Cafe Racers started right here in UK, in the Fifties, where hardships form II World War was slowly evaporating, Rock & Roll appeared and social values started to change.
Welcome to FlatRacer, dedicated to the Cafe Racers, especially the BMW Cafe Racer!
We live now in the age of more affluence and less time, where nobody wants to be another brick on the wall. Cafe Racers are still very much perceived as a very individual affirmation of one's personality.
In this world filled with ultra fast, ultra plastic-fantastic bikes, that every Harry & Dick and their dog have one, fortunately some people want to strike a difference!
Enter the BMW Airhead R series 2 valve, produced in tenths of thousands, for over 24 years, incredibly reliable, oil tight, well equipped, good handling and quite fast on 800, 900 and 1000cc configurations.
Because there are so many survivors, these bikes tend to be underrated and under priced, but with a loyal legion of cognoscenti giving it its true value.
Unbelievably, a lot of these bikes are still used everyday, even for commuting!
Parts are plentiful and there's also a dedicated range of specialists producing go faster items such as WBT, Knoscher, Disrael and SiebenRock.
Very few BMW Cafe Racers really appealed to me aesthetically, with quite a few shortcomings in design, from the builders’ compromise in using parts not really designed for the BMW frame. It kick started my desire to do something different and hopefully, better!
I then decided to design and develop a Cafe Racer kit for these underrated bikes, picking up three bikes in the process, which you will find in my site, being The Shed, The Blaxer and The Copper.
I started by the tank, underneath based on a Monolever Boxer so it would fit all Airheads, with a design loosely based on a Manx Sprint three gallon tank, with indents for the knees and clip ons.
The top fairing was based on a Ducati bevel (750/900SS) with a headlight opening from a R90S cockpit fairing,
The tail is based on a Knoscher design, used by BMW AMA racers in the Seventies with a bolt on padded seat for those wishing more comfort. Front mudguard is based on an original BMW but shortened by 24 cm, keeping the bead edge all around.
Fuel cap is a 57mm Monza, fitted as an aftermarket bit on old Minis.
Side panels are replicas of original BMW items.
Clip ons, silencers and rear sets are from Raask in Sweden but any clip on with fork dimension will do, best are from Tomaselli, rear sets can be Tarozzi albeit linkages need to be produced for it, silencers can be Norton PeaShooters or any other as brackets need to be produced
So if the idea of a different Cafe Racer appeals to you, please, don't hesitate to contact me, be it for bikes, parts, ideas or suggestions!
I will try to develop new ideas and parts in the near future, depending on demand, so please keep an eye in my site www.flatracer.com or contact me.
Welcome to FlatRacer, dedicated to the Cafe Racers, especially the BMW Cafe Racer!
We live now in the age of more affluence and less time, where nobody wants to be another brick on the wall. Cafe Racers are still very much perceived as a very individual affirmation of one's personality.
In this world filled with ultra fast, ultra plastic-fantastic bikes, that every Harry & Dick and their dog have one, fortunately some people want to strike a difference!
Enter the BMW Airhead R series 2 valve, produced in tenths of thousands, for over 24 years, incredibly reliable, oil tight, well equipped, good handling and quite fast on 800, 900 and 1000cc configurations.
Because there are so many survivors, these bikes tend to be underrated and under priced, but with a loyal legion of cognoscenti giving it its true value.
Unbelievably, a lot of these bikes are still used everyday, even for commuting!
Parts are plentiful and there's also a dedicated range of specialists producing go faster items such as WBT, Knoscher, Disrael and SiebenRock.
Very few BMW Cafe Racers really appealed to me aesthetically, with quite a few shortcomings in design, from the builders’ compromise in using parts not really designed for the BMW frame. It kick started my desire to do something different and hopefully, better!
I then decided to design and develop a Cafe Racer kit for these underrated bikes, picking up three bikes in the process, which you will find in my site, being The Shed, The Blaxer and The Copper.
I started by the tank, underneath based on a Monolever Boxer so it would fit all Airheads, with a design loosely based on a Manx Sprint three gallon tank, with indents for the knees and clip ons.
The top fairing was based on a Ducati bevel (750/900SS) with a headlight opening from a R90S cockpit fairing,
The tail is based on a Knoscher design, used by BMW AMA racers in the Seventies with a bolt on padded seat for those wishing more comfort. Front mudguard is based on an original BMW but shortened by 24 cm, keeping the bead edge all around.
Fuel cap is a 57mm Monza, fitted as an aftermarket bit on old Minis.
Side panels are replicas of original BMW items.
Clip ons, silencers and rear sets are from Raask in Sweden but any clip on with fork dimension will do, best are from Tomaselli, rear sets can be Tarozzi albeit linkages need to be produced for it, silencers can be Norton PeaShooters or any other as brackets need to be produced
So if the idea of a different Cafe Racer appeals to you, please, don't hesitate to contact me, be it for bikes, parts, ideas or suggestions!
I will try to develop new ideas and parts in the near future, depending on demand, so please keep an eye in my site www.flatracer.com or contact me.
Ride on!
1 comment:
stunning bike , well done indeed
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