Part 1 Keith's Project

Here's a 650 that makes you wish you were blasting around the Isle of Man, like Joey Dunlop on a mission. This machine was built in 1992-93 by Keith Rayner of Kingswood, NSW, and was indeed inspired by the British cafe-racers of the '50s and '60s. Keith grew up with British bikes but took a break from riding around the mid '60s due to family commitments.

You know the story. Fifteen years later, with his kids grown and the mortgage paid, he took up riding again but this time, on modern Japanese bikes. Over the next twelve years, he'd own some of the biggest, fastest bikes around. Now, at 56, Keith was approaching retirement and wanted a project to keep him busy. After some thought, he decided on a Triton, the exotica of his youth that was always way out of reach. He told his son, David, of his plan to build the cafe racer he'd always wanted. David had developed a passion for the Yamaha XS-650 and had recently purchased his first, a well-used '77D. He said that, while the Triton (a Triumph 650 motor in a Norton Featherbed frame) would always be considered more exotic, valuable, and collectable than any Yamaha, a similar styled XS would actually be a better bike. They are very easy to find, cost much less to buy, the company that made them is still around, they have the same general appearance, and the motors are infinitely superior. Keith disagreed.

He looked at several Triumphs for sale and found that most required complete overhauls, and all were outrageously expensive. He was also shocked to find just how agricultural British bikes were. David's Yamaha was "space-age" by comparison, and his suggestion began to make some sense. With a little thought and the right parts, could one be made to look like a Triton? Only one way to find out. A visit to the local wreckers netted two or three 650s of the lowest calibre imaginable. Perfect.

One was stripped to a rolling frame with motor, the others to the last nut and bolt. A cafe-racer needs certain fundamentals. Manx-style tank, clip-on bars, rear-set pegs, and W-type wheels with drum brakes at both ends.

Once the desired look had been settled on, the parts needed to achieve that had to be found. For the benefit of anyone wanting to build a similar bike, the sources are listed here. Classic Japanese Spares of Sydney advertise that they can obtain any part for a Japanese bike. Keith put them to the test by ordering one of the rarest parts on the face of the Earth, the front brake of an XS-1. They had one the next day for $120. "They have since moved or closed and Dave has been unable to locate them"

Next was the tank and seat. They were both made by Homebush Fibreglass of Sydney. They make replicas of everything, and it was simply a matter of taking the rolling frame there and trying tanks and seats until that certain look was found. The tank is Manx Norton. Keith had to cut the tunnel from an XS tank, from which a mould was taken. A 'glass tunnel was then made and mated to the Manx shell so the tank mounts to the frame like stock. They never discard anything, and would still have that mould. Therefore, tanks like this (or any other style for a TX-A or later XS) can now be made without supplying a donor tank or a frame. The cap is from a boat, but any cap would be OK. The taps were inadvertently placed directly above the carbs. OK with the stockers, but fitting slide-carbs is difficult due to the cables fouling the taps. The seat is Ducati SS-750, widened an inch to clear the XS frame, though 1 1/4" would have been better. The tank cost $360, and the seat-base $100. Homebush Fibreglass' phone number is 02-97468719. One man is there by himself, and if he's up to his elbows in resin he won't answer the phone. Wait a couple of hours and try again. You'll get him sooner or later. He keeps a photo album of some of the better bikes he's done over the years. Keith found it a big help and, yes, this bike is now in there. The seat itself was made by a local trimmer, and is way too thick. Also, due to it's square edges, it's very uncomfortable to sit on.

The handlebars were made in steel by Tingate Racing Developments of Victoria. They are available in various styles, and cost around $100. Their phone number is 03-97221884. Lastly, the rear-sets. The footpegs are rubber items from a Kawasaki of some kind, though any pegs would do. They mount to aluminium plates that are 10mm thick, and attach to the frame by the original footpeg studs, and the rear footpeg brackets. The foot controls were bought at the wrecker's, and could be from almost any bike. Now that the pegs are rearward of the kickstarter, the right peg must fold up enough to clear. It never really did, and so starting was a pain. The pipes are from MCA in Sydney. They are slash-cut drags, with the ends cut off square, bends made by the local muffler shop, and replica BSA Spitfire mufflers, also from MCA. Their phone number is Parramatta 02-96331296, Liverpool 02-96018276, and Sydney 02-92615182

With the parts necessary to achieve the cafe look obtained, she was torn down, and the process of restoring a fifteen year-old bike began. Chrome, polishing, sandblasting, powder-coating, painting, wiring, etc, etc. It's the same for any bike. Incidentally, the colour is Signal Rot (rot is German for red) from a Mercedes Benz and was applied by David, who was once a spray-painter.

