Cafe Racers?

[Dignan]

No cafe cred, but here's a GS750 I've done some stuff to:

I've changed a bunch of stuff since this was taken. Next up is a new tank, paint, smoothed trees...

[DesmoDog]

I've posted this here before, but what the hey. Cafe racer? I dunno... maybe... it should have a romping stomping 12hp or so when it's done.

Before - stock 1966 Ducati 160cc Monza Jr:


Mock ups - Basic concept:


Revised rear end - valanced fender, round tail light:


In process - front end pretty much done:

[Sporticus]

Beautiful bike; does it belong to anyone on the board? I've got one pet peeve, though. Cafe racers really need matching rim diameters front and rear. A 16" rear doesn't scream cafe. If people are happy with the end result, though, it's none of my business. The cost of rebuilding that rear wheel with an 18" rim is probably less than the cost of that very slick tank.

Originally Posted by whizzerick

[bigassbike]

curious as to how you guys define a cafe racer. as opposed to streetfighter or any of the other terms i see used. all the same thing? i know how the name came around...but whats it mean now?

[tonuprocker]

curious as to how you guys define a cafe racer. as opposed to streetfighter or any of the other terms i see used. all the same thing? i know how the name came around...but whats it mean now?

honestly its very cut and dry for me,as its my primary intrest for many years,similar to most people on this board being bobber fans
for them there is a defined "bobber" so for me there is a defined cafe racer

heres a few pix of period dyed in the wool cafe racers,most were not nearly as modified as these the majority ran near stock off the shelf bikes with slight mod's,at one point at the pinnacle of the scene there were over 40,000 kids under the age of 25 on 2 wheels in england alone it was a huge craze






this last one was recently uncovered in a basement layed up in the UK since the late sixty's then brought over here

[Sporticus]

[mpls|cafe|racer]

Originally Posted by bigassbike

curious as to how you guys define a cafe racer. as opposed to streetfighter or any of the other terms i see used. all the same thing? i know how the name came around...but whats it mean now?

Definitely NOT the same thing at all.

One is the predecessor to the other.

It would be appropriate to say that the Streetfighter is the bastard grandchild of the Cafe Racer.

The concept is still the same....

Take the best parts you can afford and build a bike that is one of a kind, faster than stock, and better handling.

The styling is whats different.

Streefighters tend to be a "kicked ass" styling. The bars and riding position also tends to be completely different. Also, the aesthetics are much different.

Cafe Racers were very inspired by a stripped down, racer appearaning streetbike scene... whereas Streetfighters are also a study on aesthetics above and beyond performance utilizing very colorful paint schemes often accented with very intricate airbrushing technique, and massive horsepower upgrades.

CAFE RACER:


STREETFIGHTER:



Also, outside of the obvious aesthetic differences, the CULTURE of Cafe Racers is COMPLETLY DIFFERENT than the culture of Streetfighters.

Same concept though. Take what you've got and make it go faster, while playing within the guidelines of a specific style.

I love them both personally.... but how can I not?

Streetfighters are more popular in Europe than they are here.... and I work at a bike shop that specializes in European performance bikes.

MASSIVE SIDE NOTE!!!!!

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FACTORY BUILT STREETFIGHTER OR CAFE RACER!!!!

NO MATTER HOW MANY TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLES OR THRUXTONS ARE SOLD, THEY ARE NOT REALLY CAFES OR FIGHTERS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY LACK THE ONE REAL THING THAT MAKES THESE BIKES WHAT THEY TRULY ARE... PERSONAL CUSTOMIZATION!!!

DUCATI, TRIUMPH, APRILIA, MV AGUSTA... MANY COMPANIES HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CASH IN ON THE SCENE WHERE THESE TWO STYLES OF BIKES COME FROM, BUT IT'S A TELL TALE SIGN OF NOT KNOWING ABOUT THE REAL BROTHERHOOD BEHIND THESE BIKES WHEN SOMEONE BUYS A BONE STOCK THRUXTON 900 AND TALKS HOW IT'S A MUCH COOLER CAFE RACER THAN ANYTHING THAT SO AND SO EVER BUILT....

SOME PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CAFE, FIGHTER, BOBBER, TRACKER, CHOPPER, ETC. AND A FACTORY BIKE STYLED AFTER A CAFE, FIGHTER, BOBBER, TRACKER, CHOPPER, ETC...

[bigassbike]

cool, ive been building this out of an old 86 fxr (eric buell's first job for the factory)frame i had laying around...and i guess i deraked it so its a chopper, stripped it down so its a bobber i been calling it a rally bike, for lack of a better term. but its muscle all the way. doesnt have much of the cafe styling, but some of the right cafe attitude i think.

[Jakemon]

Originally Posted by mpls|cafe|racer

My only complaint about Evan Wilcox is the price. He charges almost twice as much as John Williams does. The work is comprable though, and the lead time is just slightly less... I'm in no huuge hurry to get my tank/tailpiece, so I went with John based simply on the fact that the price was MUCH cheaper.

John has been working on my tank and tail section since September. Seems like a great guy and I am really looking forward to the finished product. I am currently on the "next week" schedule. I wonder who's stuff he is going to finish first. When did you contact him?

