For every hit cafe racer build, there are ten misses. As most amateur builders know, it’s not easy to get the stance and the components just right. And costs can escalate surprisingly fast. That’s where the $2,795 CS-1 Café Racer kit from Los Angeles-based Ryca Motors comes in.
This conversion is based on the Suzuki S40/Savage, an unexciting but cheap thumper with an air-cooled 650cc motor and a five-speed ‘box. The stock S40 has something of an identity problem, resembling a small and slightly stunted Sportster. But when you add Ryca’s CS-1 kit, the ugly duckling is transformed. The kit includes everything you need to build a CS-1: a low profile fuel tank, new shocks, a custom seat and side covers, rear-sets, clip-ons and grips, gauges, a reverse cone muffler and a new battery box. If you know one end of a spanner from the other, you shouldn’t have any problem converting your S40. The trickiest part is cutting the rear loop of the frame to accommodate the new seat unit.
Considering that you can pick up a secondhand Suzuki S40 in good shape for less than $2,000, the CS-1 is a bargain. For less than five large, you’ve got yourself an attractive custom that won’t leave you stranded by the side of the road, or handle like an oil tanker. And because the CS-1 weighs just 145 kg (320 lbs), straight-line performance is surprisingly good. Louis Lenard of Ultimate Motorcycling reported, “In the right hands, it will perform nicely on the right roads, collecting some respect at the next café shop.”
Interested? Ryca has dealers across the US, and in Australia, Canada, France and Switzerland. Head over to the Ryca website for more details.
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Images courtesy of Ultimate MotorCycling. With thanks to Arthur Coldwells and Don Williams.
