Not your average water buffalo:
A lot of the vintage cafe bikes bother me. The style/look is based upon the modification techniques that improved performance in the 60's/70's/80's, when cafe racers were essentially racing bikes with lights. What goes for "cafe" bikes now are not racers. Cafe cruisers maybe.
/rant.
Most of the above are in the "acceptable" to "sweet" range though. Wife says I'm a horrible bike snob.
I've got one. Did my best to do as much performance-oriented modding as was monetarily feasible in college. Has plenty of go and plenty of stop and more grip in corners than I care to use on the street. Haven't tracked it yet, but if I haven't sold it by this summer, I plan to. Picture is before rebuilt brakes and front and rear suspension rebuild/upgrade.
DukeOfUndersteer wrote:
That is sexy.
I'm partial to doing a Harley Sportster like this:
Ranger50 wrote:DukeOfUndersteer wrote:That is sexy.
That is one of my favorite bikes on the face of the planet.
http://www.returnofthecaferacers.com/
this one is "unique"
DukeOfUndersteer wrote:
The term 'cafe racer' was originally somewhat derisive and would be very similar to the 'fart can' street racers today. I still want to build one, in fact I have considered reworking the XS with clip ons etc and it could happen.
In Britain, riders would race from one cafe or bar to another and whoever got there last bought drinks, sometimes it was a bet that they could go to a given point and back before a song quit playing on the jukebox. Of course there were those who modified their bikes so they wouldn't be last, when they did they followed the race bikes of the time with clip on bars etc. The bikes became VERY popular and the manufacturers began making their own versions, even Harley got in on the fad with the XLCR.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_racer
Mine -
I built it for fun. I could spend ten times what I have into it now and it would still be slower and poorer handling then a $2000 used SV650, so why get hung up on performance? Old school cafe guys didn't have any other option back in the day then to take these old bikes and try to soup them up.
JohnInKansas wrote: A lot of the vintage cafe bikes bother me. The style/look is based upon the modification techniques that improved performance in the 60's/70's/80's, when cafe racers were essentially racing bikes with lights. What goes for "cafe" bikes now are not racers. Cafe *cruisers* maybe....
So what class did cafe racers race in back in the 60s, 70s, 80s (I can remember all those decades too)? So, racers took them off the track, put lights on the and the cafe racer was born? Does racing bike with lights apply to the modern rr bikes (GSXR, YZFR etc)?
vazbmw wrote:JohnInKansas wrote: A lot of the vintage cafe bikes bother me. The style/look is based upon the modification techniques that improved performance in the 60's/70's/80's, when cafe racers were essentially racing bikes with lights. What goes for "cafe" bikes now are not racers. Cafe *cruisers* maybe....So what class did cafe racers race in back in the 60s, 70s, 80s (I can remember all those decades too)? So, racers took them off the track, put lights on the and the cafe racer was born? Does racing bike with lights apply to the modern rr bikes (GSXR, YZFR etc)?
Todays cafe racers are the stunners. They are more concerned with showing off in public and no concern for other motorists. Perhaps thirty years from now people will romanticize the Star Boyz and fix up old SRAD era GSXRs and ride around with no gear.
I'm with rusnak. My XS650 is nowhere near a match for modern bikes (except perhaps in handling) so it's just for fun. Now, back in da day it was easily a match (or better) for anything else around except the 4 banger Hondas.
The 'stuntaz' today are like the flagpole sitters or goldfish swallowers of the past. They are looking for attention, nothing more. That's not to say that none of them are capable riders, much like the freestyle MX guys who also race Supercross etc. I'm not sure the 'stuntaz' bikes will become future cult classics.
If history repeats itself, it would be much like the Brit car hobby now, divided into two major camps: one side is into period correct resto to near perfect OE condition and the other side is into vintage racing, building the cars as an homage to the race cars of the 50's, 60's and 70's.
Think about it. The cafe racers at the ace with the studded black leather jackets, pins an club 59 patches. They were obsessed with street racing and doing "the ton". If they could have been doing third gear wheelies, they would have.
Yes. Today's cafe racer bikes are a beautiful homage to the bikes of yesterday. They are light, fun and meet a particular look. They are more fashion (not in a bad way though) than performance, but if you brought them back in time to the 50's or 60's they would be high performance. BUT, we are not in that time period any more. I can appreciate everything about them without getting hung up on 0-60 times etc. Mora Pix Pleez?
There's 1 cafe' racer on this page so far: the Dunstall Norton above, and the seat's wrong. The XLCR was called a cafe' racer, but it's a friggin' AMF era ironhead sportster.
Here's a bunch of cafe racers.
Want to build one? Find a Triumph parallel twin engine and a Norton featherbed frame, and Call these guys for pieces parts.
I would conciser today's cafe racers streetfighters.
In reply to motomoron:
What makes those above not cafe racers?
Appleseed wrote: I would conciser today's cafe racers streetfighters.
The streetfighters could definitely be considered the descendants of the 60's cafe racers. The rider's on a budget, buys a bent bike. Rips off unnecessary crap, makes it lighter and faster. I can see that more than the 'lookit me' stuntaz.
To me its all about the budget. Doesn't make much sense to spend $3500 on a CB750 unless you want an aircooled 750cc bike. If so, there are some more powerful bikes from the 80's that remained aircooled.
The reason I enjoy my bike (XS650) is because its simple, its cheap (i got a good condition spare engine for free) and now its very hard to lose money on it unless I go nuts.
My issue is that there has not been a growth in Cafe's to keep pace with the Cafe racers. I want to head out on my motorcycle for a nice 60-90 minute ride, hit a cafe full of cool bikes, listen to some music, grab a burger, then head home. Will someone please open an Ace Cafe in SouthEast Ohio?
just for fun...from the hotlink thread
Taiden wrote:
My god I am in love with this Virago. Now looking for one.
You'll need to log in to post.