Jakemon

[matte resist]

Here's a Buell i ran across while looking for something else. not exactly my thing, but since we're on the subject.

[Jakemon]

Originally Posted by Boylecomm

The seat upholstry looks great in the pic. Did you get the battery mounted in the tail section yet? Looks great.

Jakemon

[tonuprocker]

Originally Posted by mpls|cafe|racer

MASSIVE SIDE NOTE!!!!!

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FACTORY BUILT STREETFIGHTER OR CAFE RACER!!!!

NO MATTER HOW MANY TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLES OR THRUXTONS ARE SOLD, THEY ARE NOT REALLY CAFES OR FIGHTERS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY LACK THE ONE REAL THING THAT MAKES THESE BIKES WHAT THEY TRULY ARE... PERSONAL CUSTOMIZATION!!!

DUCATI, TRIUMPH, APRILIA, MV AGUSTA... MANY COMPANIES HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CASH IN ON THE SCENE WHERE THESE TWO STYLES OF BIKES COME FROM, BUT IT'S A TELL TALE SIGN OF NOT KNOWING ABOUT THE REAL BROTHERHOOD BEHIND THESE BIKES WHEN SOMEONE BUYS A BONE STOCK THRUXTON 900 AND TALKS HOW IT'S A MUCH COOLER CAFE RACER THAN ANYTHING THAT SO AND SO EVER BUILT....

SOME PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CAFE, FIGHTER, BOBBER, TRACKER, CHOPPER, ETC. AND A FACTORY BIKE STYLED AFTER A CAFE, FIGHTER, BOBBER, TRACKER, CHOPPER, ETC...

there are a few factory made REAL cafe racers starting with the most infamous sought after road burners of them all,they were the kings of the coffe bar

the BSA dbd34 goldstar clubmans

the BSA rocket goldstar clubmans

the velocette viper venom clubman and thruxton

the matchless csr

the royal enfield continental gt

the royal enfield crusader sports

mondial,gilera and ducati all made lightwieght popular cafe racers in the late 50's early 60's including the diana and gilera sports

paul dunstall,eddie dow,deeprose brothers inc.,chuck customise etc
also offered new factory bikes built not as customs but essentialy a private label version that were distributed

[sweatmachine]

Originally Posted by bigassbike

cool, ive been building this out of an old 86 fxr (eric buell's first job for the factory)frame i had laying around...and i guess i deraked it so its a chopper, stripped it down so its a bobber i been calling it a rally bike, for lack of a better term. but its muscle all the way. doesnt have much of the cafe styling, but some of the right cafe attitude i think.

I really, really like that.

[bigassbike]

thanks sweatmachine, its a bit out of character for what my customers want usually, but they(the bikes) were getting too outlandish and long, so i reeled it back in a bit and built one for myself. put 2 miles on it today, shaking out some bugs...feels like its gonna be a handful once i get a few things worked out...still waiting on one front brake line and my taillite... hopefully they'll show tomorrow, and i can give it another go with some front brakes.

All so sweet. I have a soft spot for Tritons and loved those English shots. A bit on the rough side unlike some polished to within an inch of its life.

[DrDano]

My buddy Nick builds these. Will take a Triumph, BSA, XS and a few other motors with just mounting swaps:

[Boylecomm]

I was working on battery placement today. just finally got the tail loop all figured out and ready to weld it up. the stance is giving me fits but I think I worked it out too, now just waiting on parts.
how are you coming along?

Originally Posted by Jakemon

The seat upholstry looks great in the pic. Did you get the battery mounted in the tail section yet? Looks great.

Jakemon

[Boylecomm]

Hey Big Ass Bike,
This is a great EDR Bike, full suspension, power & style. Run it!
I like....

[Tony Two Times]

A mates Titan 500. Bought as a box of bits in the 90's and finally got it on the road this year. 500cc two stroke paralell twin = balls out fun.

T.

[mpls|cafe|racer]

Originally Posted by tonuprocker

there are a few factory made REAL cafe racers starting with the most infamous sought after road burners of them all,they were the kings of the coffe bar

the BSA dbd34 goldstar clubmans

the BSA rocket goldstar clubmans

the velocette viper venom clubman and thruxton

the matchless csr

the royal enfield continental gt

the royal enfield crusader sports

mondial,gilera and ducati all made lightwieght popular cafe racers in the late 50's early 60's including the diana and gilera sports

paul dunstall,eddie dow,deeprose brothers inc.,chuck customise etc
also offered new factory bikes built not as customs but essentialy a private label version that were distributed

See, I'm gonna have to disagree with you. They may have been built styled from the factory as a cafe racer, but they weren't cafe's.

Put it this way.... if you pulled up on any of those bikes and started talking about you kick ass cafe racer with a bunch of guys who have Tritons and Norbsa's you can bet your ass they will be thinking "Yeah right... as if you built that thing".

It's about the customization and/or build. Thats 50% of the culture. Same with fighters. If you pull up to me on your stock Triumph Speed Triple and I'm on a R1 powered Spondon framed Streetfighter and start rapping on about how great your streetfighter is, I'm gonna laugh and take off.

Cafe Racers, just like Hot Rods weren't just about the style of the ride. It was about being the one who BUILT the bike/car and made it *better* than it was from the factory.

Agree to disagree?