How To Build A Cafe Racer

I’m a car designer by trade: I spend my time working out how to make machinery look as good as it can. Designers are creative people by nature, so we crave the opportunity to be as free as possible in our work. We also have many parameters, tests and boundaries to refer to, to make sure we deliver the best possible ‘product.’

These guidelines are just that: guidelines. designing a cafe racer is as much about art as it is about science, and every bike is different in its own way. reflects the environment, the time and the owner of the bicycle. however, there are things we can do to ensure the result looks solid and professional.

Reading: How to make cafe racer

I have been influenced by motorcycle design for several years and have built my own café racer. I based it on the same observations I have outlined here. hopefully they will inspire some fellow builders to invest time in the aesthetics of your project.

To illustrate my points, I’m using the 2014 Bike EXIF calendar cover star: Mateusz Stankiewicz’s Honda CX500, built in conjunction with the garage Eastern Spirit.

THE FOUNDATION The foundation contributes most to the structure, direction and general ‘easiness on the eye’ that makes a bike a café racer. First, the simple stuff. Café racers are defined by the flat line that runs front to back, giving an uncompromising look and lending strength and speed to the design. It’s a good idea, though not vital, that this line remains uninterrupted. (The perfect example of this rule being broken well is the Wrenchmonkees’ Laverda 750.)

This line is the first line your brain will “see” and will guide your eyes along the bike. if there are kinks and breaks, it removes continuity and, like bumps in the road, makes for an uncomfortable experience. this mighty base sits on two fairly uniformly sized wheels.

THE ‘CUT-OFF POINTS’ These lines are the wheel centerlines. Anything going beyond these lines will serve to make the bike seem ‘odd.’ Too much over the rear wheel will make the bike seem rear-heavy and poorly planned. It’s quite common for bikes to do this, however, and it’s not a big deal if crossed over by a small amount—as in our example.

If you go overboard, minimize the depth of the seat or canopy. there is nothing worse than a big hood hanging over the back of the bike. the front is less of an issue, but front fenders cut along this line look better.

HEIGHT LIMIT Just as important as the cut-off points. The height limit gives a planned look to the design. Defined as the highest point on the fuel tank, anything protruding much above this point will take away from a café racer’s sleek and streamlined looks. It will also serve to make your bike look more like a tracker and less like a café bike. Keep it low and keep it clean. Combined with the cut-off points, this imaginary box should contain all the major elements of your design.

THE ‘BONE LINE’ Hugely important in car design, it is very important here as well. The bone line serves to describe where the widest point of your bodywork is. This is where your reflections on your seat, tank and lamp will fall. Think of the ‘bone’ as the 3D brother to the more 2D foundation line. They work together as a team. Here the center of the lamp is right on the bone line: A great decision that ties the whole upper together.

if you get something right, it should be this. it immediately makes it look like the bike really belongs and isn’t just a jumble of parts. next time you see a bike (or even a car) you like, take some time to see if it has this central “bone” and where it sits. this honda is a perfect example and while it’s not the first thing you realize you see, that’s why it’s not only a good bike, but a great one.

THE VISUAL WEIGHT This is where the main ‘mass’ of the bike is, and it can be split into two parts. Firstly, the main mass is the engine—including the cylinder/crank/gearbox, or anything towards the front of the subframe. This is your tank parameter. A tank longer than this will look overly big and heavy, and a smaller tank will look like the bike has outgrown it—almost bobber-like.

Second, and just as important, is the visual weight axis, seen here in the middle. this is usually defined by the engine half, or more accurately, the cylinder/piston half. this will define the ideal shape of the tank. the spout of the tank should fall just above or very close to the axis. it’s amazing how much more robust and “sporty” a bike looks when incorporated into the design.

applies equally to bikes like hondas, kawasakis and yamahas that have sloping engine blocks. the axis still falls through the middle of the cylinder at that angle. The result is that these Japanese bikes look best with tanks that rise toward the front of the bike and taper toward the rider.

THE SWOOP Ideally you want the seat and the tank to look like they belong together. We can do this by making sure the curve of the tank flows into the curve of the cowl. This will make it look almost like the tank and the seat were once a single piece of metal, and someone scooped out a place for a rider to sit. It makes it look intentional and tight.

PRIMARY ANGLES Often overlooked, the differing angles on a frame with those of the forks, shocks and other parts can make a spaghetti of lines which could ruin all your hard work. Be considerate of them when adding new parts. Here this bike has a brand new subframe to clean up the wobbly CX500 original. The builder has very cleverly matched the angle of the front fork, making it look cohesive. Angles are something we take great care of when designing cars too.

SECONDARY ANGLES Even in small areas, the builders have tried to make parallels of two or more angles on different parts. This is some subliminal stuff right here. You might not notice it—but you can bet that your brain does on a certain level.

FORK DISTANCE Keep the front wheel as ‘tucked in’ as possible. It gives a bike a ‘pouncing’ and aggressive stance. I know a fork swap might seem like a good idea, but don’t make it look like a chopper, OK?

I’ve seen bikes that match this guide to the letter that look great. and I’ve seen bikes that completely ignore them and still look awesome. Following these guidelines will give you a foundation to work from and help you understand why a bike looks the way it does.

Once you know these ground rules, it’s up to you how you choose to abide by or break them.