OT: Speaking of commuter motorcycles...

[William]

I find myself fascinated with the Suzuki S40/Savage.

http://www.psndealer.com/powersportsdlr/images/newvehicles/2012/nv261751_0.jpg


"What, that fugly little bike? You can't be serious William?!?!?!?";)

Well, not in its original guise, but in the kit that Ryca Motorcycles has come up with for them. Take a cheap, economical, plentiful, reliable, but ugly bike and convert it to one of these for about $2600 bucks and about 40 hours or so of your own time...

From their gallery page...
http://www.rycamotors.com/bikes/customerbuilds/index.html

[William]

This is the cafe racer kit, But they also have a bobber, and scrambler kit for these if that floats your boat. They have kits for Sportsters and Triumphs as well. The S40 can be had for cheap money on CL, and the kit seems like a fun way to build it into something for yourself. Sure, its not super powerful or super bike fast, but for a cool 55+MPG commuter it looks like fun. I found them the other day featured on Jay Leno's Garage...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5r6rhQiT-k










William

[witcombusa]

well the kit may transform the look to resemble that of an old school cafe racer. but that raked out front end means it is but a poser and will handle like the pig that it's donner is...:no:

The expression is 'lipstick on a pig'

Accept no substitutes :banana:

Here's my 'ole RD that I've had since high school

[William]

The front end is lowered/cut down and the back end is raised in the conversion. According to the builders it actually puts the geometry right where it should be for that style of bike. I have no idea how much that improves or detracts from the handling?


Nice bike there W!




William

[commonguy001]

Those look awesome

My wife had a S50 for a few years and as much as the look didn't bother me a lot it was less than comfortable for someone my height (6'+)

I think the S40 with a kit looks like it'd be pretty comfortable for an around town bike and look cool.

[oldpotatoe]

Before Ya drop the $, ride a bike with clipons and rear sets. Going from even most sport bikes to this is like riding a bicycle with 5-6cm drop to one with 3 times that. Plus even with rear sets, lots of hip bend, knees up so....

[William]

Before Ya drop the $, ride a bike with clipons and rear sets. Going from even most sport bikes to this is like riding a bicycle with 5-6cm drop to one with 3 times that. Plus even with rear sets, lots of hip bend, knees up so....

I hear you, but ride position doesn't look too bad from here...





W.

[Ken Robb]

These look like "proper" motorbikes to me since I owned a BSA B33 500cc single while in college and replaced it with a Ducati 250cc Scrambler after graduation. There was a good article on these conversions in Cycle World or Motorcycle a few years back. I don't remember how they performed compared to "new" Royal Enfield models.

[David Tollefson]

Uh... The whole reason I went with a sport bike with clip-ons and rear-sets when I got my first bike (which [sigh] I just sold) was because the body position was SO familiar relative to my bike. The rearsets were in the natural and right place, no searching. Every time I got on a cruiser, I was searching for the controls.

As to the Ryca conversion -- when it comes to getting another bike in the future, the S40 with the kit is on my short list (along with the Triumph Thruxton, but that may not happen).

[dave thompson]

Willy, I have to respectfully disagree with you. Both styles of those bikes, the stock Savage and Ryca Motors version are equally parodies of eras gone by, neither of which had necessarily good bikes.

I lived and rode during the heyday (early 60s to the mid 70s) of both examples (talk about opposite ends of a spectrum!) Owned a shop that sold Harleys and I travelled to England to find sources, the Rickman brothers and Paul Dunstall for example, for the cafe racers I built and sold. I'd ship back crate loads of hand-built aluminum gas tanks, rear set pegs, 4-leading shoe brake hubs and the like.

Back in that day the choices for motorcycles were much more limited and riders resorted to choppers and cafe racers to make their statements or find the ride for the lifestyle that they preferred. My personal impression is nowadays those kind of bikes are more poseur than statement-maker.

[oldpotatoe]

I hear you, but ride position doesn't look too bad from here...





W.

Those don't look bad but I've seen some that are low hbars, knee high, lots of waist bend that looks not comfy.

[bluesea]

Willy, I have to respectfully disagree with you. Both styles of those bikes, the stock Savage and Ryca Motors version are equally parodies of eras gone by, neither of which had necessarily good bikes.

