If you decide to have minimal modifications, please make sure that you have a proper base bike which is in descent, (ride-able) condition. Two other important must haves are: the willingness to learn working on a motorcycle (if you have to) and time. Weight reduction (= remove all unnecessary parts)īuying cafe racer parts online? Read here where you should get them.īack in the 60’s and 70’s this would do the job just fine. So if you’re working on an absolute minimum budget, you can have yourself a cafe racer for a few hundred of dollars, depending on the price of the base bike.Low handlebars (clip ons or “clubmans”).Good news: that is totally do-able! So what are the must haves for a typical cafe racer? That’s difficult to say, because everybody has his own taste, but if we follow our unofficial description of a cafe racer, these modifications are an absolute must: So you’re building a cafe racer on a budget.
I think it’s not necessary to spend thousands of dollars, so we’ll hook you up to the bare essence of building a cafe racer.ĭon’t forget to read my “ Cafe Racer Building Plan“ this will give you an extensive overview of the (re)building process of your own cafe racer. The name comes from the Tokyo shop that started it all, Go Takamine's Brat Style.With this post I’ll try to inspire cafe racer enthusiast to start working on their own Low Budget Cafe Racer. Café racers come in a lot of different setups and prices, from bikes under $1000 and even up to $60,000 (like the CX500 Café Racer from Sacha Lakic). They're generally dark, low, mean and cheap. Think of it like a cross between a Cafe Racer and a Bobber. Brats originated in Japan and are in short, a trimmed down version of the Cafe Racer. If you didn't think the lines were blurred by now, this is where it gets really tricky. Reducing the fenders and other components of the bike. If you look at the above image, you'll see that the Bobber is a similar shape to the Classic, just stripped back.
Originally called a "bob-job", Bobbers were a custom motorcycle, which involved stripping back the unnecessary (in the opinion of the rider) parts and components to lighten the motorcycle. The lighter frame enabled riders to slide sideways around tracks while maintaining speed. This is also why the exhausts sit high like a Scrambler. Think of a Tracker like the original dirt bike. Lighter than a Cafe Racer but not as durable as a Scrambler, the Tracker has a rich history that dates back to 1910. Now you know the difference between a Cafe Racer and a Scrambler, it's easier to determine a Tracker. With the development of off-road bikes, Scramblers are more of a look than a purpose built bike nowadays and as you'll see from the pic below, they look pretty darn' good. Think of them as the first dual-sport riders. This is why the exhausts sit higher, allowing the rider to transition easily from road to off-road. Even if that meant driving through fields of thick grass and mud. The origins of Scramblers are quite similar, but whereas Cafe Racers would take the standard road course from cafe to cafe, Scramblers took the fastest route between two points. The term 'Cafe Racer' originated in Post-War Britain in the 1960's, where the bikes were used by "rockers" as quick rides between hang-out cafes. So let's help you know your vintage motorcycles by pointing our some little (but key) differences and giving you a quick history of these beautiful machines.įrom the above image, you'll see that the key difference between a Cafe Racer and a Scrambler is the position of the exhausts. It takes a trained eye to spot the difference. Just look at the Ducati Scrambler and Triumph Bonneville Bobber.ĭetermining the difference between the abundance of vintage bikes is not easy and as time goes on, the lines become blurred. If you ask any true rider, the joy of a motorbike isn't simply limited to the ride, it's also the endless hours spent in the garage or driveway working on the metal baby.īut the resurgence of these motorcycle styles means that these days, you can even buy "vintage bikes" off-the-shelf. Vintage motorbikes are, for good reason, all the rage at the moment. It will help you define the difference between a Cafe Racer, Scrambler, Brat, Tracker and more. If you're in the market for your own vintage motorcycle, it's important you know your history.
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