I found two bikes that resemble what I would like my final bike to look like. Most of the cafe racer projects leave the bike totally stripped down with either small modified fenders or no fenders at all. Also, since I will be riding with the Missus on the back of the bike I cannot go with the small cafe racer seat. I need to maintain a passenger friendly cafe look. These two bikes are pretty close in many regards:
This is a 1973 CL350 that was restored by Jonathan Wood. You can see more pictures of the details on his Flickr post.
This bike is great inspiration. I like the lower profile headlight and the fact that he kept the rear fender configuration with modified LED lights. I would have kept the original front fender and added rubber shock boots, but that’s just my style. He did a great job on this bike all around.
This next bike is a CB350
On this bike I like the fact that they kept the original front fender and I am a big fan of the rubber shock boots. The handlebars and gauges sit a little higher than I like and the seat back is too tall, not to mention that the seat is meant for one person.
These two are the best conversions I have found so far, based on my likes and dislikes. Great job guys! Thanks for the inspiration.
Vintage OCD 
November 26th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
how much money have you invested on this cafe racer? sweet build and whats the top speed?
November 26th, 2012 at 3:29 pm
So far I have around $1400 invested. It is not running yet, but it should do the ton! I’ll post updated photos soon. It still needs the wiring, a headlight, the tank, an updated seat and then it should be good to go.