This could go on and in turn digress i reckon.....got into this argument ages ago....my mate loves cafe racers...he has a converted scramber....and, he reckons the cafe racer is genesis - everything derives from that to which ive had some raging arguments with him as i said the phrase/term, cafe racer comes from 60's london. People used to convert regular bikes into cafe racers for, racing from cafe to cafe. The only reason i bring this up is as we were walking from stand to stand yesterday at Silverstone he started at it again, i bit my lip and stopped short of arguing again...so...am i right or no...? away you all go...
Thats what I've always thought, they stripped all non essentials off the bikes then raced from cafe to cafe.
I think you are probably right comfysofa.The origi nal bikes raced around London in the late 50's and 60's were typically BSA,Norton, Triumph.these were probably the commonest.The riders then found that by combining good frames with good engines from major manufacturers it would give them a bike to blast from one popular Cafe to another.One of the pivotal 'Cafe Racers' thus spawned was the Triton.A Triumph parallel twin mated to a Norton Wideline frame. If you talk to any old boys from around that era and mention Cafe Racer,the Triton will always be brought up. Here is a picture of my genuine late 50's early 60's period cafe racer with most of the correct bits from the era.The carbs were changed in 1967 to an updated version.
Anything then got converted into cafe racers, but mainly Triumphs (even the old bathtub rear mudguard models); BSAs and Nortons. Tritons, Tribsas and Norvins were popular perhaps the latter not so common though. I had a BSA 650 Super Rocket which had been well caffed - long polished ally tank, single seat with the rear hump cowl; clip-ons, fork gaiters; long reverse cone mega zorsts; chrome headlight etc. Black frame with red seat hump and side panels. Went like stink - Wish I had kept it, not ever seen another one exactly the same.
So...as I said....he says that everything from the year dot is derived from cafe racers....just getting my facts right before I steam in guns blazing...
Your mate is talking bollocks. Cafe racers were a yoof thing of the 50's 60's. They created the beast. Its only popular today coz the feckers have no imagination to do their own thing. Beardy skinny troos twats.
Anyone who wants to know the real story of the Cafe Racers could not do better than to read the book "Cafe Racers: Rockers, Rock'n'Roll and the Coffee-bar Cult" by Mike Clay (published by Osprey 1988). I used to know Mike Clay back in the day - must try to catch up with him, if he's still alive. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cafe-Racer...5152339&sr=1-1&keywords=cafe+racers+Mike+clay
you are correct about cafe racer's. the only trouble now days is that you see it all the time on ebay they stick the tag cafe racer on any peace of crap and think it makes a bike worth a grand or two more, same with street fighter, which nine times out of ten are crashed bikes with twin frog eyed lights and high or flat bars.
It has a Villiers twin, possibly 250 engine, I'll have a stab at a James, it looks too modern to be a Francis Barnet. Steve After a second look I can't quite see whether it's a twin or a single.
Back in 1968 I had a triton that I purchased partly finished which I then finished and then had to register it for the road, I have fond memories of that bike which I sold for £80. I have recently purchased another unfinished project, fortunately it is road registered as a 1960 bike. Steve
Nope....but after I crashed it it was All Junk and Scrap. It's not a James, it's not a Villiers engine and it's not a twin.
Don't shoot the messenger.... It belongs to a welder friend who recently went back to South Africa.... Not my cup of tea, but whatever floats your boat?
