XS650 Traveler: March 2012

Tuesday, March 27

S40 Cafe Kit

For every hit custom 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.

Bottomline, look at Voodoo Vintage in Austin and see what they can do with a Savage.

http://www.rycamotors.com/