over the years we have seen many different movements within the motorcycle industry. Trends have come and gone, but there have been few movements as influential and powerful as the cafe racer. These motorcycles first began to appear in England in the 1950s, though the culture soon thrived around the world as well.
The amazing thing about cafe racer motorcycles is that most riders probably haven’t heard of them. despite this, its impact was incredibly powerful, though it was rather short-lived. However, the cafe racer is seeing something of a comeback on the streets. as such, this article will serve as a guide for cafe racers then and now.
Reading: Cafe racer culture
We’ll begin with a history of original racing and conclude with the modern day cafe racers on the scene today. Of course, in between all of this, we’ll be touching on some iconic parts of the original scene and taking a look at some of the runners.
the history of the cafe racers
Cafe racers became popular in the 1950s on the streets of England. it was a subculture born out of the rock and roll music scene. Back then, traditional rock and roll music was very fast and incredibly raw. those who loved music saw it become a huge influence on their lives, particularly what they drove. soon, rockers wanted something that reflected the music they were listening to, something fast, raw and aggressive. consequently, the first cafe racers were born.
these motorcycles were distinguished by their design and riding style. You could see a cafe racer from a distance and hear it a mile away. They started out as classic British-made street bikes, but the rockers who rode them wanted to customize them for performance, especially speed.
They were stripped down and made lighter, with lowered handlebars and racing fuel tanks fitted to them. The original street bike seats were torn apart and swapped out for something designed to fit only one person. If you ever saw someone riding a cafe racer, you can bet they would be alone on that bike. of course, exceptions were made when there was a female escort!
so cafe racer motorcycles were designed to be fast and ruthless. as a consequence of this, they had a huge impact on the industry in later years. many believe that if these daredevil rockers had never altered their street bikes, we wouldn’t see the modern superbikes on the road today.
Having seen what a cafe racer is, there still remains one question; where does the name come from? well, the people who designed their bikes this way were often in their mid to late teens. once they had kitted out their riders, they all went up to the transport cafes and waited outside them. you would see these large groups of kids, all on their fast bikes, riding through the cafe.
they would wait until someone came by on a fast bike, jump on theirs, and challenge them to a race. in these days, there was not the concern for road safety that there is today. so you would see these kids speeding down the road racing other bikes to see who was the fastest.
however, it was only when they returned to the cafe after the race that the term ‘cafe racer’ was born. it is believed that these cafes were mainly occupied by long-haul truckers resting from their long drives. everyone laughed at the kids when they came back inside and told them they weren’t real racers, they were just cafe racers.
This was intended as an insult, but the children accepted it. They took this name with pride, and the cafe racer scene was truly created. usually, after they’d had a few runs in one cafe, they’d just go to the next one and do the same thing.
ace cafe london
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When you look at the history of cafe racers, you can identify certain places that were iconic in the formation of the movement. on the north london circular road there was an establishment called ace cafe. It opened in 1938 and was a classic truck stop cafe that soon became one of the biggest and most famous cyclist hangouts in all of England.
before the rockers and their café racers came to town, ace cafe was seen as some kind of revolutionary café with a rocky past. The original cafe was damaged during World War II and reopened in 1949. It had service pumps, a repair shop, and even a restroom for people to clean their vehicles.
soon, thanks to the rise of rock and roll, came the bikers. one of the main reasons teenagers went to cafes with their cafe racers was to listen to music. Rock n roll wasn’t heard on radio stations, so one of the only places you could hear it was on jukeboxes in transport cafes like Ace.
as a result, the café was often inundated with cyclists eager to listen to music and race their custom bikes. ace cafe was the birthplace of many runners, and people would even start rock and roll bands there. it was even used as a set in one of the biggest British movies of the 1960s; the leather boys
Unfortunately, the cafe racer scene didn’t last forever, mainly due to changes in the social climate and an increase in cars on the streets. people in england started buying more cars which made motorcycles less relevant. Consequently, the legendary Ace Cafe struggled to run regular business and had to close in 1969. But, fast forward to 2001, and the cafe was reopened to the public!
it has become a place for avid cyclists to ride and meet up, just like the old days. These days, it’s not so much a cafe racer hotspot as there are bikes of all shapes and sizes from different decades and movements. people can visit the café, enjoy a snack and reminisce about an iconic place in motorcycle history.
the toned guys
If you haven’t heard of cafe racers, you may have heard of ton-up boys. This was another nickname given to teenagers who raced their custom Triumphs Bonneville, Norton and other motorcycles with their open face helmets and aviator goggles.
