Top 5 Cafe Racers On eBay This Week

 

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silodrome

This week we came across a surprising number of Honda cafe racers - in fact this Top 5 is 100% Honda from top to bottom. The most eye-catching bike has to be the CX500, it's been re-engineered from front to back and now bears very little resemblance to the bike it started out as. This model in stock form is sometimes referred to as the "plastic maggot" and it's typically been one of Honda's less successful motorcycles, so it's been interesting to see the CX500 get a second lease on life as a popular target for custom motorcycle builders. 

Elsewhere in the list we have a pair of DOHC CB750s, the DOHC model came after the original SOHC CB750 and it hasn't been as popular with builders up until recently. The rare CB1000 is also in this list today, this model was only made for a single year and is highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts for the extra power it offers. 

Last but not least is the CB400, this is one of my personal favourites from Honda and from an engine perspective it's probably the perfect bike for use in urban areas. 

Click here to see a full list of Cafe Racers on eBay.

Honda CX500

This is one of the most engineered CX500 customs we've seen, it certainly isn't for the meek or faint of heart. The seller claims that it's extremely quick and after having had a good look at it, I believe him. 

Click here to view the listing.

Honda CB1000

This is the big gun from the CB model run, it's a 4 cylinder 1000cc motorcycle that'll make mince meat of many much more modern motorcycles. This one has been lightly modified into a modern cafe racer and looks like it could pull a train. 

Click here to view the listing.

Honda CB750

This Honda is probably the most authentic looking cafe racer here, it has the Manx tank, the studded seat and the small rear cowling coupled with clip-ons and not so much a whisper of a mudguard. 

Click here to view the listing.

Honda CB750K

This very tidy Honda has been rebuilt to surprisingly modern standards, it isn't one for the purists but it'll leave the purists well behind on any ride. It's been finished off with an appealing paint job including the lucky number 8. 

Click here to view the listing.

Honda CB400F

The small but capable CB400F is an excellent platform for cafe racer building, this beautiful example has a Manx-style alloy tank with a classic seat and a tidy, minimalistic appearance.
 

Which one would you take home if money was free?

This week we found a huge assortment of cafe racers up on eBay, including a Harley that I immediately fell in love with and a hard-to-find 2014 Norton Commando. That Honda CB750 built by Steve Carpenter (Carpy) is also worth a mention - owners of Carpy's customs very rarely sell them. 

The prices (and starting bids) on these bikes is quite varied - it starts off at $5,000 and goes all the way up to $18,000, although I suspect that the Norton will fetch a number in the mid-$25,000s before the bidding is done and dusted.  

If you'd like to take a look at all of the cafe racers currently listed on eBay - you can click here.

1964 Harley-Davidson Sportster

This is one of the most appealing Harley cafe racers I've ever come across - it's clearly been put together by a person with an impeccable sense of aesthetic balance. It's a ground-up rebuild by Rodsmith Handmade Customs & Rods and it's currently on eBay with no bids. 

Click here to view the listing.

1974 Honda CB550

This CB550 is the work of Meyerbuilt Metalworks out of Indianapolis, its custom metal work has been hand-formed from sheet metal and the engine has been totally rebuilt. The CB550 is often overlooked in favour of its big brother, the CB750, but the smaller engined bike deserves its own accolades. 

Click here to view the listing.

2007 Triumph Bonneville

This Triumph has been tweaked to closely resemble its forefathers from the late '50s and 1960s - although I would personally remove the word "Triton" off the side of the tank and replace it with a period correct "Triumph" logo - otherwise you'll have the purists shouting at you for not using a Featherbed frame. 

Click here to view the listing.

2014 Norton Commando 961

The modern Norton Commandos are beautifully designed motorcycles that have clear design links with their famous forebearers. The bikes are produced in very limited numbers and they can be quite hard to buy - so this 2014 model on eBay is likely to be very popular. 

Click here to view the listing. 

1972 Honda CB750

Carpy is one of the best known cafe racer builders operating anywhere in the world, and his customs tend to change hands for significant sums. This is a signature build from Carpy and I have little doubt that it goes like the clappers, it's currently listed with a Buy It Now of $7,500 - which is a bargain in my book. 

Click here to view the listing.

via SILODROME

Top 5 Cafe Racers On eBay This Week

The first "Top 5 Cafe Racers" collection was published last week and it was far more popular than I had initially anticipated - over 4,000 people read it in the first 7 days and I've been contacted by a number of readers who asked me to make it a regular feature - so here we are. 

This week's collection has quite a bit of variety, the oldest motorcycle is from 1974 and the newest is from 2010 - all of the bikes are immediately identifiable as cafe racers, and all of them would make a handsome addition to the garage.

1981 Yamaha Virago

The Yamaha Virago has quickly become a popular target for cafe racer builders after the team at Classified Moto almost single-handedly created the niche. This bike is a beautiful example of the model and the Buy It Now price is surprisingly affordable. 

Click here to view the listing.

1974 Norton Commando

If you were to take the whole idea of the cafe racer and distill it into a spirit, it would look a lot like this vintage Norton. This is the larger 850cc engined Commando and it's been fitted with a number of original Dunstall parts, it does need work to get it road-worthy but it'd be a fantastic project. 

Click here to view the listing.

2010 Triumph Bonneville T100

This modern Bonneville has been very tastefully customized into a vintage-looking cafe racer - the benefit of the newer engineering is that you're likely to enjoy a lot more reliability without losing any retro appeal. 

Click here to view the listing.

1980 Harley Davidson Ironhead Sportster

This is probably the boldest of the motorcycles here and you certainly wouldn't go unnoticed riding it - that said it's a good-looking build with a solid Ironhead V-twin at its heart. 

Click here to view the listing.

1980 Yamaha XS1100

Of all the bikes here, this XS1100 is the least expensive but also possibly the fastest. Looking at the images and reading the description leads you to think it would need a few new parts (a new seat for starters) but once sorted this would be an absolute beast of a motorcycle. 

Click here to view the listing.

via SILODROME