In part one of this café racer conversion series we talked about your options in the handle bar and mirror department. In this installment, we’ll go down south and take a quick look at foot controls.
When you move the upper body down and forward with clip-ons or lower bars, your lower body may need repositioning as well. Many café builders opt to enhance the full racer tuck with rear-set foot controls and pegs.
The process of moving the foot-pegs, shift lever and rear brake can be a real challenge on some bikes. To this end, you have two choices. You can find a company that sells a full rear-set package for your bike, or you can machine the parts yourself.
COMMERCIAL REAR-SETS
There is absolutely no guarantee that anyone will make a full set of rear foot controls for your particular bike, especially if your bike is an unusual café conversion. However, if you are lucky enough to find a commercial set for your application, this is certainly your easiest route. Be forewarned, these manufactured sets can be very costly.
CUSTOM (DYI) REAR-SETS
If you can’t find a company that makes a set for your bike, or if you just want something that is “one-off”, you’ll need to do it yourself or hire a machinist. The combination of brackets, levers and linkages can make this a real challenge. However, if you pull it off, you’ll have something truly unique. After all, UNIQUE is what the café scene is all about.
Check back soon for part 3 of the café conversion series.