As mentioned, these kids were determined to make their bikes go as fast as possible. they wanted to replicate what they had seen from some of the legendary racers of that era. as a result, they became obsessed with doing the ‘ton’, a phrase they used that meant reaching a hundred miles per hour on their bikes.
It almost became a badge of honor, or a right of passage for someone who wanted to get on the scene and hang out with a bunch of fellow cafe racers. if you tried to make the ton you would be a nice toned guy and welcome on the scene.
Today, getting to a hundred miles per hour on a bicycle is light work. but, in those days, it was a proper fight and incredibly dangerous as well. you needed a fine tuned engine and balls of steel! this “toned guy” tag added to the cafe racer image and made the riders and bikes look much tougher.
the return of the cafe racers
The coffee racing scene came to an end in the late 1960s, but its impact lived on. The things these toned guys did to their bikes helped influence modern motorcycle designs. Fast forward to today and the memory of cafe racers still lingers.
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so much so that bicycles are starting to become fashionable. today retro things are becoming incredibly desirable and popular. people love to look back and see all the interesting things that used to be around in the old days. When the Ace Cafe reopened, it ripped out people’s nostalgic hearts and once again became something of a catalyst for the cafe racer movement.
Today, thanks to the rules of the road and strict laws governing speeding, the cafe racer scene is not what it used to be. You won’t find groups of teenagers in leather jackets listening to rock music and racing their custom motorcycles everywhere. however, the bikes themselves are certainly making a comeback.
People started taking old bikes from the 1970s and customizing them into the classic café racers of the 1950s and 1960s. Motorcycle enthusiasts began to want something different than what was offered in this current market. They didn’t want a modern chopper or street bike or pay a lot for a performance sport bike. instead, they saw people and companies building these custom cafe racers, and they loved it!
cafe racers have experienced such a boom that some of the biggest bike manufacturers are getting involved as well. Companies like Yamaha and BMW have contacted independent motorcycle builders to create custom versions of their own street bikes. there are even some ready-made cafe racers being released by major manufacturers.
café racers ready to wear
what is an out of the box cafe racer? In short, it is a cafe racer specifically designed by a manufacturer and released to the public as such. this differs from how classic café racers are built, as their entire premise is based on taking existing bikes and customizing them. However, these cars are still very popular and some of the biggest manufacturers are getting involved. To round out this piece, we’ll take a look at two of the most popular cafe racers available today:
triumph bonneville thruxton
in the past, the thruxton was the bike of choice for many cafe racers. They would take this street bike, strip it down, and turn it into an aggressive little machine with tons of power. Today, Triumph has brought the Thruxton back to life as a “modern classic” cafe racer. It’s packed with incredible power, commanding styling, classic looks, and modern capabilities. Essentially, it takes everything great about the classic cafe racer, with a few modern twists here and there, like multiple driving modes and contemporary safety features.
bmw r nine t racer
bmw nine t is its best effort to replicate a classic cafe racer motorcycle. It ticks all the boxes for what you’d expect to find on one of these bikes. It’s got the retro styling, the super-fast engine (you won’t have a hard time hitting the ton with this machine, it tops out at 145 mph) and the aggressive feel that classic bikes had. Plus, it also features the best of modern technology, like amazing safety features and even heated grips on the handles.
Some serious riders aren’t too sure about these standard cafe racer motorcycles. In some ways the very concept of an ‘out of the box’ cafe racer doesn’t make sense as they were never meant to be purpose built bikes. the whole culture came from customizing other bikes you bought and turning them into these things.
That said, there’s no denying that these two models do their best to represent classic cafe racer culture. everything about the design and look of the bike is custom made to fit the style of the 1950s and 1960s. the only difference is that there are modern features that often make these bikes much safer.
final thoughts & the future of cafe racers
cafe racer motorcycles were born out of a rich rock and roll culture in england during the 1950s and 1960s. back then, these bikes were more of a symbol of lifestyle than anything else. now, they have become popular again thanks to the retro boom and what they represent in motorcycle history.
what does the future hold for cafe racers? it looks like they will remain popular as long as retro things remain desirable. Plus, we should see more and more off-the-shelf models as companies try to cash in on this trend while it lasts. no matter what, one thing will always remain, the cafe racer motorcycle is iconic and will live in memory forever.
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