I don't get Cafe Racers

[eldog]

You're learning ...

a late begineer and a slow learner, only learning by mistakes.

[Big Dog]

Myths or legends?
I have heard the original cafe racer scene was based around The Ace Cafe. To be part of the group you had to be able to do a loop set by the group you wanted to join within the time it took to play a specific song on the juke box. From seated no helmet on to kitted to done the lap to seated no lid again.
I have heard a few tales from various riders of appropriate vintages of all piling out the door to do the lap with the last one back picking up the tab form the next round.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[speights_bud]

[neels]

I can kind of see the appeal behind this, but I'm probably to OCD to actually do it.

The old GT185 I've got in the garage would be a perfect candidate, full restoration would be bloody expensive so to go cafe racer would be a cheaper alternative, and it would still be fun for the boy to ride to school. The problem is that I would struggle to bring myself to bastardise a complete original bike, and would still want to leave the option of putting it back to original so it would be stuck in no mans land and probably look like crap.

The thing that always interests me is that people build these things and then want to sell them almost finished, so it would seem they're either not building them for themselves and think the buyer will pay a premium for a shitbox bike that's been customised, or it gets to the too hard point when it comes to making it legal and try to recover what they've spent and make it some other sucker's problem.

[mossy1200]

The thing that always interests me is that people build these things and then want to sell them almost finished, so it would seem they're either not building them for themselves and think the buyer will pay a premium for a shitbox bike that's been customised, or it gets to the too hard point when it comes to making it legal and try to recover what they've spent and make it some other sucker's problem.

Leave off the front mudguard and say it requires a mudguard to be completed is CR for $500 is going to double my budget I am better off just collecting my 7 grand straight away.

[F5 Dave]

I can kind of see the appeal behind this, but I'm probably to OCD to actually do it.

The old GT185 I've got in the garage would be a perfect candidate, full restoration would be bloody expensive so to go cafe racer would be a cheaper alternative, and it would still be fun for the boy to ride to school. The problem is that I would struggle to bring myself to bastardise a complete original bike, and would still want to leave the option of putting it back to original so it would be stuck in no mans land and probably look like crap.

The thing that always interests me is that people build these things and then want to sell them almost finished, so it would seem they're either not building them for themselves and think the buyer will pay a premium for a shitbox bike that's been customised, or it gets to the too hard point when it comes to making it legal and try to recover what they've spent and make it some other sucker's problem.

Funky 70s Suzuki, give it what they call these days, a sympathetic rolling spruce up. Would look and be far better than an attempt to café it.

My T125 Stinger is going to be a resto, although they were std probably the closest thing the late 60s had to a streetfighter, through no fault of its own. It will be a resto, but not a rivet counter's resto, it will end up with the size up rims so I can run 2.75" tyres rather than 2.25" & a twin leading shoe brake, but it will all look like factory fitment, what they could have made for another market. And of course it won't run the plastic like grips or tyres.

[husaberg]

Funky 70s Suzuki, give it what they call these days, a sympathetic rolling spruce up. Would look and be far better than an attempt to café it.

My T125 Stinger is going to be a resto, although they were std probably the closest thing the late 60s had to a streetfighter, through no fault of its own. It will be a resto, but not a rivet counter's resto, it will end up with the size up rims so I can run 2.75" tyres rather than 2.25" & a twin leading shoe brake, but it will all look like factory fitment, what they could have made for another market. And of course it won't run the plastic like grips or tyres.

I would say the were a street scrambler styled. High piped high wide bars.
For what they were and when they were made they bloody handled well.

[F5 Dave]

They were sod weird, indeed part street scrambler yet stretchingly marketed as some sort of GP replica & not like anything in the T range, even the funky Invader.

[Paulo]

I get cafe racers but agree with the OP about prices expected for a chopped up shitter. I got my Guzzi for way less than that GL400 on TM.


she's not done yet just I glassed up the tail section and am waiting for my mates missus to do the upholster the seat pan I made (the one in the pic is the back rest off a computer chair from the dump)

[Banditbandit]

Pretty Guzzi .. I think they make the best cafe racers now ... I'd have one like that the day after me missus said "yes".

[Crasherfromwayback]

I like red ones

]

I like a little bit of black with my red.

[Voltaire]

Myths or legends?
I have heard the original cafe racer scene was based around The Ace Cafe. To be part of the group you had to be able to do a loop set by the group you wanted to join within the time it took to play a specific song on the juke box. From seated no helmet on to kitted to done the lap to seated no lid again.
I have heard a few tales from various riders of appropriate vintages of all piling out the door to do the lap with the last one back picking up the tab form the next round.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

If it had been 1968 I'd have picked Hey Jude

[husaberg]

If it had been 1968 I'd have picked Hey Jude

Which would have got you a kick to the gollies and immediately relegated you to the Vespa/Lambratta section of another café with the rest of the Mods.

[F5 Dave]

You spelt Lambretta wrong, but that isn't a criticism.

[Voltaire]

Which would have got you a kick to the gollies and immediately relegated you to the Vespa/Lambratta section of another café with the rest of the Mods.

Oh well....I'm more Who, Small Faces than Stones...