What is a Cafe Racer [Archive] - The Sportster and Buell Motorcycle Forum

chrishajer

8th June 2006, 16:55

Just noticed in that Wikipedia page, they need someone to write the page for "Billet Barge" which is pretty much the complete opposite of a Cafe Racer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billet-Barge&action=edit

Anyone?

--Chris

socal1200R

8th June 2006, 23:44

Looks like lower handlebars, a solo seat, devoid of chromed or polished doo dads, and more function than form seems to be some common items on a "cafe" bike. Doubtful a Sportster with apes, shortshots, two-up seat, billet mirrors, flamed grips, leather-fringed levers, and the gazillion assorted chromed bits and pieces would qualify. Certainly nothing that would come out of OCC...

Y2K

9th June 2006, 02:17

It all started here.... http://www.ace-cafe-london.com/

oscillon

9th June 2006, 02:27

Certainly nothing that would come out of OCC...

Actually that is not completely true. Bobbers (and through their evolution the chopper) and Cafe bikes were born out of the same basic fundamental premise. Cut stuff off a stock bike to make them lighter and faster.

So in a sense, everything that comes out of OCC shares it's heritage (at least in principal) with cafe racers.

Y2K

9th June 2006, 02:28

Harley even got in the game with a factory CR in the '70's but the Harley crowd wasn't ready for it and the cafe crowd wasn't ready for a Harley so it was a sales flop and consequently a collectors item now.

http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/harley-davidson_xlcr_1000_cafe_racer_1978.php

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/h-d/harley_davidson_xlcr1000%20cafe%20racer%2077.htm

http://www.classic-motorbikes.com/stock.asp?Ref=DX58

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/y2keglide/Harley20XLCR20100020CafE920Racer.jpg

SportsterSpive

9th June 2006, 05:51

Everything above is true, but I sum it up with there keywords of bare bones, light, and fast.

I'd like to think of cafe-style as a group of passionate Sportster enthusiasts who are horribly misunderstood by almost everyone. People who run the twisties and get no respect or waves from sport bikers and MoCo riders alike. Thanks to this forum and the Cafe_Sportsters group on Yahoo, I have found comfort in my like-minded Sporty friends, and assurances that I am not crazy for joining the small, and possibly niche, ranks of cafe members with my bike.

--Sean

edman

9th June 2006, 10:56

Definition: A Cafe Racer is a style of bike popularized in London in the '50s where bikers wanted a fast, personalized and distinctive bike to travel from cafe to cafe. Many Cafe Racer bikes have distinctive small low-cut fairings.

It began in Britain in the 50's and 60's. Known as Rockers, Leatherboys, Tonup boys, Coffie Bar Cowboys, Bike Boys (but never Bikers) the tough, antisocial leather-clad individuals usually riding Triumphs, Nortons and BSAs would travel as fast as posible between the numerous cafes throughout the British road system. The bikes were modified for speed and looks, most often with low bars like clubmans or clip-ons, solo seats like the race bike of the day, and maybe a small windscreen.

-----
1. It’s a way of life
2. It’s a style of bike

jack82

9th June 2006, 11:13

Actually that is not completely true. Bobbers (and through their evolution the chopper) and Cafe bikes were born out of the same basic fundamental premise. Cut stuff off a stock bike to make them lighter and faster.

So in a sense, everything that comes out of OCC shares it's heritage (at least in principal) with cafe racers.

.............:roflblack :roflblack .........

Turbota

9th June 2006, 13:33

Haggisman14 .... A few photos of a very nice (and expensive) Cafe style racer .... Anyway, I think you can get the idea.

http://sundance.co.jp/gallery/xr_cr/img/xrcr15.jpg

http://sundance.co.jp/gallery/xr_cr/img/xrcr01.jpg

http://sundance.co.jp/gallery/xr_cr/img/xrcr06.jpg

http://sundance.co.jp/gallery/xr_cr/img/xrcr08.jpg

http://sundance.co.jp/gallery/xr_cr/img/xrcr04.jpg

The bike below is an offroad race bike, but still in the Cafe style somewhat:
http://sundance.co.jp/gallery/s_xr/img/ga_xr_03.jpg

ken01976

9th June 2006, 13:55

OCC doesn't chop anything. They add useless "bling" to a bike, and then spend the rest of the time wondering why the bolts dont fit after it comes back from powdercoat and they didnt plug the bolt holes.

socal1200R

9th June 2006, 16:53

Damn...that black cafe bike sure fits my definition of a cafe bike. Good comments from everyone so far, keep 'em coming! Based on what someone else posted, probably your "original" cafe bikes were Nortons, BSAs, Triumphs, or some other Brit bike. But it's evolved into a "look" and some what of an "attitude". It's probably like the definition of pornography...can't define it exactly, but I know it when I see it, lol! Same applies to the definition of a cafe bike!

