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A Very Very Small Cafe Racer

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garthalgar Part of things Posts: 408	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer garthalgar @garthalgar
	Oct 21, 2017 19:28:51 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Been a while since I've been on here mostly because I don't really own anything old anymore, nor have I had any good enough projects until this one! Little history of the bike. This is what I bought after I sold my CZ125 (which I also did a thread on). Started life as a 50cc Skyteam Monkey I bought for £600 with 200km on it... DSC_1756 by Jack Ledingham, I faffed about with it for a bit but quickly bought a 125 engine out of a Dax copy with 500km. I bought a VM22 and rejetted it to 17.5/105 with a foam filter. I also bought a 29mm bore exhaust meant for a CRF50 and made a bracket to fit the monkey. It was only £27 new and while it was only intended as a short term job I actually reeeeally like (now its been re-riveted so isnt rattling itself to bits) it so its staying. It did put holes through about 3 pairs of trousers though so I ended up wrapping the knee touching bit with heat wrap. I regeared the bike to cruise at 50/55 mph. Had to buy a longer clutch cable so bought a red one for a pit bike and shortened it. Then I fitted a rack for what I was about to do next which was very silly... DSC_1832 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1837 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1838 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1842 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1851 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1862 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1863 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr Because the next thing very silly thing I was doing was the North Coast 500... Leaving from Aberdeen. Which when I worked out the route was about 900 miles for us to cover in 4 days. Camping and carrying everything on the monkeys. Aside from the Friday when we left which rained all 200 miles to Applecross, the rest of the weekend was glorious sunshine T-shirt weather and we had a cracking time! Here are a some photos. DSC_1878 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1881 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1882 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1886 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1888 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1893 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1892 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_1898 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr The trip went fairly smoothly. Believe it or not fuel wasn't an issue and I never needed to use my spare can. My swing arm broke in Ullapool and the only threaded bar that the hardware shop had was 8mm or 12mm. I opted for 8mm wrapped in Gorilla Tape with penny washers and double nuts at each end and it lasted the whole way back without an issue! The exhaust also tried to rattle itself to death and my rear tyre had suffered. Then when I got home a couple of weeks later I hadn't been using the monkey. I got the hankering to build another cafe bike so put the monkey up for sale. But I felt like after how good the monkey had been to me I didn't like the idea of seeing someone else take it away! So I did a bit of research and realised I could make a pretty silly cafe bike out of the monkey. I went and bought some bits. Michelin S83 tyres, Cafe seat, drop bars, new grips and a discreet splash guard to get rid of the rear mudguard. While I had the monkey in bits I also did a total wiring tuck and shortened a lot of the harness to be a lot neater and sit on top of the frame. I also flipped the headlight brackets to drop it down about an inch. I fitted some LED indicators I had in my toolbox to the front and fitted a really trick rear tail light/indicator LED strip to the seat hump as a rear light. I stuck some thicker fork oil in to deal with the weight of myself leaning on the bars a bit more and gave the thing a general tidy up. DSC_2173 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2174 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2176 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2179 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2186 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr And this is her complete: DSC_2190 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2192 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2193 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2194 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2195 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2196 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2197 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr DSC_2198 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr Then finally I made up a decal for the side panel. I'll probably end up making an aluminium flat panel at some point but this will do in the meantime! DSC_2201 by Jack Ledingham, on Flickr The end result is an absolutely tiny Cafe Racer with stupidly quick handling and does nothing but make me laugh and smile every time I even see it let alone ride it. So basically the rest of this thread is going to be me doing silly things on the monkey and taking it to shows. I've done the touring thing so thats out of my system. Enjoy.


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georgeb Posted hell of a lot Posts: 7,864	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer georgeb @georgeb
	Oct 22, 2017 2:31:03 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Now that DOES make me smile. Love it!
	1995 Range Rover P38 4.6 HSE Letter from Manila

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grizz Probably posted too much REZIN ROCKIT......🚀 Posts: 28,504	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer grizz @grizz
	Oct 22, 2017 7:31:49 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Nice. Sensible, affordable and makes you smile. Winner for sure.
	1966 Chevy C10 V8 REDNECK EXPRESS. (Restoration now) GRIZZ-POD Build Thread grizzmakes.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-birth-of-grizzmakes.html IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM MATE. .

