Choosing a fuel tank for your Cafe Racer isn’t exactly an easy task. There’s a lot of variables to consider just on the visual side of things. Will it fit my frame properly? Is it too long or too short? And that’s just aesthetics. When you get into the real nuts and bolts of it you need to begin asking yourself questions like: Did the manufacturer make any provisions to make universal mounting easy? How thick is the fiberglass they use? Do they have any way to combat against the Ethanol that’s in 95% of the fuel sold at service stations today?

Some of you might be saying: “Wow, I never really thought about it like that.” And that’s okay, because as always The Wing’d Piston has your back and we’ve done all the research and real world testing for you. Please welcome Legendary Motorcycles Dime City’s Boutique Vendor of the month to the stage. They’re one of our newest partners and are supplying top-shelf quality fiberglass fuel tanks and seats for your Cafe Racer.

[Legendary Motorcycles "Dunstall" Cafe Racer fuel tank shown on a Shadow 800 custom built by Dime City.]

As with everything else we sell at Dime City Cycles we take great pride in putting all products we offer through rigerous testing prior to offering them to our customers. We use them on our own bikes, get feedback from other exiting customers and checkout out partners operations with a fine tooth comb that would make even CSI question the level of dedication they have to finding what they’e looking for.

Legendary Motorcycles founders Dave and Cheryl Ashenbrener are not only two of the nicest people you’ll meet with a passion for motorcycles, they also have a mind for business and customer service. Just like Dime City. Having built Legendary Motorcycles on the backbone of an already successful plastics and glass forming business with large scale corporate and government clients they understand the importance of quality control measures and making sure they deliver the best possible products they can to their customers.

[Dunstall tank shown with aviation style fuel cap.]

In addition to those key quality facets to their business, when it comes down to the actual products they’re top shelf too. In the photo below you can see the actual thickness of the pieces that make up the tanks. At almost 1/4″ thick they’re guarantee to give you a long life and god forbid you ever do take a spill, your chances of the tank surviving are ten-fold better than many of the other options available that are paper thin.

In addition to building their tanks with some serious meat, they also have a proprietary method to ensure proper bonding at the seams, which is key when building tanks. The process is unparalleled in the industry and guarantees you’re not ever going to have a tank split and leak fuel all over a hot engine. Makes you feel pretty good, right? Yeah, we thought so too.

All of their tanks user high quality NPT fittings for petcocks which work with everything from inexpensive Emgo version to high quality Pingel units. They also offer both the aviation style cap shown above or the traditional Monza style flip-up cap shown below on the Lyta tank.

As for their seats, they’re built to the same durable and high quality standards. To kick it up a notch they even offer high quality injection modeld race style cushions, how great is that? But more on those in their next review!

If you’re building a Cafe Racer and you want to go with a vintage style race tank in our mind the choice is clear. Legendary Motorcycles. We use ‘em on our builds and so should you!

Checkout their Boutique Vendor section here: http://www.dimecitycycles.com/legendary

Now we know what you’re thinking – “Bell Helmets isn’t a boutique manufacturer.” And although you’re correct, they DO produce top-shelf products for a boutique market, vintage motorcycling. In particular, their Custom 500 line of vintage styled 3/4 open face helmets. In their marketing campaigns they note that they’re not “Retro, they’re original.” And folks, we have to agree.

Without getting into specific dates it’s pretty easy to say Bell helmets is one of the oldest helmet manufacturers around and the Custom 500 line is based rightly upon the orignal 500. You see, back in 1954 Bell founder Roy Richter formed his first helmet out of fiberglass and named it the “500.” Bell’s new Custom 500 pays homage to Richter’s original design while adding modern protective technology and DOT certification to bring the design up-to-date. Digg it.

[Bell Custom 500 Silver Metal-flake, shot at The Bonneville Salt Flats by: Brandon Schrichten]

Surely it was only a matter of time before The Crew @ Dime City Cycles picked up a few of these Custom 500′s and put them through the ringer and we have to say, the results are fantastic! After testing them on the Bonneville Salt Flats, wide open spaces of the South Western and South Eastern US and the tight city streets of St. Petersburg, FL in both the hot and cold we can tell you, these are the real deal genuine article folks! The Custom 500 Series fits like a glove and the level of quality is bar-none best in class. Whether it be the silk quilted woven interior padding or anodized ultra-durable snaps ready and willing to accept vintage or new Bubble shields, you’d be hard pressed to find a better choice when it comes to protecting your noggin for the money.

[Bell Custom 500 Silver Metal-flake, shot at The Bonneville Salt Flats by: Brandon Schrichten]

With 12 models to choose from ranging from simple and classic like Black or White to a bit more dramatic in the Metal-flake region the Custom 500 line has a helmet for everyone. Tipping their hats to the custom world, Bell even offers custom models designed by Roland Sans or Skratch, the world famous pin-striper. Every 500 helmet leaves the line inspected and test for safety guaranteeing it’s DOT approval and ability to protect you when it counts the most.

