CB1000C Cafe Racer "Rat Bones" Project

My project  goal is to create an inexpensive, reliable and good-looking cafe racer style motorcycle. The first cafe racers were British. Given that the old British bikes are anything but cheap and not all that reliable (according to some), that put British iron out of the running.  The venerable Honda SOHC CB750's have become a popular choice for cafe racers, but the supply of these bikes is running low, and low supply plus high demand equals too much cost.  So, I began my search for a suitable Japanese motorcycle that would fill the bill -- DOHC Hondas are still plentiful and can be had for very little money, so I set out to find one.

I ran across a CB1000C for sale for $850.  The bike looked complete and after a test ride, I decided to buy it for my project "Guinea Pig."  It was certainly ugly enough, in my opinion, for sacrificing to the Cafe Racer gods.

Well, I soon found out that the CB1000C was a one-year production model and has a small, but devoted cult-like following.  I had a momentary pang of guilt when I realized that people were spending their cash and time trying to keep these beasts in stock condition and restoring the CB1000C to it's early 80's, ahem, glory.  I quickly got over my guilt when I realized I could sell off stock parts to help hold the cost down on my project - the stock seat, grab rail and shocks where first to go on the auction block, along with the stock turn signals.

So, follow along in my photo gallery as I attempt to transform the CB1000C from a disco king to a rockers ride....

NOVEMBER UPDATE

I've made a lot of progess - check out the photo gallery to see the changes from the stocker to now.

I've finished the cafe seat, replaced the stock turn signals with smaller aftermarket signals, installed a "4 into 1" exhaust, blacked out the top triple tree, headlight bucket and gauge buckets. I chopped the front fender and blacked it out too.  The rear fender is now gone and I added an LED tail light plus a sport bike license bracket to clean up the rear.

I installed "euro bar" handlebars - while these are not the usual Clubman style normally found on cafe racers, the euro bars improve the look and feel of the bike.  I'll add Clubman's later in the project.  I've also replaced the air shocks with standard exposed spring rear shocks.  I replaced and/or rebuilt hardware that looked worn or corroded.  I replaced the ignition switch too.

My engine started smoking.  The number 1 cylinder decided to eat a valve - I started down the "rebuild the head" path, but I worried about the condition of the bottom end.  Fortunately, I located a CB1000C engine through the forums for less than I'd spend on rebuilding the engine.  Best of all, the engine only has17K miles on it and the tear down revealed no problems.  This is a good deal, considering the engine in the bike has 78K miles on it!

I'm now at the painting phase - paint will really change the look of the bike.  The drab battleship gray will be replaced with black.

Stay tuned for more changes!

"Rat Bones"

LATE NOVEMBER UPDATE

The black paint is now finished.  I went with a plain gloss black to keep the cost down (no graphics - keep it cheap).  The side covers and tank are done and look good.  The lower mounting points for the stock side covers have a tendency to crack at the stress points, so the weak points have been "welded" and smoothed.  Also, the side covers are known to fly off while riding down the road, so I've replaced the rubber mounting grommets to tighten up the fit.  I'm working on adding a positive (bolt) type mounting system to really secure the side covers (they look too good to lose on the road).

RB

DECEMBER 2008 UPDATE

Things have slowed down thanks to the holidays.  I've picked up a new clutch perch and associated parts as I intend to powder coat the controls black for looks and durability.  I installed new bearings and seals on my CB700SC front wheel and I'll install it as the next modification.  I also have ordered the Clubman handlebars. I had a freebee coupon from JC Whitney. I figured I'd get the bars and try them out (how could I pass up a free set??) - so stay tuned as the new front wheel and bars will show up in the January update along with some other changes.

RB

JANUARY 2009 UPDATE

The Rat Bones Project is still moving along slowly.  The front wheel is installed and  I'm waiting on a new rear wheel to match up tires.  I tried out the Clubman bars, but I'm not happy with the look due to how I had to angle the bars to miss the tank and account for the pull-back risers. Kevoz from the DOHC Customs forum pointed me in the direction of some bars that look like they'll work.  Speaking of the DOHC Customs forum, I've added an album to the gallery to highlight two Cafe Racer projects:  Kevoz's 1979 CB750K and Austingrackle's CB1000C project.  Kevoz is building an outstanding Cafe Racer and I'm really amped to see another CB1000C Cafe Racer project in the making.  Check out both projects in the gallery.