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jonk Part of things Posts: 154	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer jonk @jonk
	Oct 22, 2017 7:54:34 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	I bet that was the perfect thing to do the North Coast 500 on. I cycled it a couple of months ago; I've ridden in a few nice places but I think it was my favourite ride yet. To anyone thinking about doing it, the scenery is as good as those pictures (if it's not raining) for almost every mile of the trip. No traffic lights or roundabouts for almost 500 miles, and sometimes a junction only every 50 miles or so! We saw a lot of people in big cars and some bigger bikes like Harleys, and thought it would be a bit frustrating because the roads are quite small in places, twisty and tight. We thought a proper vintage car would be the best thing for the trip, but seeing your bike I think that would have been even better.


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brachunky Scotland Posts: 1,314 Club RR Member Number: 72	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer brachunky @brachunky Club Retro Rides Member 72
	Oct 22, 2017 9:16:40 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	You sir, need therapy but I love it!
	www.facebook.com/groups/238423238546821/

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rblote Posted a lot Posts: 2,072	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer rblote @rblote
	Oct 22, 2017 11:13:00 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	This is uber cool....but yes I agree with brachunky....


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oldntired Part of things Posts: 228	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer oldntired @oldntired
	Oct 22, 2017 17:49:22 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	I've got to ask how the 900 mile round trip went - comfort wise ? Meaning cramped knees-hips-shoulders etc ?? I ask, as it's a decent journey to make on a full size bike - so can't imagine how doubled up you must have been ? What was your cruising speed ( weighed down with gear)??


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garthalgar Part of things Posts: 408	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer garthalgar @garthalgar
	Oct 22, 2017 17:53:42 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Oct 22, 2017 7:54:34 GMT jonk said: I bet that was the perfect thing to do the North Coast 500 on. I cycled it a couple of months ago; I've ridden in a few nice places but I think it was my favourite ride yet. To anyone thinking about doing it, the scenery is as good as those pictures (if it's not raining) for almost every mile of the trip. No traffic lights or roundabouts for almost 500 miles, and sometimes a junction only every 50 miles or so! We saw a lot of people in big cars and some bigger bikes like Harleys, and thought it would be a bit frustrating because the roads are quite small in places, twisty and tight. We thought a proper vintage car would be the best thing for the trip, but seeing your bike I think that would have been even better. I wouldnt have said the perfect thing haha. It was painful and stressful. Spent about 7 hours a day on the bikes and as you can imagine they arent the most comfortable things. Though to give them their due while they were a bit pap on the boring dual carriageway bits, the tight twisty stuff we were actually overtaking cars! There were bits where I reckon I would prefer the monkey to my big bike because you can absolutely thrash them to death and feel like you were racing. It was quite funny because Matthew (on the other bike) had longer gearing. So on a straight he would get ahead but out of a corner and up hills I would pull away. Made for a quite entertaining journey. Also 100% correct about the scenery. If you get a sunny weekend its postcard material. Oct 22, 2017 9:16:40 GMT brachunky said: You sir, need therapy but I love it! We were getting told this by a LOT of people on the trip


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garthalgar Part of things Posts: 408	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer garthalgar @garthalgar
	Oct 22, 2017 18:02:26 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Oct 22, 2017 17:49:22 GMT oldntired said: I've got to ask how the 900 mile round trip went - comfort wise ? Meaning cramped knees-hips-shoulders etc ?? I ask, as it's a decent journey to make on a full size bike - so can't imagine how doubled up you must have been ? What was your cruising speed ( weighed down with gear)?? I had a flat bum after the first day, but we couldn't do too many long stops due to the ground we had to cover so it was a bit of give and take. I'm only 5"6/7 so its not like i'm a full on ape trying to ride the thing. You sit bolt upright so it was really just my behind and my back that were sore after a while. But to be honest you only really notice the pain on long slogs. In the twisty fun bits you can forget about it and its enjoyable. The only REAL problem was that with 8 inch wheels and the speed and weight the bike was really twitchy so youre always tensing up. I'm also still young and elastic so that probably helps . I had a hiking bag on my back with my minimal clothes, sleeping bag and spares. Then the dry bag on the rack had a tent, roll matt and towel in it. So god knows how much weight that is but I definitely packed light. We cruised at around 50/55mph on the boring bits. I think the total cost of fuel for the whole trip cant have been more than £35