And how about the prices? Ranging from $99.95 to $139.95 you’d be crazy to pickup an off brand knock-off 3/4 helmet from eBay or some old helmet someone died in at a swap meet. Don’t get us wrong, those true-grit authentic old helmets are nice, but have you ever thought about what happens when 30+ year old fiberglass hits the pavement? Yeah…POOF! Not good, Ace! Better leave those on the shop wall for display..

Staying true to grassroots style, here’s a fun little video clip of Skratch and Cherry Dollface working together to create some of the authentic marketing materials that go along with the authentic Custom 500 line of helmets. Kudo’s to Bell for producing some fun-loving video that showcases the classic art of speed!

How great was that? Golden Girls aside though, we know there is one major determining factor when buying a vintage style 3/4 helmet. How big is it on my head? Everyone seems to be concerned with the “giant beacon” that their head becomes when a 3/4 lid is thrown on top. There are dozens of other companies out there who’ve come to the rescue over the years and have produced a lower profile version of the famous 3/4 helmet with great success and because Dime City is always looking out for you, we compared a few of them below in bright and shiny color so you can see for yourself.

Pictured from left to right:  1) Joe King JK Mini, the smallest helmet you can purchase today, Non-DOT approved. 2) Joe King JK400, slightly larger than the mini but has snaps for Bubbleshields, Non-DOT approved. 3) The DOT approved Silver metal flake Custom 500. 4) The Biltwell Hustler DOT approved 3/4 helmet and 5) The Biltwell Mega-flake Non-DOT approved. helmet. In looking at the comparison you can see it’s really not that much bigger than the Biltwell Mega-flake which has become the defacto industry standard for 3/4 open faced helmets. Not too shabby on Bell’s part, eh? And we can confirm, you don’t look like a bobble head with a Custom 500 on. Trust us, we’re just a conscious as you are.

Oh and by the way, did we mention that Dime City Cycles now has the entire Custom 500 line available along with Bell’s retro 3 button shields? That’s right, who loves you? Checkout Bell Helmets boutique section today by [CLICKING HERE] and snag a new lid to add to your collection. If you’re like us, we bet you’ll have a hard time taking it off. And stay tuned, there’s a full in depth review of the Custom 500 on it’s way too!

Classic Cafe Racer and Rocker jackets by Mike Woulfe. Uncomplicated, functional and unique- just like their owners and their bikes.

Recognizing the importance of both authentic cafe racer aesthetic and the desires of American culture to be unique, Mike Woulfe from Woulfe Leathers creates a modern rendition of the classic petrol fueled life-living leathers of yesteryear. He perfectly blends classic cafe style with modern imagery and patch designs putting a new spin on something old.

Mike begins all his custom jackets with the highest quality available- soft, supple and thick American Cowhide naked leather. Once the jacket has been selected he carefully goes through his collection of hand collected patches, choosing just the right ones for the project at hand. Some old and authentic, some reproductions and some just plain wild from the creative minds of today. Each one is meticulously chosen and placed upon the jacket with a propensity to detail that rivals that of the most OCD individuals.

Heritage is important to Mike, the roots of Rocker culture, and the meaning of a cafe racer and what it stands for are paramount in his jacket creation process. Taking hues from authentic images of the 60′s and 70′s and spending countless hours at swap meets haggling with riders and collectors of yesteryear bartering for their gems allows him to create the most “authentic” new cafe inspired leathers available.

All of Woulfe’s Leathers come in standard sizes and offer a limited warranty on the actual leather itself and accoutrements. Combine that with an action back zipper, zippered cuffs, leather line outside zippered pockets and a snap-down collar and you’ve got something going for you aside from your chucks and Raybans.

On the inside you’ve got one (or two) internal pistol pockets (approx. 9″ deep) which are perfect for most small 9MM’s or a smart phone. How great is that? And last but certainly not least, you have a nice thick Thinsulate Liner with a Poly Twill Shell for extra warmth on those cold days when your facing the wind.

And if all that wasn’t enough, all Woulfe Leathers purchased from Dime City Cycles sport not only the mark of speed and individuality, the Wing’d Piston patch, but also the DCC life motto “Nil Satis Nisi Optimum” aka: Nothing but the best is good enough banded around the neck along with a unique Mercury Dime concho in a special place on each jacket. Digg it, man.

You can’t go wrong folks… Hand-built jackets for riders who build their bikes with their own two hands. There couldn’t be a more perfect match! And did we mention he makes women’s jackets as well?

To take a closer look at Mike’s custom one-off Rocker and Cafe Racer jackets [CLICK HERE] you won’t be disappointed!