I lived and rode during the heyday (early 60s to the mid 70s) of both examples (talk about opposite ends of a spectrum!) Owned a shop that sold Harleys and I travelled to England to find sources, the Rickman brothers and Paul Dunstall for example, for the cafe racers I built and sold. I'd ship back crate loads of hand-built aluminum gas tanks, rear set pegs, 4-leading shoe brake hubs and the like.

Back in that day the choices for motorcycles were much more limited and riders resorted to choppers and cafe racers to make their statements or find the ride for the lifestyle that they preferred. My personal impression is nowadays those kind of bikes are more poseur than statement-maker.



Ah yes, nickel plated 531 steel. :beer:

[William]

Willy, I have to respectfully disagree with you. Both styles of those bikes, the stock Savage and Ryca Motors version are equally parodies of eras gone by, neither of which had necessarily good bikes.

I lived and rode during the heyday (early 60s to the mid 70s) of both examples (talk about opposite ends of a spectrum!) Owned a shop that sold Harleys and I travelled to England to find sources, the Rickman brothers and Paul Dunstall for example, for the cafe racers I built and sold. I'd ship back crate loads of hand-built aluminum gas tanks, rear set pegs, 4-leading shoe brake hubs and the like.

Back in that day the choices for motorcycles were much more limited and riders resorted to choppers and cafe racers to make their statements or find the ride for the lifestyle that they preferred. My personal impression is nowadays those kind of bikes are more poseur than statement-maker.


Dave,

Believe me, I do respect and appreciate your knowledge and experience when it comes to bikes (motor, pedal, and fine Tequila). But looking "poseur" doesn't bother me in the least. Heck, many of us put on pro jerseys we like and ride our bikes, one could call that "poseur" as well. The bottom line is if I like something, I like something and I don't care what others think. I also like the notion of taking a bike, and being able to build it into something I like the looks of myself.

Sure, I could probably do that with just about any bike, but it would cost me a lot more, and I would need lots of help along the way. There was a time where I would have (and did) say that I wouldn't ride anything under 1000cc, but I'm beyond that now. To me this looks like a fun ride for buzzing around town.






William

[KVN]

It seems obvious to me that if you are using a kit to make a cafe racer, a scrambler, and a bobber from the same frame, at least two of those options are going to ride really poorly. And, none would make a good commuter.

They look pretty nifty though.

[William]

It seems obvious to me that if you are using a kit to make a cafe racer, a scrambler, and a bobber from the same frame, at least two of those options are going to ride really poorly. And, none would make a good commuter.

They look pretty nifty though.

You may be right. My only thought would be that the original bike is a small cruiser, and for the bobber, they probably leave it that way. For the cafe style (like I mentioned above) the front end is lowered/cut down and the back end is raised in the conversion. According to the builders it actually puts the geometry right where it should be for that style of bike.

I have no first hand experience, but the people who have them seem to like them a lot.








William

[Ken Robb]

Willy, I have to respectfully disagree with you. Both styles of those bikes, the stock Savage and Ryca Motors version are equally parodies of eras gone by, neither of which had necessarily good bikes.

I lived and rode during the heyday (early 60s to the mid 70s) of both examples (talk about opposite ends of a spectrum!) Owned a shop that sold Harleys and I travelled to England to find sources, the Rickman brothers and Paul Dunstall for example, for the cafe racers I built and sold. I'd ship back crate loads of hand-built aluminum gas tanks, rear set pegs, 4-leading shoe brake hubs and the like.

Back in that day the choices for motorcycles were much more limited and riders resorted to choppers and cafe racers to make their statements or find the ride for the lifestyle that they preferred. My personal impression is nowadays those kind of bikes are more poseur than statement-maker.

He really means this gang. He even sold his lugged steel bikes. :)

[bluesea]

For inner city commuting anything that makes you happy is good. After taking a ride on my friends mint Dunstall Norton a long while ago, I was like dood, why'd you buy this? He said it made him happy looking it.

[tiretrax]

I think the end product is good looking. Could you find a used bike built in that style for the same money after you buy and convert the Suzuki.

