gus wrote:Hi beachcomber
Honest appraisal from me.
I don't think the r 1100s is a good as base as a airhead unit is for building a cafe racer. Everything is just too big to get the paired down look that a true cafe racer needs. The frame is the wrong type to enable you to get good lines. The alternator sat up high under the tank stops you getting a decent tank shape with the standard frame.The engine , you can get away with as the colour helps mask is size. As others have pointed out the bike needs to have a lightness about it and the panels between the front and rear frame fill in are making the bike look really heavy and bulky. It's a sod trying to find places for the electrical gubbins a injected modern bike needs.
The workmanship you have put in and achieved is second to none and I know from personal experience how difficult it is to build specials.
Personally if I was using the r 1100s as a base, I would have a new frame made (tubular)and would use conventional forks . I would also junk the injection system and run carbs with a electronic ignition setup.
Please do not take my view as any way detrimental to the time, effort and money you have put into your projects. Ones man take on things is entirely different to the next.... Etc....
Good luck with the other projects and future sakes
All the best
Gus
Gus,
thanx for the appraisal ..............in response to your comments and thus the raison d'etre for doing the project.
Airheads - totally agree, but after building 8 of them over the years you suddenly become one of the "let's all be different together" gang. There's only so much you can do in the Cafe Racer genre with Airheads before it becomes a bits fitting excercise. I used the same Metisse tank on 3 of mine ! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Airheads, but a Cafe Racer is a Cafe Racer ........
Size [ gross ] WAS our major problem with the Oilhead as the original bikes have all the grace of a pregnant Whale.
That said, there is only so much you can do to trim the bulk down.
The original bikes work because they are what they are - but when you want a leaner, de-cluttered look you either go BCR [ there we go again - "let's all be different together" or you have to try to break the mould. To be honest I had fully expected a rake of "what are you doing to our classic bikes you hooligans".
Initially we did have the area under the seat open - agree - looked much better - then we had to lose the electronics....... Also, before anyone else points it out - the seat is probably too big enough.
We DO have a one off frame - but that would negate the idea of a simple parts replacement and we didn't want to get into the realms of MSVA. As it stands, the bike retains all the oriiginal components and only requires a normal MOT.
I subscribe to a number of German mags [ BMW and Custom ] and have seen what the Germans have been doing with the Oilheads. There are some stunning [ design and engineering wise ] "Specials", but the idea here was to produce something that could be replicated as a commercial enterprise.
We headed this "Marmite", as I didn't expect anything other than that opinion wise. I fully expect the minus column to grow !!!
Your response is measured and as you say - personal opinion and I appreciate you have taken the time to add your comments. Your commets re: the engineering work / effort are much appreciated.
OMG - have you seen what we did with the Oilhead to create a Y Trike ???