Turbota

9th June 2006, 17:14

Based on what someone else posted, probably your "original" cafe bikes were Nortons, BSAs, Triumphs, or some other Brit bike.

You got that right ...

Haggisman14

9th June 2006, 18:02

WOW! That black sundance is insane! Dual carbs!?! that thing must FLY! What would a top speed on something like that be...0-60 times? Very cool learning about this stuff...i love bikes!

johnkiddier

9th June 2006, 18:53

http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/photofull.php?PHPSESSID=5075f4462505c419aaf6fc3ee3 c95a36&pgid=171

This is pretty much a perfect rendition of the British cafe racer. Clip-ons, rearsets, alloy tank.

XLFREAK

14th June 2006, 17:05

Cafe Racer
In the late 1950's and early sixties, groups of young men used coffee shops and cafes as meeting points in the UK. Occaisionally, they would run races or "burn ups" on the local roads- between cappucinos presumably! Anyway, a Norton Triumph BSA AJS or any available machine, would be embellished with rearsets, clipons, siamesed pipes and so on. Most people think of twin cylinder machines, but some notable exceptions would have been the DBD34 Goldstar BSA and the Velocette Venom, both of which were single cylinder machines. A Triton is a cafe racer with a triumph twin engine in the famed Norton "featherbed" frame- some people built touring variants though. On a nice twisty English road, it all makes good sense!

Little_Dave

15th June 2006, 21:41

When I was young, (about 45 years ago), every young lad wanted a cafe racer! The ultimate was a BSA 500cc Gold Star, clip on bars, rear set footrests, racing exhaust. I eventually got a BSA Super Rocket that had been set up as a sort of cafe racer, but as I was courting strong at the time and doing a bit of touring, rear sets and clip-ons were not on, so I changed the bike more to an upright stance like a Road Rocket, so that was the end of my Cafe Racer days!:tour :tour

BWP 5p

16th June 2006, 02:50

Damn you Ron...........Now I have to go clean myself:roflblack
THAT is one GORGEOUS SOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:clap :clap :clap :clap :clap
I have the MOCO 1/4 fairing and now the BT guys won't wave at me:smoke :laugh :rolleyes: ....They think I'm a Ricer:banana
I just WISH one of those BAD boys would TRY to follow me some day!:roflblack

rottenralph

16th June 2006, 03:12

Mine is my modern version of a cafe racer. I like Starbucks too. I went to bike night and more sport bike riders showed interest in my bike than the Harley Folks. It is really comfy to drive this bike with rearsets. http://images1.snapfish.com/3473658%3C8%7Ffp33%3A%3Enu%3D3263%3E2%3C3%3E9%3C5% 3EWSNRCG%3D32337%3A96%3A9976nu0mrj

edman

16th June 2006, 11:32

I went to bike night and more sport bike riders showed interest in my bike than the Harley Folks.

This doesn’t surprise me. Harley folk see Sportster. “See no evil girl bike”. Sport bike riders see “bike looks cool" “WTF? That’s cool I want one, a Harley no that’s… no… can’t be…"

dodgenbullets

16th June 2006, 11:51

I like those pipes on rottenralph's ride...Originaly, cafe' was a type of street racing. The cycles then became cafe' racers. Clip on handelbars and rear set pegs are tools of the trade here. Now, just becuase a cycle lacks one or the other doesn't mean it can't cafe' race. If you decide to play, raked forks and chrome encrusted knick knacks just won't work very well. I think alot of our bikes would be very well suited for this type of riding. Then we could call ourselves cafe' racers . I don't know about you, but I'm in.

http://f5.putfile.com/5/14016322581.jpg