Vendor supplied images
Highlights
- Newly completed special build with the T300 kit from Cafe Racer Kits
- Engine stripped and rebuilt
- Numerous new mechanical and cosmetic parts used across the bike
- Sold with a fresh MoT
The Appeal
While so many fashions come and go, the cult of the café racer seems to be everlasting. Ever since the first home-made specials started rolling out of back-yard garages in the 1950s, the café racer has been continually developed and has never gone out of style. Nowadays, manufacturers realise the sales potential for factory-made café racers, so a café racer has been an indispensable part of the Triumph range since the Thruxton was introduced in 2004.
Prior to that, however, Triumph was missing a trick. It made some fantastic bikes during the 1990s with some powerful, sporty engines, but there was no café racer among them. For anyone who wondered what might have been, Cafe Racer Kits has supplied the answer. By taking the 885cc triple which served so well in various 1990s sports and touring models, such as the Trident, Thunderbird and Daytona, and pairing it with a kit of their own design, they have created a whole new type of bike which is unmistakably modern and yet still completely within the classic café racer tradition.
Assembly of the kit was the work of a serial motorcycle restorer and rebuilder, who is known for his concours restorations of classic bikes, so we have no doubt that this Triumph has been completed to the very highest standard of fit and finish. All the mechanical parts have been checked or rebuilt to ensure that they’re in the best possible order, so nothing remains for you to do but jump on it and go for a nice, brisk ride to your favourite roadside café.
The History and Paperwork
- Originally registered in Leicester in March 1994
- Purchased by the vendor as a project in October 2022 and completely rebuilt with a brand-new T300 Cafe Racer Kit
- Paperwork includes the current V5, a collection of invoices and a freshly-issued MoT certificate
The Condition
- Completely restyled with the brand-new café racer kit
- Multiple special parts, including fuel tank, racing seat and much more
- Refurbished wheels
The bike you’re looking it, though technically almost 30 years old, is, to all intents and purposes, brand-new. With the full Cafe Racer Kit purchased and fitted at the end of 2022, there’s not a lot of the ’90s bike left. The fuel tank, rear subframe section, racing seat, clip-on handlebars, rear sets and front mudguard, among other things, are some of the special parts, supplied and fitted as brand-new items, which give the 900 CRK its own special character.
The vendor chose Graphite Grey for the subframe and Satin Black for the seat. In addition to all the CRK parts, he has also fitted a digital dash and speedometer unit and LED indicators, so the finished product is something truly bespoke.
In order to match the brand-new condition of the CRK kit, the vendor has worked to bring the rest of the bike up to ‘like new’ condition, so the wheels have been taken off and powder-coated and brand-new tyres have been fitted. We have looked very closely and cannot find a thing to fault – ‘showroom condition’ summarises it perfectly.
The Mechanics
- Engine stripped and rebuilt with new gaskets
- Carburettors sonically cleaned and re-jetted
- New exhaust pipes and brake pads
There’s not much we need to say about the Triumph 900 engine. It was a strong engine with plenty of power and was very versatile, powering a large number of Triumphs of various types. Tens of thousands of the 885cc engine were built during the 1990s and plenty are still around, so the availability of spares and specialists is extremely good.
The vendor, with his experience of rebuilding classic bikes, had no difficulty in getting this one to satisfy his high standards. Mechanically it wasn’t in a bad way at all, having only covered 41,000 miles as of 2018, but he completed a few basic jobs to make it slightly better.
He completely stripped the engine to check its condition and, since it was in excellent order all round, he simply rebuilt it again, fitting new gaskets and replacing all the fluids. The carburettors underwent sonic cleaning and have been re-jetted to accommodate the new style of mesh filter which they now take. For the sake of enhancing the café racer appearance, new exhaust pipes have been fitted with matt black megaphone silencers. A new battery and new brake pads have also been used.
The vendor is meticulous about making sure his bikes are finished properly and able of satisfying the most demanding expectations, so we have every confidence that the Triumph is ready to give you thousands of miles of happy riding. The bike is sold with a fresh MoT, so you can rest assured that it’s fully roadworthy.
The Summary
The Triumph 900 triple is one of those great all-rounders which can be applied to so many functions and perform well in all of them. Its abilities have been proven both in fast touring bikes and the high-performance Daytona sports model, but until CRK came along, there had never been a 900 café racer, except where a few custom builders had laboured to make one.
This, then, is what many motorcyclists always wanted, even if they didn’t know it. It’s a classic café racer in every sense of the phrase, but with styling that’s as modern as the hour, and an engine which promises far more civilised and rider-friendly motorcycling than the temperamental café racers of old could offer. It’s been properly assembled by a consummate enthusiast who knows his way around old bikes inside-out. It represents something quite new in motorcycling, and you really need to give it a go…
Notice to bidders
This item is sold on an ‘As is Where is’ basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and listing descriptions are for guidance purposes only. Car & Classic do not warrant listing accuracy. Full inspection is recommended. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion. Buyer is responsible for delivery and collection of any item purchased.
A non-refundable buyer’s deposit is payable on this item, refer to FAQs and T&Cs for the applicable percentage.
All bidding, buying and offers are subject to our Terms and Conditions.
