You may have heard the term “café racer” floating around the motorcycle world in recent years, which can be attributed to a sudden boom in interest in this style of motorcycle. A café racer is a motorcycle with a retro look that has been increasing in popularity within the past decade. The trend was off to a slow start in the mid 2000s. Now, the café racer community is growing faster than ever and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
The term café racer was first coined in the UK by groups of motorcyclists racing from café to café in the early 60s. The motorcycles they rode were stripped of any unnecessary weight. They were given a more aggressive stance to make them more aerodynamic and nimble. The purpose of doing this was purely for speed. Some attributes that make a motorcycle a café racer is lowered or flipped handlebars and moving the rear-sets (foot pegs, foot break and shifter) further toward the rear of the bike. This re-positioned the rider from an upright riding stance to a much lower forward leaning stance. The seat was also a popular modification. The rider/builder would remove the big heavy factory seat and replace it with a much smaller one.
Becuase these bikes were faster and the seats were much smaller, riders would struggle to keep their body on the bike. The seat was later designed with a back to stop one from sliding off the bike. Behind the seat stop was a cone called a cowl, to increase airflow behind the rider. Today, cowls are most popularly made from lightweight metal, carbon fiber and fiberglass. A few mechanical modifications were, and still are, lightening the flywheel, larger carbs, smaller gas tanks, boring out the cylinders and the list goes on.
A contributing factor in the café racer’s return is the motorcycle company Ducati. Ducati had been manufacturing motorcycles like the Streetfighter and the Monster. These bikes slightly resemble a café racer in the way that they were both stripped down or otherwise known as Dz naked bikes. In 2005, the company built a café racer bike called the Sport Classic featured in the movie, “Tron.” Ducati built this bike for about five years and ceased production due to lack of sales.
Dealers eventually sold these bikes for a cheap price compared to their MSRP in order to move their inventory. During that time, professional motorcycle builders and garage builders alike saw the beauty in that style. They began building cheap and easy-to-come-by bikes within that realm of the café racer look. Now that the style of a café racer has made a come back, the Ducati Sport Classic has become the first motorcycle in history to increase in value after ceasing production. If you find yourself lucky enough to come across one in good condition these days be ready to pay through the nose.
Café racers look great and they are relatively cheap to build if you’re willing to put the time in. There are several companies that build aftermarket parts for just about any vintage and new bike that you might want to turn into a café racer. Because of so many companies building custom parts it has made building a café racer a lot like building Legos. This is especially true for 70s model Hondas and Triumphs. Recently, 70s model BMWs have been added to that list of desirable and easy to customize retro bikes. Since this resurgence of the café racer people are not only building antique bikes, but also new age bikes that range from a triumph to a Harley Davidson and everything in-between.
For more information and examples of these motorcycles check out Pipeburn.com, Bikeexif.com or the largest café racer instagram account— @caferacersofinstagram
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