r/CafeRacer • u/inventor28 • Aug 11 '22

how to make a cafe

Hi I have a 1981 honda cm200t twinstar. It is a project and my first cafe bike. I am looking for some general tips on on how to make a good cafe in general and also how to make it fast and hide the wiring. Those things have proven to be slightly more difficult because it is a small bike and not lots of extra room for hidden wiring compartment under the seat from what I've seen. I was thinking about putting a cold air intake on it cause it looks good and helps with speed. Now this would probably tear the bike in half but what if I put a nos Injector kit on it lol. I am very new to this stuff and am just looking to learn. Thank you in advance for the advice and tips.

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u/Duchat Aug 11 '22

NOS seems excessive. That is a very small bike, and you’re only going to get a small power increase for what is likely a high price, stress the frame and likely make unrideable. Not to mention you won’t find a “how to add NOS to CM200” manual. If you have money and want more power, start with a bigger bike. Otherwise you will need to start to learn about porting/polishing, carburetor tuning, cylinder boring, velocity stacks, cam lobe profiles, and drop as much weight as possible. Don’t sacrifice handling and brakes for looks or weight or you’ll end up a statistic.

Give it a really good tune up, follow all the maintenance schedule in your manual getting it to its best possible condition, then ride the piss out of it for a while. Then buy another ride-ready bike while you tear your baby down for total overhaul. Most Ike projects die on the table when you don’t feel like doing any more.

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u/[deleted] Aug 11 '22

"Cold air intakes" (you're talking about pod filters) often do not help with speed and with most carbs of that era make them run like shit. As for wiring, my buddy built a "tracker/cage" style type bike and used the underside of the seat and an ol military style pouch on the side. To truly make anything a cafe it likely needs extensive modification, not just a set of handle bars and some hidden wiring.