CBR 600 F3 Cafe Racer project

Hi community,

as mentioned in my introducing topic, I want to post my project here...
Some things are already done, such as:

- stripped naked
- clubman headlight
- small turn lights
- new clip-ons installed right under the upper fork crown
- tank and rear fairings painted matt black (race flag stickers are on the way)


Some ideas I already have are:community

- painting exhaust tubes also matt black or silver, OR installing exhaust wraps
- installing fork boots
- changing the rear (more flat and shorter), but here I dont have any ideas how to realize it
- other pipes (louder and deeper)
- shield with starting number

Now my main questions are, if such a project (based on the CBR600F) is worth the money and work, since I am a poor student
Or if I should leave the bike as it is , driving it and wait till I earn money to buy and build a "classical" cafe racer.
What do you think?

Has somebody experience with this type of bike?
I looked in the net for similar projects, but found no one!

Im thankful for every help, advice or ideas!

Regards, Tobi

Hi Tobi, firstly welcome, it's great to know the cafe spirit is flourishing, especally in mainland Europe.

Cafe racers are all about individuality. Which means you don't have to be taking a Norton Dominator, throwing away the engine and installing a Triumph T120 motor into it's comfy featherbed frame just to fit in. It'a about taking your bike and making it look the way YOU want it to.

The mods you've suggested look good, have you tried Googling CBR 600 cafe racers? I did and got over 500,000 hits, so there's plenty of scope, ideas and advice out there.

Go for it pal!

Yeah I will.
There will be some new pictures soon! But at first I have to fix my front brakes!

Hopefully I find some things at google

No one else some comments/suggestions/inspirations?

My main problem is with the rear of the bike!

Will post new pictures soon and I am always happy for comments and so on =)

Hi Tobi,

I would try & remove anything or everything you don't think you will need, keep it legal though. Keep it minimalist & clean looking.
First thing that springs to mind is the centre stand. Do you need it? I know for practical reasons it is nice to have but hardly cafe racer....
Small indicators tucked in neatly to the existing seat unit or why not get a race unit for that model of CBR.. should fit easily enough & give it more of a racey look rather than a cbr without a fairing. Lighter too. .

If you remove the seat & sidepanels what does it look like underneath it all. ?? Can the wiring & other electrical bitties be relocated so a smaller more classic seat unit can be fitted if you can find one to fit with minimal work??

Fit a small front mudguard, makes a difference if you get caught out in the rain. Polish the fork lowers & any engine casings you can.. Remove the paint from the edge of the wheel rims & polish, colour the centres??

That would be a few things that I would be looking at initially..

Good luck.

Cheers
Col.

Hi Col,

thank you very much for your post!

I decided to make no classical seat, instead I bought a cover for the second seat, and removed the grip for the second person behind it. I covered the holes left already (Sorry my english is normallly quite good, but I struggle with the names for specific motorcycle parts and other technical expressions)

And as next step I will look for an opportunity to lower the original rear a bit. There must be some kits out in the web...

I am also thinking about mounting the original big side fairing again, and look how its looking like without the original front...

New Mudguard is in painting process.

Your sentence with the rims. I don't think I got it totally what you mean. what you exactly mean with colouring the centres?
Or did you mean white rim stripes e.g.?

So far, Tobi

I'm a big fan of the "new wave" modern cafe racers, and yours looks great. I'm building mine from a 650 Bros. I love the slim lines of the in-line vee twin, and hope I can get it looking as good as your bike looks.

Thank you very much!
But I think there is still very much to do there....
I have to make it look more slim, more pure i guess. Removing everything out of sight which so it looks more pure

Hi Tobi,

yeh, removing the passenger grab rail is a good idea. I missed that Oops..

Regarding the rims. I would remove the paint from the outer edge of the wheel rim & paint the spokes a colour of your choice. The unpainted area could then be polished. Iv'e done it in the past with RGV wheels, looks good in my opinion..
Similar to this photo of a TL1000S' front wheel


Keep it up ,

Cheers
Col.

Hey Col,

yeah now I got it. Was reading some stuff about that the last days, so with you saying the same, I think I will go for that !

the grab rail is gone and the holes covered. passenger seat cover is in the mail already, and when I get my brakes renewed this weekend (steel-coated break hoses and new brake pistons), depending on the mail, I will get her out to ride and make some pictures.

My garage is actually too small to get her completely on one picture

And after weekend I will think about the next steps

Thanks Col so far!

The break pistons to renew the front breaks were in the mail... but those idiots sent 3 instead of 4 =( The fourth will be coming about Tuesday.
Very unlucky, I was hoping to ride her out today.

So there will be no new pictures this weekend =(

I am thinking of my next step as:

-Fork boots? Would that look good/make sense?

-Exhaust wraps (graphite) OR painted black exhaust -> I want to get rid off those rusty orange exhaust pipes as fast as possible!!

Tobi

That's a bummer about your brakes Tobi.

I would clean up your downpipes first then paint so at least if you wrap them they have some form of protection from further corrosion.

Col.

Hey Col,

that is a good suggestion... So I will paint exhaust + pipes at flat black at first, then I will see if to wrap it or not.

And to fork boots I think I will say no, because they dont fit in te kind of bike I wanna build.

I will get to install the new break pistons on Thursday. So then new pics =)

Tobi

Took some pictures this morning when I took her out.


rear


from side


my absolute favourite picture I made today =)

Hope you like it at all...

Tobi

Looking good Tobi...

Neater rear end with the grabrail removed & the seat hump fitted.

Keep it up.

Col.

That's looking very tidy Tobi

Thank you very much pauli =)

Do you think I should angle the clip-ons mor to the tank? I mounted them really broad as you might see in third picture.

I think it would be more Cafe to turn them more to the tank...

Tobi

Most important thing Tobi for me anyhow apart from looking good ..
It has to be comfortable..

That could be me showing my age mind not that I am an old dude either..

Col.

I'm with Col on this one Tobi, slacken off the handlebar clamps, sit on the bike and see what suits you. Long distance travel with clip-ons can be a killer on the wrists. Having said that, my most comfortable bike was a 1994 Honda CBR1000 F which had race bars and rear sets as factory standard, went well too for such a fat old bird!



Really miss this one!

Sure, comfortable it has to be... But I want to build a modern Cafe Racer, so I will try to link to the classical Cafe Racer as much as possible
And I think they had the clip ons close to the tank!
Cafe's were not supposed to be comfortable =D

Tobi