[edukaycheon]

Regarding the S40 - why would you buy a bike like that and dress it up (read: spend lots of money) to have a bike that still doesn't perform all that great, nor does it look amazing either after all the work you've put into it, especially when it's going to look almost identical to anyone else's Ryca kit bike? If you want cheap, I'd say Ninja 250, SV650, Nighthawk, etc. If you want something that looks classic, CB350, CB550 - but you'll need to do some work.

[dave thompson]

Ah yes, nickel plated 531 steel. :beer:

Oh yeah, my Rickman Honda 750 was a goer!

[dave thompson]

Dave,

Believe me, I do respect and appreciate your knowledge and experience when it comes to bikes (motor, pedal, and fine Tequila). But looking "poseur" doesn't bother me in the least. Heck, many of us put on pro jerseys we like and ride our bikes, one could call that "poseur" as well. The bottom line is if I like something, I like something and I don't care what others think. I also like the notion of taking a bike, and being able to build it into something I like the looks of myself.

Sure, I could probably do that with just about any bike, but it would cost me a lot more, and I would need lots of help along the way. There was a time where I would have (and did) say that I wouldn't ride anything under 1000cc, but I'm beyond that now. To me this looks like a fun ride for buzzing around town.






William

William, nothing personal. Sorry if it came off that way. Curmudgeonly perspective and all that. Plus I'm packing up to return to the States, huge PITA and I'm a bit grumpy.

Regarding the S40 - why would you buy a bike like that and dress it up (read: spend lots of money) to have a bike that still doesn't perform all that great, nor does it look amazing either after all the work you've put into it, especially when it's going to look almost identical to anyone else's Ryca kit bike? If you want cheap, I'd say Ninja 250, SV650, Nighthawk, etc. If you want something that looks classic, CB350, CB550 - but you'll need to do some work.
Doing the Ryca thing is much like upgrading a bicycle to suit ones needs/fancys. Everyone can and should do what pleases them, no one else.

[Ken Robb]

William, nothing personal. Sorry if it came off that way. Curmudgeonly perspective and all that. Plus I'm packing up to return to the States, huge PITA and I'm a bit grumpy.




What are you packing into? New van? Had you always planned to come back so soon? Are we going to have a drink when you pass through San Diego?

[dave thompson]

What are you packing into? New van? Had you always planned to come back so soon? Are we going to have a drink when you pass through San Diego?

Talk about Karma; we sold a Volvo V70 to buy the van to carry our stuff down here. The van gets killed so we bought a Volvo V70 here to carry our stuff back. We bought the V70 because there's not too many American plated cars for sale here and importing a Mexican plated car is out of the question for us.

Hopefully I'll be driving back like my ass is on fire, hope to make it back to Washington in 5~6 days. Maybe.

No new van yet, Mexican insurance settlements aren't known for rapid resolutions.

[gasman]

Talk about Karma; we sold a Volvo V70 to buy the van to carry our stuff down here. The van gets killed so we bought a Volvo V70 here to carry our stuff back. We bought the V70 because there's not too many American plated cars for sale here and importing a Mexican plated car is out of the question for us.

Hopefully I'll be driving back like my ass is on fire, hope to make it back to Washington in 5~6 days. Maybe.

No new van yet, Mexican insurance settlements aren't known for rapid resolutions.

Did they kick you out because of your tequila consumption ?
Do they just let you stay for a certain period of time ?

[dave thompson]

Did they kick you out because of your tequila consumption ?
Do they just let you stay for a certain period of time ?

My Tequila consumption has been pretty moderate.

The FMM (Mexican tourist visa) is good for 6 months, we still have about 4 weeks left on ours. Our original plans were to leave mid-March but the car accident has delayed that a bit. However our passports expire April 10 so that's our cross-the-border drop dead date.

Then there's the farm workers protest midway up the peninsula that has shut down all north/south traffic on the only (paved) road between here and San Diego. Don't know how long that's going to last.

[William]

Well, for around town buzzing, performance isn't at the top of my list.

Anyway, here are a couple of shots of my last bike before I got married.......I'll bet many guys have a line like that.:D








William

[William]

William, nothing personal. Sorry if it came off that way. Curmudgeonly perspective and all that. Plus I'm packing up to return to the States, huge PITA and I'm a bit grumpy.


