Cafe Racers?

[mpls|cafe|racer]

Originally Posted by Jakemon

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

About the same time for mine.

I've been on the "next week" schedule since about November?

I talked to him the other day, and he said he was just waiting for the fiberglass guy to make the reinforcement pan for the tail piece.

[coolvan]

bike: '73 IH
driver: '80 dumbass

[sideshow01]

I started messing around with my 71 since it's cold and shitty out. I did a little photochop of what I'm looking to do... I figure I can use it as an opportunity to make some of my own parts, and finally try my hand at a little fabrication/metal/fibreglass working. I'm building another bike, so in between finding parts and doing shit with that, I can do this.

I've got the seat and rear fender off, set up some bars and have a shape working for my seat. At least with this, if it's not done by spring (like the other probably won't be) I can throw my old seat back on and still have something to ride.

[orangeamcs]

On the list of factory cafes the Manx Norton was forgotten, this is the bike whos style was emulated by many

[rockabillyjay]

[mpls|cafe|racer]

Originally Posted by orangeamcs

On the list of factory cafes the Manx Norton was forgotten, this is the bike whos style was emulated by many

Again, a very historic bike, but IMO not a cafe racer. It's not a custom bike. It's kick ass, and it is definitely something that effected the "style" of the cafe racers, but it wasn't a cafe racer. In fact, it was THE bike that cafe racers were trying to copy, in a street legal and modded manner.

If I'm not mistaken, they were technically production RACE bikes. The worlds most succesful production race bike to this day too.

I like them as much as the next guy, and they are definitely works of art, but there's a distinct difference between a race bike, and a cafe racer.

[mpls|cafe|racer]

From Wikipedia:

the Norton Featherbed frame appeared, gifted to Norton by the McCandless brothers of Belfast in January, 1950, used in the legendary Manx Norton, and raced by riders including Geoff Duke, John Surtees and Derek Minter . Overnight the featherbed frame was the benchmark by which all other frames were judged. Nortons were winners again.

These racing successes were transferred to the street through Cafe racers, who would use the feather bed frame with an engine from another manufacturer to make a hybrid machine with the best of both worlds. The most famous of these were Tritons - Triumph twin engines in a Norton feather-bed frame. Originally used in the Manx model, Norton produced variations of the frame for other models.

The manx was a race bike that was the inspiration to what became the culture and styling of Cafe Racers.

And it couldn't have been a better choice.

[tonuprocker]

Originally Posted by orangeamcs

On the list of factory cafes the Manx Norton was forgotten, this is the bike whos style was emulated by many

i left the manx free of the list due to its absolute unobtainium by the fast boys,they were extreeeemly rare to be seen at the caff's,with the 3 wheel racers fighting for the engines,the 2wheel racers fighting to get them from norton,and the special racers like degans/dresda fighting for the carcases it made them a not viable bike for a 19 year old apprentice,mcm in the 60's always had a used price guide to the back of the mag similar to a blue book and for the most part the manx was allways left off the list due to it being scarce

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".

please refer to the following books to help you with some history
the top 3 bikes on my list were ran by the fastest rockers inthe late fifties,and through the 60's they are legendary among anyone and yes special owners would KILL to get them,the alexandria pl. cafe was known for the fastess most ruthless streetracers of the day...they all ran goldstars,pure factory muscle and clocked up more deaths to streetracing than any of the other haunts like the busy bee,ace etc.

and as a norbsa owner myself i love,lust and desire a true dbd34 gs or rgs along with my triton riding friend


cafe racers,rockers,rocknroll and the coffee bar cult
by Mike Clay
Published in 1988 by Osprey Automotive, London
Hardcover; Dimensions: 8" x 11" (20.5x28 cm)
ISBN 0850456770

rockers-kings of the road
johny stuart
Paperback: 127 pages
Publisher: Plexus Publishing (UK); Reprint edition (September 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0859651258
ISBN-13: 978-0859651257

The Rocker Years
"Bookazines" Edited by Steven Myatt
Published by Mortons Media Group Ltd.
£6.99 each
Available from Mortons Books (UK)

steven myatt's new magazine
http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKER-Magazine-...2006-2007-NEW-


there is a huge resurgence of old rockers now with $$$ buying up the
bikes they envied as youth the ones ive spoke with are generally after factory bikes the thruxton the rgs and the gs


http://www.realclassic.co.uk/opinion...n04060800.html


cheers!

[Moped]

Now that's [the Commando] a cafe racer. Is that your bike Jay?

[mpls|cafe|racer]

Originally Posted by tonuprocker

i left the manx free of the list due to its absolute unobtainium by the fast boys,they were extreeeemly rare to be seen at the caff's,with the 3 wheel racers fighting for the engines,the 2wheel racers fighting to get them from norton,and the special racers like degans/dresda fighting for the carcases it made them a not viable bike for a 19 year old apprentice,mcm in the 60's always had a used price guide to the back of the mag similar to a blue book and for the most part the manx was allways left off the list due to it being scarce

This is very true. Thats why kids would buy the "manx tanks" from companies that made them to make their bikes *look* like a manx (Or, if inclined and able, build their own tanks). See? Customization.....