Before the wheels were laced, a friend of Keith's mentioned that he had a new Grimeca 4LS front brake that he'd never use. It was bought for $400, and the XS-1 brake sold to David, who had visions of a similarly styled SR-500 for himself. The Grimeca was then laced into a stock rear wheel. This was because the smaller diameter wheel makes the brake look bigger, and the spoke-holes are more suitably angled than those of a front wheel when using a large hub. Of course, a twin-cable lever was now needed, and one from a Suzuki GT-750 was found. Grimeca 4LS brakes are available from Italspares in Sydney, and cost around $800-900. A Fontana could also be used. They are being made again, but now in England. Check Classic Bike magazine. Warning - the price will scare the daylights out of you. The other front brake that's commonly used on cafes is from the early Suzuki GT-750s. They are smaller than the others (including the XS-1) and, without air-scoops, they look a little plain. The rear wheel and brake are stock, as are most of the parts not mentioned so far. So there you have it. For all it's racy looks, it's really just a stock XS with different body-panels, seat, bars, and pegs. As for the brake and pipes, a disc would look OK (cafes from the '70s had them), as would the pipes off a Special.

With the painting done, the alloy polished, and a good (but stock, except of Dellorto carbs) motor ready, reassembly could begin. About half way through this phase, the story turns somewhat sour. Keith discovered that he had cancer of the liver, and had a year at most. Still OK for the time being, he finished the bike and managed to ride it a couple of times before becoming too weak to throw a leg over her. In fact, his first convulsion began while he was out on the bike. It's amazing he managed to get home. That was the last time he ever rode and, to cut it short, his dream of owning a cafe-racer (not to mention having a long and happy retirement) ended in December '93, and the bike was left to David.

Mission accomplished?

Part 2 Dave's Project

At this time, David's '77D was having a complete overhaul, (another saga for another time) and the cafe was his only running bike. Four years of road-use took it's toll and, to stop any further deterioration, the bike was retired in 1997, at least for the time being. David put together a true "everyday" bike from parts on hand. It's a TX-A that's mechanically sound, but no money was spent on it's appearance. No chrome, no fancy paint. Since Keith had dismantled all his spare motors and thrown all replaceable parts (pistons, etc) out, and David had none that were useable, the motor from the cafe was transplanted into the other bike, where it remains. Thus, the cafe spent the next two years under a cover, with a gaping hole in it (the bike, not the cover).

David's passion is custom bikes and, in particular, choppers. For as nice as it looks, the cafe was a pain to ride. The seat was as hard as a rock, the right peg wouldn't fold up enough to allow the kickstarter a full swing, the choke mechanism on Dellorto carbs is the most cumbersome thing in all the world, and there is nowhere to carry any luggage at all. A trip to the corner store to buy milk and bread was a major undertaking. Most of the bike's shortcomings were because part-way through the project, it changed from being a leisurely pastime into a rush-job, for obvious reasons. The bugs were never rectified. David had intended, therefore, to give the bike a cosmetic makeover and install a dummy motor. She would look as before, even better in fact, but would never run again. It would be taken to the occasional show, where it would get plenty of ooohhs and aaahhs from people who had no idea that it was merely a static exhibit. Work on this began in 1999. She was given a new paint job, but in the same colour. The wheels were taken apart to be polished properly (again, time was short originally) and the spokes replaced with stainless. David found that the inner part of twenty-year old W wheels are almost imposable to polish, and so did the outer faces only. The inner section of the wheels and brakes were painted, as were the backing plates purely because Grimeca castings are quite porous and so don't polish very well. The fellow who was to lace the wheels said that the front wheel was all wrong for the Grimeca. Indeed, the spokes always had a slight bow in them. Either a new Akront or Borani would have to be bought and drilled to suit, or a brake that better fits the rim had to be found. The XS-1 brake was almost perfect. It was polished and painted to match, and laced in. The Grimeca has since been sold.