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brachunky Scotland Posts: 1,314 Club RR Member Number: 72	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer brachunky @brachunky Club Retro Rides Member 72
	Oct 22, 2017 22:35:36 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Oct 22, 2017 17:53:42 GMT garthalgar said: Oct 22, 2017 7:54:34 GMT jonk said: I bet that was the perfect thing to do the North Coast 500 on. I cycled it a couple of months ago; I've ridden in a few nice places but I think it was my favourite ride yet. To anyone thinking about doing it, the scenery is as good as those pictures (if it's not raining) for almost every mile of the trip. No traffic lights or roundabouts for almost 500 miles, and sometimes a junction only every 50 miles or so! We saw a lot of people in big cars and some bigger bikes like Harleys, and thought it would be a bit frustrating because the roads are quite small in places, twisty and tight. We thought a proper vintage car would be the best thing for the trip, but seeing your bike I think that would have been even better. I wouldnt have said the perfect thing haha. It was painful and stressful. Spent about 7 hours a day on the bikes and as you can imagine they arent the most comfortable things. Though to give them their due while they were a bit pap on the boring dual carriageway bits, the tight twisty stuff we were actually overtaking cars! There were bits where I reckon I would prefer the monkey to my big bike because you can absolutely thrash them to death and feel like you were racing. It was quite funny because Matthew (on the other bike) had longer gearing. So on a straight he would get ahead but out of a corner and up hills I would pull away. Made for a quite entertaining journey. Also 100% correct about the scenery. If you get a sunny weekend its postcard material. Oct 22, 2017 9:16:40 GMT brachunky said: You sir, need therapy but I love it! We were getting told this by a LOT of people on the trip South African as well?
	www.facebook.com/groups/238423238546821/

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theoldman Part of things Posts: 170	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer theoldman @theoldman
	Oct 23, 2017 8:36:33 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	That is ridiculous, pointless, daft and dangerous. Which is why I love the concept so much, and the execution even more. Now which of cars has a tow-bar to which a Monkey Bike Rack can be fitted? Who needs a spare wheel when......


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pistonpopper Posted hell of a lot Posts: 5,561	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer pistonpopper @pistonpopper
	Oct 23, 2017 22:18:49 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	That is awesomely cool! I was trying to find myself an old Suzuki RV125 from the seventies. I gave up in the end because all the good ones were too much for me, and all the cheap ones were too rough for me. Managed to find myself a Skyteam T-rex to buy though! And it's pretty good in a 'don't thrash it too hard cuz the engines probably made from cheese' kind of way! Not too sure what the Honda stickers are about though!
	www.motorjournal.co.uk www.klunkerz.co.uk

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garthalgar Part of things Posts: 408	A Very Very Small Cafe Racer garthalgar @garthalgar
	Oct 31, 2017 19:40:25 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Oct 22, 2017 22:35:36 GMT brachunky said: Oct 22, 2017 17:53:42 GMT garthalgar said: South African as well? No actually I just say that all the time Oct 23, 2017 8:36:33 GMT theoldman said: That is ridiculous, pointless, daft and dangerous. Which is why I love the concept so much, and the execution even more. Now which of cars has a tow-bar to which a Monkey Bike Rack can be fitted? Who needs a spare wheel when...... It is exactly that. You can fit it in the boot of most estates/hatches if you really want to! Oct 23, 2017 22:18:49 GMT pistonpopper said: That is awesomely cool! I was trying to find myself an old Suzuki RV125 from the seventies. I gave up in the end because all the good ones were too much for me, and all the cheap ones were too rough for me. Managed to find myself a Skyteam T-rex to buy though! And it's pretty good in a 'don't thrash it too hard cuz the engines probably made from cheese' kind of way! Not too sure what the Honda stickers are about though! Thats cool! Really like the VanVan style bikes. with a Chonda engine that should be an ace little thing. Wouldnt worry about the chinese engine situation. The skyteams are actually fairly good quality and anything that breaks is cheap to fix. I rode mine for maybe 600/700 miles at almost full throttle. Still use it occasionally to go to work and its spot on. Just frequent servicing with supermarket 10w40 Mineral oil.


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