The CB1100 Community Forum

A few years back I saw a write up on the Ryca Cafe Racer in Cycle World. The idea of turning a little "sow's ear" like the Suzuki Savage into a "silk purse" cafe racer was intriguing. Reading over their website I learned that no welding was involved (a good thing since I have no skill at such) and that the kit contained all the basics to complete the project, including new motor mount bolts to rear sets, new rear wheel and tire, modification of the tank and Youtube videos describing the whole process. I was able to buy a 2002 Suzuki Savage for $1500 OTD from a Honda dealer in SC and got started.

The finished bike




The conversion was easy and required no special tools although having an angle grinder is a must. The paint work was done by Eddie Bedgood of Alma, GA. The front mini turn signals, bar end mirrors and braided brake line were not part of the standard kit but I added them. I sold the bike a few months after completing it as the riding position did not agree well with my Arthritis. It was great fun to ride and was nimble and fairly quick given how much weight was lost in the conversion. All the pics from the build can be viewed at https://redbirdacres.shutterfly.com/pictures/475 ....

Absolutely beautiful, and what a great way to save a tortured old thumper. Nice job! I recently sold a Honda CX500 that I planned on cafe- ing due to a lack of time and loss of interest. This is a much better platform for a nimble little cafe machine for modest $. Thanks for posting!

Wow, thanks for sharing and thanks for the great images.

I remember when the articles on this bike hit the mags (CW or MC had it IIRC). I was pretty interested in building one, but then I realized a café bike would be nice to look at, but almost impossible for me to ride.

Glad you did it and enjoyed it. Hopefully you recovered your expenses and had fun in the process!

Great looking bike, Redbirds. Clean lines!

(03-28-2014, 04:36 AM)The Spaceman_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I remember when the articles on this bike hit the mags (CW or MC had it IIRC). I was pretty interested in building one, but then I realized a café bike would be nice to look at, but almost impossible for me to ride.

Glad you did it and enjoyed it. Hopefully you recovered your expenses and had fun in the process!

It was great fun to build and ride as long as the rides were for a half hour or less. I sold it at a small loss but the enjoyment I got out of the build more than made up for the small financial loss. I want to build the Ryca Scrambler next. With it's upright riding position I think it would be a keeper for me.

Hey Redbirds that's an awesome bike, you did a great job it looks great. That Suzuki seems an unlikely platform for a cafe racer but it turned out a treat. I like the idea of a kit like the Ryca as you should end up with a serviceable result without too much trial and error adding cost and time. What are you going to build next?

Great job, Redbirds!

That is definitely one good looking bike.

Beautiful. ... I was very close to keeping my S50 and building a rica out of a used s40. In the end, I ended up selling everything and getting a CB. Still waiting to stumble on a cheap s40.

I'm still watching Craig's List for a cheap S40. Prices on decent used ones seem to be up recently. I want to build the Ryca Scrambler. The cafe version was far too painful for my old bones.