Because the Dellortos have straight manifolds, they don't line up with the cut-outs on the side-covers. For that reason, and also to make the bike appear slimmer, the covers were removed, along with the forward part of the rear mudguard. In their place is a stainless steel battery box. The seat has been tossed and a new one made. It's much thinner, and has rounded edges. The rubber pegs have been replaced with aluminium billet, which are slightly relocated to allow the starter a full swing. Also, the plates have been trimmed into a nicer shape. A bracket on one of the BSA mufflers broke off, so they were scrapped in favour of a 2 into 1 with a megaphone. This system is a copy of the headers once made by Hooker, but is of 44mm tube. They were fabricated by Natli Enterprises of Penrith.

In keeping with the "uncluttered" look, the turn indicators were removed, along with the rear mudguard. A new tail-light and number-plate bracket sits near the right shock, safe from those God-cursed speed cameras. Incidentally, the plate reads SIX-50. Up front, the mudguard has been trimmed way down and painted, and a new dash with stock gauges but no idiot-lights has been made. Every nut, bolt, and washer has been replaced with stainless steel.

As for the motor, a set of cases, a barrel and head were sandblasted. Except for the points, alternator, clutch adjuster, and oil filter covers, which were polished or chromed, everything else was painted. Since she would never run, David thought he'd save the Dellortos for another bike, and did a pair of stock carbs to match the motor. Like the motor, they too, are hollow. Every part of the bike received attention of some kind, but only for the sake of appearance. Chrome, gold-zinc, polishing, paint, anodising, stainless-steel and billet pieces made, you name it. It was shaping up to be an impressive piece of art, that happened to resemble a motorcycle. Was, that is.

As the bike went back together, David found himself sitting for ages, just staring at it. After a time, thoughts of riding it began to enter his mind. Did his dad's bike deserve to spend the rest of time under a cover? But it was such a difficult thing to ride. Wait a minute, in the course of the restoration, all the bugs had been eliminated. The Dellortos were gone, the pegs were modified, the starter could be used properly, and the seat had been replaced. Also, David now had another bike for everyday use. Riding the cafe this time around would be an entirely different proposition to before. It could now be used as it was intended to be; as a Sunday blaster. Well, thought David, if it's to be a Sunday blaster, THEN BLAST IT WILL!

The motor will make noise again, but nothing like the noise it made before. Nothing like the noise any road-going XS has made before. Starting at the bottom, the crank has been fully rebuilt with 256 rods. These were chosen over the 447s for there additional length, and bigger gudgeon pin. Also, the crank has been rephased from 360 to 90 + 270 degrees, like the TRX-850. The primary drive was specially made with a higher than stock ratio, to lessen the torque on everything downline of the crank. The clutch has Barnett springs and kevlar plates, and a Halco shock absorber kit. Both oil filters have been removed, and an external, spin-on unit from Peter Wust in Germany takes care of the kidney function. Peter's phone number is 49-73626881 or e-mail; wuest_family@t-online.

The pistons are 80mm Venolia 11.5:1, giving 750cc. It could have been bigger, but that would require boring the cases. David's not keen on that. The Dellortos have returned, but with elbows in the cables and the choke modified, and are blasted and painted to match the motor. The head has been ported, and has stainless valves with stock-sized heads. Springs are R & D with titanium retainers. The valves guides are bronze and are .030" short to allow for the lift of a Megacycle 250-30 cam, which is driven by an adjustable sprocket with rockers that have been reprofiled to suit. All this is fired by two Boyer Bransden electronic ignitions with Dyna coils.

Since the bike is now to be ridden, the worn out chain and sprockets that were there for the sake of appearance have been replaced by a belt drive of David's own design. Flying grease and oil are a pet-hate of his. Also, the swingarm has an underslung brace. The frame has had all unnecessary brackets removed, and has been repainted. The rear loop has also been modified to provide some carrying space under the 'glass cover behind the seat. In there are a few tools, a puncture repair kit, and a lock and chain.

With all it's shortcomings rectified, it's a terrific bike to ride. Think of it; Sunday morning, not much traffic around, a mountain road, lots of power, a sound similar to a Ducati with Conti pipes, and immune from speed cameras.

Keith would have loved it!