Behold the Ryca CS-1 cafe racer. I'm in trouble, no doubt about it.
I’ve tried hard this year to not buy motorcycles. I should be upgrading my house instead. The interior is dated, you see, and not in a good way. The house itself is great–it’s all brick and it even has a new roof–but the mauve carpet and pink linoleum need to go, among other things. But being me, I’ve failed almost completely at staying away from motorcycles. I’ve failed so completely, in fact, that in the past 12 months I’ve added a Yamaha WR250R, a Kawasaki KX450x, and a Ninja 250R.
And now this. Just when I thought I had everything, the Ryca CS-1 cafe racer came along and suddenly I can’t get the bike out of my head, which is what always happens before I buy a new motorcycle.
The Ryca is a motorcycle that excites me because it’s a minimalist, retro, sexy machine that is simply a motorcycle, pure and simple. It’s not a bullet bike or a cruiser. It doesn’t have any wind protection, and aside from the lightly padded seat, no creature comforts either. It’s all black and chrome, as it should be. It’s a bike that should be ridden by James Dean. It’s the real deal.
Sort of, anyway. To build the CS-1, Ryca starts with the pedestrian, unimpressive Suzuki s40. The s40 is an entry level cruiser with a nontraditional single cylinder 650 engine instead of a v-twin. Check it out:
The Suzuki s40, which Ryca transforms into the CS-1
By installing a kit, the S40 morphs into the Ryca CS-1. This is nothing like turning a Fiero into a Ferrari by installing a kit, however, because in that case all you end up with is a a cheap, silly looking fake Ferrari. In the case of the CS-1, you have a custom motorcycle that looks like, well, a custom motorcycle because it is one.
On their website Ryca offers a couple purchase options. You can buy your own Suzuki s40 and buy the conversion kit from Ryca and install it yourself, or you can buy a complete machine directly from them. For the complete bike, Ryca will buy a Suzuki s40 and perform the installation. Since this is a new project from a small custom bike builder, they’re accepting $100 refundable deposits to get in line for a machine. In a moment of weakness, I sent in my $100. I guess I’ll wait for my turn in line, which should be in the next couple of months.
If I decide to buy a bike from Ryca I’m stuck with an important decision. Ryca can build the motorcycle complete, and I’m assured that the job will be done well and quickly. All I have to do is run to Los Angeles with my flatbed and drive home with a new motorcycle. Easy. But that seems like such a sissy option when considering a custom cafe racer. Part of riding a custom motorcycle is riding around with the love you put into the machine, which would be zero if I bought the bike pre-modified. It would be a truly pure motorcycle if it had my touch. But I know myself, and there’s even odds that a component will go flying across the shop, accompanied by some choice phrases intended to belittle the object. Part of the frustration stems from the fact that I’m rather mechanically inexperienced, and completing such a project would provide some valuable experience. Also, I have almost nothing to do this winter when it’s too cold to ride, and a big project would be fun. We’ll see what happens.