A Cafe Racer for my son

“I didn’t set out to build a bike, I really
wanted to build a car. But my friend Don, a long-time motorhead, said to
“try a bike first, it’s cheaper and easier. If you get through that you’re
ready for anything.” 

 Okay. But all I’d ever done was occasionally
change the oil on my old dirt bike, I’m not exactly what you’d call a mechanic.
Which in the end wasn’t a problem. As I found out, all you have to do
is…well, just do it. 

 First you need a vision, an end goal. For
me it was the clean lines of a cafe racer. Unlike modern bikes, you see the
machinery–keeping the “motor” in motorcycle. They seem light and
nimble, with plenty of air around the parts, looking like what they are:
honest, simple machines, with a slight raw edge. Cool. 

 I sat on the idea for a year until my kid,
Alex, was born. Since it didn’t look like I’d be leaving him much money, I
figured I’d make the bike for him, and started the fictitious ADS (his
initials) Motorcycle Company as kind of a legacy. Sounds corny, but until your
kid becomes an obnoxious teenager—dads think like that. The next step was finding a donor bike. Don
advised that I start with a solid foundation, a bike with “good
bones” and the right look. For that I bought a beat-up 2000 Kawasaki W650
from a lesbian couple in New Jersey who were trading up to matching Harleys.

Besides looking like an old Brit twin, the W650 came with a shop manual—which turned out to be the most important tool in the build as it was written for idiots. So I felt right at home.”

See also

Kawasaki Cafe Racer

New Direction – Kawasaki Z1000 Cafe Racer

“Except for the engine internals, I rebuilt everything on the bike mostly just to learn how, and built a lot of new parts, too. I found a world on the internet to access things from Germany, Japan, and even some custom electrical connectors from a guy in Argentina. I also found that if you’re willing to make mistakes and do things over at least three times, nothing is impossible. In the end it worked out well. Alex is proud to show other kids “his bike,” I built something better than I ever thought possible. Plus, it not only runs and hasn’t killed me, it actually handles better, too. All very good things. Now, as my friend Don said, I’m ready for anything. But I won’t be building that car. I’ve got another bike in mind and I’m starting to build bikes for others, so ADS Motorcycles may actually become a reality after all.” 

• Wired tail light from old Vincent with LEDs
• Headlight stone guard from an old MG sport
  scar
• Vintage cloth wrapping on spark plug wires
• Front sprocket cover adapted from a 2011 W800
• Changed frame geometry and suspension for
  better handling
• Homemade cowl/seat base
• Polished Superbrace fork brace
• Stainless steel tank strap
• Frame reworked for battery tray and electronics
  under seat
• Stock pipes/mufflers coated by Jet Hot and
  wrapped 
• Crankcase breather filter/canister
• Dyno tuned for better midrange punch.
• CRG bar-end mirrors
• 1974 Triumph Bonneville T-140 tank modified
  to fit
• Custom red-foam air filters
• Finned bevel drive cover
• Custom wire loom
• and much more…