I've got a '78 Suzuki GS750 cafe project that I started on about a year ago and today she turned over and ran for the first time in at least 20 years. The giddy giggle you hear at the end of the video I shot is me. 
I lied in the video, because it actually started a few minutes earlier, but I wasn't taping. My wife ran into the garage thinking my shouts of joy were me getting injured...
Here is a photo of it in its current state -- not too much left to do.
dope
Looks good, so what makes a cafe racer project a project? What are the biggest changes that take so much time?
Joshua wrote:Looks good, so what makes a cafe racer project a project? What are the biggest changes that take so much time?
Maybe a picture of what she looked like when I brought her home will help answer your question:
When I brought it home it didn't run (and hadn't for 20 years), had pine needles in all of the cylinders, mouse nests where there should have been a battery, and the wrong fuel tank -- basically everything had to be taken off/apart and redone. That plus being a dad, a husband and working 14-hour days is what stretched into a year-long project.
Sorry, that response came off with a bit of attitude -- it wasn't meant to come across that way... 
Good luck w/ the project, looks promising and +1 for the cafe racer. Maybe now some critics (who dread the "C" word) will understand why some builders choose that route... it's becoming a sport bike after all.
Or, maybe they'd be happier if you would do a factory nut and bolt restoration... no, better yet... w/ that fairing paint it purple for a Purple Rain tribute bike. 
Keep us posted on the progress.
No I understand, I'm just curious about seat height changes, any frame or suspension changes, handlebar changes etc.
Interesting build-project; I love cafe racers a lot more than any Prince tribute bike could become.
But, what's with the kick start? I thought the GS's had electric starters by then.
Oh, I never thought of the Purple Rain idea....! 
Maybe next time.
No huge changes (I don't currently have my welding equipment in this state). But I have: removed the center stand and mounting tabs; swapped the old riser handlebars for clip-ons; cut about 8" off the tail; the seat height will be about 3" lower just because the new seat will be that much shorter than the monstrosity I took off of it. I also eliminated the electric start because it was old and heavy and of questionable functionality -- I just put an expansion plug in the hole it used to occupy and removed the wiring in such a way that it could easily be replaced at a later date if desired. Other than that, it's mostly been a take-it-apart-and-rebuild-it process -- new seals, springs, gaskets, etc., etc. I'm currently only into it for $1500 including purchase price, tax/license, and the trailer I rented to get home... not too bad.
The full build thread is HERE.
cool cool cool. sounds nice as well.
Good luck finishing up
Don't you just LOVE that feeling, when something starts for the first time.
I had a '78 GS750E for many years, it was a great bike. I rode it nearly every day, and took several 2000+ mile trips on it. They're reasonably fast, even by today's standards, handle well and are very durable. About the only potential weak link is the stator in the charging system, and that's not universal - my bike never had a problem.
They came with both an electric start and kick start - remember, that long ago electric start on motorcycles was a new enough idea that people didn't necessarily trust them. However, the starter on mine was flawless.
I had a Windjammer fairing on mine, the one in the photo above is some other brand. They're out of style but they actually work very well for highway riding.
FYI, Prince's bike was a 400 Honda Hawk...he's a small enough guy that it looked pretty big when he was riding it. He had his bike painted purple by a friend of mine, he painted a couple of my bikes as well (none of mine were purple, though.
edit: http://www.thegsresources.com/ is the webpage for these bikes.