Doing the Ryca thing is much like upgrading a bicycle to suit ones needs/fancys. Everyone can and should do what pleases them, no one else.

No worries Dave.

Sorry to hear about the bumps in the road, Keep plugging away there big guy. Our V70 was always good to us, but I know you know that.






William
(Just be sure to bring back mucho quality "T" with you!)

[bart998]

I'll keep my Scout...Man I love this bike.
http://www.motorcycledaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/080414middle2.jpg

[William]

Bart, nice bike! Is that from the new Indian, or the old Indian?







William

[christian]

That's from the new new Indian. Their Sportster.

"Indian. On and off since 1901."

[William]

Just curious if any of you have any experience with the Triumph Thruxton?

Pretty basic, but not bad looking.





William

[William]

If you need a little more pizazz...






William

[dustyrider]

I've wanted to build a scrambler for about a year now. It will be all about the engine's look. I really like Honda cx500/moto guzzi, or bmw airhead/Honda goldwing if I want to feed my boxer addiction(subaru owner).
It's my love of MTBs that makes me shy away from cafe racers, and all those miles I clocked on enduros. Just another fun distraction!

[gasman]

My Tequila consumption has been pretty moderate.

The FMM (Mexican tourist visa) is good for 6 months, we still have about 4 weeks left on ours. Our original plans were to leave mid-March but the car accident has delayed that a bit. However our passports expire April 10 so that's our cross-the-border drop dead date.

Then there's the farm workers protest midway up the peninsula that has shut down all north/south traffic on the only (paved) road between here and San Diego. Don't know how long that's going to last.

Canada also has a 6 month limit. I have some friends that spend their summer up there.

Man I hope everything works out for you. Best of luck getting back.

[Ken Robb]

The new "Bonnevilles" are darn nice bikes. The Thruxton riding position is a bit too extreme for me but the SE is like the best 1969 Triumph that never was. The shocks suck and the fork is mediocre but for any reasonably legal/sane street riding they are great fun. It's a shame that one needs to replace the stock mufflers to make them sound remotely like a motorcycle. By all reports they are pretty bullet-proof unless modified to the very max.

[bluesea]

The new "Bonnevilles" are darn nice bikes. The Thruxton riding position is a bit too extreme for me but the SE is like the best 1969 Triumph that never was. The shocks suck and the fork is mediocre but for any reasonably legal/sane street riding they are great fun. It's a shame that one needs to replace the stock mufflers to make them sound remotely like a motorcycle. By all reports they are pretty bullet-proof unless modified to the very max.


Not to compare in terms of practicality, but the new Bonny engines are butt ugly. Maybe they could rename it the Bulky? :eek: They look different enough to where they pretty much don't even register as a Bonnie unless you look at the label.



P.S. Remember the 70's Kawasaki SOHC Bonnie clone? Much better execution, and a great bike too.

[edukaycheon]

I took a Thruxton around the block once, I would hate to have to ride that to get somewhere, especially in the city. My friend tells me on the freeway it's better with the wind, but you're paying a lot for the brand. It's a shame Honda won't make a smaller "classic" looking bike, I bet a good looking lightweight twin with fuel injection under $6000 would sell pretty well.

[Gummee]

For inner city commuting anything that makes you happy is good. After taking a ride on my friends mint Dunstall Norton a long while ago, I was like dood, why'd you buy this? He said it made him happy looking it.
This

Life is short. Buy it. Try it. If you find you don't like it, then it'll just be someone else's turn

M

[Ken Robb]

This

Life is short. Buy it. Try it. If you find you don't like it, then it'll just be someone else's turn

M

In my area they hold value very well, maybe because a 2014 looks so much like a 2004. I think you could get a nice one a couple of years old for $6,000+/- and sell it for a similar price in a year or two.

[ceolwulf]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/19/07ddb80075991591ea533f096f4316ce.jpg

[William]

Sweet RE.

How about I raise you one Ducati 900SS J63 by Revival Cycles?;)
http://revivalcycles.com/pages/projects-all








William

[ceolwulf]

The RE is factory stock though :)

[William]

The RE is factory stock though :)

I know, I was stacking the deck.;)






William