Name 'the' cafe racer?

[paturoa]

First that popped into my noggin was the duc 750gt.

http://www.ducati.com/heritage/anni70/750gt/750gt.jhtml

But now when I look at it I'm confused. Was there an SS version with a cafe race tiny headlight fairing???

[AllanB]

BSA Gold Star sums it up nicely.

Draft:

yanked and now being rewritten

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Thank you linesmen - thank you ball boys.

NOOOOOOOOOO

It cannot be a production ride - the whole cafe thing started with stripping down a stock bike to make it faster in the jukebox race.

PS - that Guzzi has some style - take a holesaw to the arse end of the pipes Dave......

[Big Dave]

Has to be British for me - all the pics I have of Rockers V Mods have Gold Stars prominent amongst the trouble makers. Good enough!

[Motu]

How'd you reach the bars, Paul? Sit on the tank like a dirt bike -- but then how did you reach the rearsets?

Seemed a good fit at the time - looks like I could even ride it with my eyes closed.

[Paul in NZ]

Has to be British for me - all the pics I have of Rockers V Mods have Gold Stars prominent amongst the trouble makers. Good enough!

But the horrible reality was... They were rare and expensive so seldom seen outside a cafe. The majority of cafe racers were horrible oily wrecks based on whatever could be found stashed in a hedge. There was not the money about to build what we see now through rose coloured glasses.

If you want the definative 'cafe racer' it is NOT a bike built in the cafe style but a bike that was the aspirational item for riders when the cafes were operational and that means early 60's.

Gold Stars (why not)
Tritons
T110's
Velo's...
RE 250 (super 5)

BUT - most people thought Vincents we over complicated evil handling piles of munt suitable for country gents and mole buggery experts - people picked em up for a song really.

The 'proper cafe racers' were often 250's or worse, oily horrible mobile disaster areas - it was not until things picked up in the late 60's and early 70's that 'nice' bikes started being built...

[pete376403]

Manx, 7R (and big bro G50) don't count - they did the "racer" part ok, but not the "cafe" part
My definition of a true cafe-racer would be pre-unit Triumph motor in wideline Featherbed frame, Dunstall decibel silencers on swept back pipes, rear sets and Ace bars. twin Amal monoblocs with bell mouths, Alloy guards that constantly cracked through vibration. AM4 brake linings with "cooling rings" (which may or may not have done anything)attached to the drums . Smiths chronometric speedo and tacho. Stuff like that.

[Motu]

Apart from the front brake,you just described the bike in my photo.I sometimes used flat bars,and even higher bars if I wanted to do a trip.

It was 100lb lighter than a Triumph and good fun for a young fulla....glad I got it out of my system early.I took that bike down to the frame rails before it spat me off.

[Skyryder]

The origins of the cafe racer were the Brit bikes. They were 'chopped' to resemble the Isle of Mann and TT racers of the day. The cafe racers pronunced Kaff were a hodg podge of oily smokers. Once the Kaff was pronounced as cafe as in the French pronunceation the style of bike became a bit more sophisticated. To me the shift shifted from the Brits to continental Euro bikes mid 70's and on.


Skyryder

[xwhatsit]

The 'proper cafe racers' were often 250's or worse, oily horrible mobile disaster areas - it was not until things picked up in the late 60's and early 70's that 'nice' bikes started being built...

Mint! So you're saying I don't have to do too much more work on my bike before I can start calling it a cafe racer?

It sounds like one now at least. I overdid it on the Goldie over-run twitter though -- might just check those header/port gaskets again

[popelli]

I could never understand the rationale behind fitting the triumph engine in the norton frame to build a triton, both bsa and norton built better engines

for my own part I'm collecting parts to build a featherbed special

to date I have collected:

slimline frame
62 Ironhead Motor
metal profile forks (aka rickman)
alloy tank
concial rear hub
laverda twin leading shoe front hub
alloy rims

and the logical name for a Harley Davidson Norton hybrid

[T.W.R]

Pic 1 : serious end of the cafe' racer spectrum : Kennedy Lyster Special = Norton 650ss engine in Lyster frame total weight 300lb

Pic 2 : speaks for itself

[Skyryder]

Apart from the Vincent, the other two are a bit porky, aren't they?

The `Boy Racer' was more of a clubman, no?

Surely it can't have more than two cylinders Fairings are right out. Megaphone(s) and a single seat.

Porky?? Tut tut. I thought the Honda looked.........sharpish.

[rasty]

DB 34 Gold Star in clubmans trim. The one that started it all.

[T.W.R]

for my own part I'm collecting parts to build a featherbed special

to date I have collected:

slimline frame
62 Ironhead Motor
metal profile forks (aka rickman)
alloy tank
concial rear hub
laverda twin leading shoe front hub
alloy rims

and the logical name for a Harley Davidson Norton hybrid

been done

[pritch]

Q: What is 'the' archetypal Cafe Racer Motorcycle?


My answer would be Manx Norton. Yours?

Ummm as somebody may have said the Manx was a racer and was never road legal, no lights, would have had to be bump started etc etc. In the 1940s (?) there was the International which was a Manx engine in a road bike but as someone has said, while desirable it was production so doesn't really qualify.

The Norvin gets a mention which is nice but for me the most elegant and effective cafe racer would be the Triton, a Bonnie engine in a Norton frame.

Probably the most popular conversion back in the day...