewise, the LMIV / V have a slightly different frame with upswept rear upper frame to go with the swoopy seat. The 1000S has the more tradional flatter rear upper rails to go with the flat classic seat.

 

Probably best to start a new thread 'cos I am sure there is plenty more knowledge out there!

 

Guy

[Baldini]

Guy,

 

I went to Keihan & asked them for a big bore straight thru system to match LM1/11 style. They made that for me. I now have some Lafranconi copies (upswept long reverse cone megas w the fluting on the end) which are straight thru also & made by Keihan. They don't list everything they can do. Think they'll make any they list as straight thru or minimal baffle. I dealt direct with John (sorry I forgot his surname) at the factory. It's some years ago now but it might be worth a ring if you're interested. I like Keihan cos it's so well made. I think the Tonti suits reverse cone of some type, rather than modern cylinderical cans. The Crossbow system was great but noisy, I'll dig out a photo. Cos of the lower frame rails you can run into problems w ground clearance w some silencers around the bit under footrests. It's worth considering when you're deciding.

 

The Sport Demons are a revelation, streets ahead of BT45's - but do wear v quick. Also a right b**** to get front to seat properly.

 

KB

[Skeeve]

A question for anyone interested (I know GuzziJack is working on something): If you were going to build a FAST, TORQUEY, GOOD HANDLING, SOKE WHEEL, SPORTS TONTI, without worrying about originality etc - How would you go about it. I figure Guy has right idea, & Todd Egan's V11 engined Jackal looks good, how about starting with a 1000s? what are differences between Cali/V11 motors? LM1000 (IV & V) look cheap - what differences on those frames, they had a higher headstock I think? Or should this question have a new thread?

 

Jackal, Stone or later: they're supposed to have a longer swingarm, right? At least, that's what Subtle Crowbar put on their LSR effort to s - t - r - e - t - c - h the wheelbase, IIRC... And that longer swinger helps the handling [moves the wt. bias forward some.]

 

Differences btw Cali/V11 motors are valve sizes: V11s have sizes just a hair smaller than the big valve LMIV & Vs, if I'm not mistaken, whereas Calis are medium or small valves [depending on era: "California" covers a lot of territory, pun intended! ]

 

Starting w/ a 1000S would make doing a 'cafe' pretty short work, since that's what the factory did for you when they brought it out! Pretty much all the work is done, just rip off a few extra gew gaws & you're done...

[Guzzirider]

Beginning to take shape- long way to go.

[belfastguzzi]

Get those bars down, GR

[antonio carroccio]

Looks good so far Guy.

Cali fork?

[Guzzirider]

Bar height will be adjusted when I have finished- its easy to push it around with the bars like that.

 

And yes Antonio- the Cali forks are 45mm Marzocchis which are being rebuilt by the same man who built the forks for the TT Tenni a few years back.

 

Guy

[Guzzirider]

Sloooooow progress- still waiting for the Tank Shop to collect my bike so John can fabricate the tank and other bits- but in the meantime some shiny polished stainless Mistral pipes have arrived- upswept noisy versions made for a Le Mans V / 1000S that actually fit no problems.

 

Apparently Mistral are going to stop making noisy pipes for Tontis soon so get in there quick if you want some.

[waspp]

Guy thats taking shape nicely! I'd like to see those upswept Mistrals, I have to get a decent exhaust for muy Tonti. If you go with a small gel battery you can hide them in a lot of places. My battery box is in front of the rear wheel but I think with the right gel I can move it back under the bubble tail and reclaim my center stand. Its good to have some adjustability on those bars, they look great low but are a bear to ride any distance. I've moved my Raask bars around a hundred different ways to get the proper riding position. My son took some pics when I was building mine and posted them on the SV board if interested.

 

 

http://forum.svrider.com/showthread.php?p=828430#post828430

 

Hal

[WitchCityBallabio]

I also would be very interested in the pipes. I just dropped off my Cafe' project frame, forks (lowers), swingarm, rear caliper bracket, etc to be media blasted and powder coated, and the original Borrani wheels to be highly polished and relaced. Besides getting in queue at the Tank Shop, the exhaust is still the unknown variable. I was considering the Lafranconi Competizione but they don't look like they would have much "bark".

 

Dropping all this stuff off, has definitely brought my excitement level on this project off the chart.

[Guzzirider]

Hi guys

 

As requested, here are some pics of the Mistrals- I have not secured them properly, I've just slid them on so you can get an idea. They are quite loud on the open road- a real aggressive bark but if you ride slowly around town they are not too loud.

 

You've done a great job on that bike Waspp! I have already got a small gel battery but am not going to relocate it- am having some triangular alloy side panels made up to cover it.

 

Regards

 

Guy

 

[WitchCityBallabio]

Guzzirider,

 

How's the project coming along? Any recent pictures?

 

I'm getting closer....

 

Lafranconi exhaust is on (not shown in this picture), rear fender is on (not shown) just have to finish the brakes (using Brembo gold double pots on the front) just wire and paint. Wiring should commence this week. This picture was from about 2 weeks ago. More to follow. It's getting exciting now. Can't wait to drive this thing...