Originally Posted by tonuprocker

please refer to the following books to help you with some history. the top 3 bikes on my list were ran by the fastest rockers inthe late fifties,and through the 60's they are legendary among anyone and yes special owners would KILL to get them,the alexandria pl. cafe was known for the fastess most ruthless streetracers of the day...they all ran goldstars,pure factory muscle and clocked up more deaths to streetracing than any of the other haunts like the busy bee,ace etc.

and as a norbsa owner myself i love,lust and desire a true dbd34 gs or rgs along with my triton riding friend


cafe racers,rockers,rocknroll and the coffee bar cult
by Mike Clay
Published in 1988 by Osprey Automotive, London
Hardcover; Dimensions: 8" x 11" (20.5x28 cm)
ISBN 0850456770

rockers-kings of the road
johny stuart
Paperback: 127 pages
Publisher: Plexus Publishing (UK); Reprint edition (September 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0859651258
ISBN-13: 978-0859651257

The Rocker Years
"Bookazines" Edited by Steven Myatt
Published by Mortons Media Group Ltd.
£6.99 each
Available from Mortons Books (UK)

steven myatt's new magazine
http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKER-Magazine-...2006-2007-NEW-


there is a huge resurgence of old rockers now with $$$ buying up the
bikes they envied as youth the ones ive spoke with are generally after factory bikes the thruxton the rgs and the gs


http://www.realclassic.co.uk/opinion...n04060800.html


cheers!

Last I checked the truest cafe's were by no means factory stock at all. SOMETHING was modified on them to make them a personalized bike, which brings us directly to the exact point I was making. A Cafe Racer was a culture based on custominzation of those bikes. Even if it's a matter of adding the proper bars and nothing else, it's still not a factory bike.

They may have been running Goldstars, and they may have been factory mills (why mess with near perfection, right? ), but I would bet a left nut that they still customized things on the bike to make it their own.

Also, they may have lusted after said bikes in their youth, and they may buy and leave them stock now as they are not so much a bike, but a collector piece to bring them back to "the good old days", but I'd bet that had they gotten the bike back then, it wouldn't have stayed bone stock.

I'm just saying... all of the best cafe bikes, and all of the ones that epitomize the culture that surrounded them are definitely NOT 100% stock.



Again, compare it to the hot rod culture. What would have more properly defined the culture that was hot rodding? A *stock* 1934 Ford Pickup, or a *rodded* 1934 Ford Pickup? The rodded one! Why? Because part of the defining aspect of the culture was the build.

[mpls|cafe|racer]

I quote you...

Originally Posted by tonuprocker

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

Of the above bikes that you posted not one of them is bone stock.

If they were kept stock, they wouldn't be cafe racers. No such thing as a factory cafe racer.

[Creepinogie]

Since your from Mpls/St. paul you must know the tee shirt guy with an industrial basement full of those bikes. You get to the Blind Lizards Rally every year?

[mpls|cafe|racer]

Originally Posted by Creepinogie

Since your from Mpls/St. paul you must know the tee shirt guy with an industrial basement full of those bikes. You get to the Blind Lizards Rally every year?

Tee shirt guy? Do you mean Gary, or Marty?

[mpls|cafe|racer]

Also of interest... straight from The Ace Cafe's site of Cafe Racer history...

"The main reasons to have a standard bike converted into a cafe racer were:The need for speed, and being cool in all the right places (preferably where you could hear Rock`n´Roll) as well as being quite simply different.

These machines were not only meant to transport you as fast as possible, but were also saying something about you and your distinct attitude. As such bikes were not readily available, you simply had to build them yourself."

[Dave Wild]

Hi, First post from newbie. Heres a pic of a productive evening build of my BSA cafe racer,and Triumph.
Triumph was painted by TY LAWER of Pageant Paintwork the best airbrush artist in England.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/2773/scan0019kn7.jpg

[GASIT]

Big Inch Featherbed,at the TT

[GASIT]

America Style Vincent Cafe Racer

[GASIT]

When the British M/C Industry was taking its very last gasp, Norton came out with this "Cafe Racer" which instantly became known as the Sheep in Wolf's clothing.
Norton had the PERFECT bike to market as a real cafe racer ,the Yellow Peril Production Racer, but they blew it one last time thinking this monstrosity would save them. This is a custom painted version, the stock bike was White with Red and Blue stripes

[GASIT]

Now this is a California Cafe Racer circa 1972. Featherbed/Commando/Snowflake Mags/Hurst Airheart brakes/Ceriani RR forks , racing tires. A real canyon warrior,ready to kick ass on the new crop of '73 Jap stuff, from Big and Little Tiujunga, Sand Canyon, Latigo ,Topanga to the Crest Hwy.

[xicano]

mine