Just outside Barcelona is a small workshop called Ad Hoc Cafe Racers with a story we can all relate to. It’s run by David, a man with a keen sense of priorities. “I started Ad Hoc as a project about a year go,” he says. “My old job was not fulfilling enough, and I needed to do something more creative. I’d already restored several classic motorcycles, and then cafe racers came into my life…never to leave.”
David’s workshop is on a quiet mountain, away from the bustle of the city. But that doesn’t matter: He can turn his hand to many of the tasks needed to build a motorcycle, from welding to painting to powder coating. And this 1986 Moto Morini 350 K2 cafe racer is a testament to his skills.
The 350 K2 is not one of Morini’s most glamorous creations, but David has created the proverbial silk purse from a sow’s ear. The little bike was completely broken down and the frame stripped of all superfluous parts and brackets before being shortened at the back. David then chromed the frame, an unusual approach that strangely works.
The fenders are from an old Puch mini-cross bike, cut and polished, and the seat and tank are from Europlast, modified to fit. The Morini was also rewired, and a neat touch is a little storage tray (below) where the battery used to live.
The most difficult task was finding a dual-disc front hub to work with the spoked wheels. In the end David found that a Honda Transalp set-up would work, and matched it to the rear hub from a Moto Morini Coguaro, a rare 1990 enduro bike built to tackle the Dakar rally. But it’s the luscious paint that really strikes the eye: A Subaru color that acts as the perfect foil for the chrome frame.
The next Ad Hoc project will be based on a Honda CB750 Nighthawk, I’m told—and there’s a flat track bike on the way too. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, follow Ad Hoc’s progress via David’s website and Facebook page.
Images by Sebas Romero.