
(Old-School Cafe Racers, riding their Cafe racers)
The term Cafe Racer stems from the 1960’s counterculture group (the Rockers or the Ton Up Club) found in Brittan, Italy, Germany, and other European countries. Rockers were a young and rebellious Rock and Roll sect that wanted a fast, personalized, and distinctive bike to travel between cafes along the motorways in and around European towns and cities. The goal of many was to be able to reach 100 miles per hour (called "the Ton") while racing from the cafe to a predetermined place and then back before a single song could play on the jukebox. Doing so was called “record-breaking.”
The basic design for a Cafe Racer motorcycle is a bike that has been modified for speed and good handling. A Cafe Racers' bodywork typically feature an elongated fuel tank and a rearward mounted humped seat. A signature trait were the low, narrow handlebars that provided more precise control at high speeds and allowed the rider to "tuck in," to cut down on wind resistance.
My favorite are the Honda CB's from the 60's and 70's.
Honda CB750 1972
Honda CB450 1969 (Ebay find)
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