[1904360]

I’m stoked to join this community. This is actually the first forum I’ve ever joined and also my first build. I picked up an almost complete 75 CB360 that I’m hoping to transform into a brat style cafe racer. I look forward to everyones wisdom and advice to community has to offer.

 

[ancientdad]

The best advice for what you want to do might not be something you're anxious to hear... but if your bike is reasonably complete, try to do your café conversion without cutting any permanent parts like frame sections, tabs, etc. as the resale value will drop significantly. If you plan, as I did, to keep the bike for the duration, then it's fine... but if there's a chance you'll want to sell it in the future, it will bring significantly more money and be much easier to sell if it's stock. Craigslist is full of attempted café builds that people gave up on but somehow think is still worth what a decent vintage bike is normally worth, and most of them go unsold for the dollars they expect. There are many here who have done conversions with little or no permanent mods, and they'll be along soon to share their thoughts and efforts

 

[FrisianWheel]

Everything Tom said above but please let me add one more thing. Your perception of the bike might change over the months or years and you might regret a chopped frame.
When cafe racers got poular again they also caught my attention but the more I see them today the more I find them less cool. (But that’s just my opinion.)
It takes a lot of experience, tools and patience to do it right. That’s why most first builds look like first builds and there’s nothing wrong with that, but when the frame is chopped the bike is ruined forever.
Take it slow and focus perhaps first on the restoration of the technical parts. So you have time to think about your concept. My apprehension is that brat style means brutal chopping. These bikes are getting rare.

Last edit: And welcome to the forum! You’ve come to the right place with lots of experience. Please post some pictures of your bike. It makes a better discussion when everyone can see what we’re talking about.

 

[ancientdad]

My apprehension is that brat style means brutal chopping. These bikes are getting rare.

thanks Gunnar.

He is absolutely right when it comes to brutal chopping, though it can be done with a bit less than brutal if you plan properly and use a good mix of parts. I went to the point of no return with my build, but I knew the risk of resale value and plan to keep the bike for the duration as I mentioned previously. If you have good fabrication ideas and skills (and I had a very good fabricator friend help me with my mods) you can make most anything work and still look tasteful if not almost OEM, but it takes the proper planning and parts choices along with the fabbing skills to get there. It's a long read, but if you look at how mine shaped up in the early pages you can see what I did (and later had to improve as the original wasn't quite strong enough for the parts and the bike's engine vibration)

 

[FrisianWheel]

Hey 1904360, are you still there? I'm just curious what you think...

 

[ancientdad]

He hasn't been on since November 30th... must be life interfering

 

[FrisianWheel]

Life is overrated...