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Full Description
The Café Racer captures the very essence of motorcycling, with its stripped-to-the-bone styling and a timeless blend of cat-quick chassis, matched to a barn-storming engine.
From its roots in the '59 Club, home-brewed specials and the creation of the Triton by Dave Degens, the Café Racer became the must-have Rockers' motorbike. It then became the template for a new generation of fast road riders in the 1970s, with the rise of Dunstall, Rickman, Seeley and many more bespoke bike builders.
The factories jumped on the bandwagon. Machines like the Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk I, Ducati 900SS and the MV Agusta 750S all captured the spirit of the Café Racer. Then the slick, super fast, Japanese sport bikes of the '80s came along, and looked set to consign the Café Racer special to the history books.
But a revival had to happen. The Ace Café London re-opened, bike builders as diverse as Wakan, Fred Krugger, Nick Gale and Roland Sands all began to create lean, back-to-basics motorcycles, but with their own unique twist on Café Racer heritage. From the Buell 1125 CR to the Guzzi V7 Sport, mainstream modern bikes have also re-discovered their street racing soul.
Packed with previously unseen photos, machine profiles, interviews, and personal anecdotes from the glory days of Café Racer culture, this book takes a look at the enduring cult of the Café Racer, in all its ton-up glory.
Contents
Foreword by Dave Degens, Mark Wilsmore 1 The Rockers' Ride - look back at early days, the cafe scene in London and UK, rock n roll, quiffs etc. First Cafe Racer bikes built by amateurs and Dave Degens, then Dunstall, Seeley, Kirby et al. 2 Putting on the style - How the cafe racer developed and grew through the 60s, the links with race-proven Brit bikes, chassis builders tweaks to basic concept, the improved suspension, braking of late 60s/early 70s. The arrival of Japanese engines en masse early 70s, huge shake-up of Cafe Racer cottage industry in the UK. 3 Factory Rides and Bolt-On Goodies. The craze catches on in the 70s, factory bikes like Ducati 750/900 SS, Guzzi Le Mans define the styling of the era, Bimota, Moto Martin, Harris and others push the envelope in design and performance, whilst others start selling 'bolt-on' kits for 250-1000cc production bikes. 4 The Specialists - In-depth look at some of the most influential chassis fabricators of the Cafe Racer phenomenon; Dave Degens/Dresda, Norman Hyde, Harris, Rickman, Bimota, Fritz Egli. 5 The Revival - Brief look at the Cafe Racer fading in 80s and 90s, then revived by factory models like Triumph's Speed Triple 900, Honda GB500TT, Voxan, plus Ace Cafe revived late 90s, custom builders like Mecatwin, Numero Tre begin to inspire enthusiasts around the world. 6. Cafe Racer Directory - a listing of specialist Cafe Racer bike builders, parts suppliers, clubs, insurers etc. plus websites, magazines dedicated to the cult. Good advertiser potential here.
