Cafe or cafe racer?

Voodooo

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When does a cafe motorcycle become a “cafe racer”?
Is it purely looks?
Is it performance?
Is it riding position?

A 961 Norton Cafe Racer will get beat performance wise by any modern factory cafe racer bike.
Looks wise, Norton hands down looks the best.
 
Good question, and likely one with no definitive answer.

Back in the day the term was originally coined as an insult. There were ‘real‘ racers, finely tuned and exquisitely built single minded performance machines. Then there were tarted up road bikes fit for nothing more than riding to the cafe... ‘cafe racers’.

Our local NOC has a ‘cafe racer‘ show day each year and their definition is the bike has to have handle bars below the top yoke.

But wadda they know? Last time I went there a really over the top ‘need sunglasses to look at it’ super bling Trident engined Triton won... despite there being a gorgeous road going Manx in the show! To make matters worse, the Trident arrived in a van and the Manx was ridden a decent distance. I lost all interest in their opinion that day !
 
Fast Eddie said:
Good question, and likely one with no definitive answer.

Back in the day the term was originally coined as an insult. There were ‘real‘ racers, finely tuned and exquisitely built single minded performance machines. Then there were tarted up road bikes fit for nothing more than riding to the cafe... ‘cafe racers’.

Our local NOC has a ‘cafe racer‘ show day each year and their definition is the bike has to have handle bars below the top yoke.

But wadda they know? Last time I went there a really over the top ‘need sunglasses to look at it’ super bling Trident engined Triton won... despite there being a gorgeous road going Manx in the show! To make matters worse, the Trident arrived in a van and the Manx was ridden a decent distance. I lost all interest in their opinion that day !
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and there’s the current brown seat and fat tyres cafe bikes.... but hopefully we haven’t seen them or need to discuss them.....
 
It becomes a café racer when it loses most of its creature comforts in the interest of appearance and 'performance'. Café racers were personalised to make the rider feel that they were on a real factory racer which then developed into a culture with recognisable traits like the clip-ons and the clothing. Kind of like the Subaru drivers with their WRC copies. Is my Morgan 4/4 still a sports car even though any half decent people carrier will out perform it? It sure feels like it.
 
So where does the 961 Norton fit in at? Is the commando cafe racer a “cafe racer”because it says so on the air box and has clip ons? Or does the dominator 961 more of a cafe racer because of the frame style, seating position, clip on, open megaphones (when fitted). But the dominator also has a single rear shock.

Or does none of these fit the “cafe” or “cafe racer” name because they are production made bikes with no actual racing history and what they really are, are wanna be urban racers that will get smoked by nearly every modern bike on the road today.
 
I think you're beginning to understand what Cafe Racer means.
Different things to different folks.

Clearly the 961 Cafe Racer is a re-creation, in style, that celebrates the cafe racers of the past ('50-60s), which were basically modified standard production machines. They were modified by their owners to appear more like the race machines of the day. Some were also modified for better performance, and handling as well.

But, as a re-creation, provided direct from the manufacturer, the 961 can never be a cafe racer in the truest sense. It is a low volume production street/road bike. It was never intended to have high performance by today's standards, it is a modern classic, where form is more important than overall performance.
 
Well the true Cafe Racer of UK 60's had leopard spotted seat covers, nothing to do with performance or racing, just looking like a Spotted Dick :eek:. Maybe this inspired the current brown seats, the level of crassness being the same is a good clue ;) .

Cafe or cafe racer?
 
BritTwit said:
I think you're beginning to understand what Cafe Racer means.
Different things to different folks.

Clearly the 961 Cafe Racer is a re-creation, in style, that celebrates the cafe racers of the past ('50-60s), which were basically modified standard production machines. They were modified by their owners to appear more like the race machines of the day. Some were also modified for better performance, and handling as well.

But, as a re-creation, provided direct from the manufacturer, the 961 can never be a cafe racer in the truest sense. It is a low volume production street/road bike. It was never intended to have high performance by today's standards, it is a modern classic, where form is more important than overall performance.
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What than is a modern Thruxton or a Ducati monster? Both are able to out perform many modern bikes
 
Scott, I think you’re missing the point mate...

The point is, forget carbon wheels, you NEED a leopard skin seat for your Dominator...!
 
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"caff racer" definitely means different things to different people
To me a proper caff racer has to be a Brit twin or single it has to have clipons rear sets megaphone exhausts,bacon slicers bell mouths extended float bowl/bowls chrome headlamp on John tickles finest , aluminium tank ,mudguards etc etc
I detest the brown seat Motocross tyred beard oil burners, but each to their own
I also love "proper" bobbers IE the ones built in the 50s out of old Harley's and Indians that were "bobbed" cut down to make them a bit quicker,a bit more nimble so they could keep up with the triumph,BSA, Nortons of the day
It could be argued that these early bobbers were cafe Racers!? They were built to go fast/handle better after all?
But the stuff we are seeing now is beyond belief
BMW boxer twins with a cut down sub frame Motocross tyres and a braaan or biege seat "cafe bobber cobblers" for sale at £10,000 give me a break
 
baz said:
The modern caff racer is not about performance as it once was
It's now solely about style
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That’s true. Remember that in the 60s folk genuinely needed / wanted / could use more speed. modifying your bike for more performance was a genuine ‘thing’.

Anyone who says they need to modify their Panigale road bike for more performance is clearly an a grade bullshitter !
 
Voodooo said:
What than is a modern Thruxton or a Ducati monster? Both are able to out perform many modern bikes
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The Thruxton is a modern classic, a re-creation with cafe design, like the 961, but with marginally better performance.
The Ducati Monster is a modern road/streetbike, with modern performance, and hooligan attitude.
 
BritTwit said:
The Thruxton is a modern classic, a re-creation with cafe design, like the 961, but with marginally better performance.
The Ducati Monster is a modern road/streetbike, with modern performance, and hooligan attitude.
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Marginally ?
 
baz said:
The modern caff racer is not about performance as it once was
It's now solely about style
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I agree.
Today cafe racers have been supplanted by modern production street legal racers better known as sportbikes/superbikes.
This started in 1985 when Suzuki introduced their GSXR750.
Today just about every factory has their version of a production racer sportbike.

In the 50s, 60s, and 70s if you wanted a swoopy ride that looked like a racer, you had to build it, or buy aftermarket parts and bolt them on.
Today, you just go into your dealer, put the cash down, and ride out.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Marginally ?
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Yes,
The difference in all out performance between the Triumph and 961 is marginal IMHO.
Yes, the Thuxton does have its advantages over the 961 in weight and power.
Not like the difference between let's say the Triumph and a Ducati V2 Panigale which is a modern sportbike.
The Panigale would eat the Triumph alive.
Quarter mile, road circuit, top speed, etc.
 
BritTwit said:
The Thruxton is a modern classic, a re-creation with cafe design, like the 961, but with marginally better performance.
The Ducati Monster is a modern road/streetbike, with modern performance, and hooligan attitude.
Click to expand...
That’s my point of the thruxton. It’s a better performer than the 961. And it also runs with many modern bikes.
 
BritTwit said:
The Thruxton is a modern classic, a re-creation with cafe design, like the 961, but with marginally better performance.
The Ducati Monster is a modern road/streetbike, with modern performance, and hooligan attitude.
Click to expand...
I don't think you can call the triumph thruxton a modern classic, to me it's a modern theme bike and there's nothing wrong with that
I like the style of them but I would never want to own one
The same could be said of the 961 but the monster is out there on its own
It's not trying to be anything else
 
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