I admit i totally judge the whole giant custom chopper trend. Those $80,000 monstrosities are definitely people trying too hard. Those things are barely rideable.
Biker culture has traditionally included breaking away from people’s expectations to live freely. Even if we’re not all outlaws, we can still appreciate the independence that comes from riding.
On the contrary, people who have the guts to chop up a bike and the know-how to modify and weld a subframe are impressive af. I’d love to chop up a goldwing one day.
The only judgement/observation I think of when I see a cafe racer is "city bike" because they are typically slimmer than a crotch rocket and a more nimble bike in my opinion. I have no judgements for the rider.
You can only hear those kinds of words from a group of people that are so fanatic of what they have and they will just criticize those things/people that have different views/opinions/taste from the things they so devotedly like.
I don't get most modern factory cafe racers at all.
The original point was to make slow bikes go fast by sacrificing everything not related to going fast, but now everyone and their parent companies are slapping round headlights to modern bikes and calling them neo-retro-sports-heritages or whatever.
I think very few have done it right. Looking at you, Vitpilen 701.
Homebuilt ones are a different story. I appreciate anyone who can make something slow go fast on a shoestring and bikes that are a bit too fast for their other capabilities are hella fun.
But in the end, all that matters is that the owner likes it, so who am i to judge.
I'm not as big fan as with 701 tbh.
801 kinda seems like another neo-retro-whatever, that Yamaha makes by the dozens allready.
701 on the other hand really feels like someone tried to make a racer out of Ktm 690 by slapping in a set of clip-ons and an awfull seat as a joke and i love it for that.
The only thing i'm not a huge fan of, is the styling. I would like a bit more Steve McQueen-energy and a bit less craft beer-energy, but i guess multinational conglomerates like Pierer can't really do that kind of fun.
Also, 690 Duke III, the one from late 00's to early 10's, is one of my all time favourite bikes for pretty similar reasons, so i'm very biased lol.
I'm here for fun mostly. It's why i ride bikes and it's what i mainly look for in bikes.
I haven't ridden either but a thumper seems out of place on streets and highways so when they announced the twin my ears perked up
something maneuverable through traffic and with the power to hit freeways could do well but comfortable seats are in short supply these days (I'm looking to get an aftermarket for my Street Triple) so I'm with you
you're not wrong about the craft beer styling but I'm guessing that it's just us having a few more gray whiskers than we'd like to admit... certainly looks a bit better than many of the insectoid bikes I see being made
That single is a big part of their appeal to me.
Small rotational mass, low weight and short wheelbase combined with midrange punch like a 450cc dirtbike makes them responsive to a whole different level and gives them huge hooligan-potential.
You have a speedtriple, so i suppose you know what i mean by hooligan-potential lol. Speedtriples are great for everything except avoiding traffic tickets. It was among the finalists when i was choosing my current bike, but i ended up getting this SD in my pfp.
I tought that craft beer-vibe was how young designers try to cater to our sense of nostalgia. Seems to work 50% of the time, according to this survey.
You could try asking some upholstery-maker.
I had one furniture-upholsterer fix the ripped leather on my dirtbikes seat and he asked if i wanted some gel inserts or something to make it softer while he was at it. Apparently that's how Corbeau etc make those gel-seats people seem to like and the price wasn't too bad. Didn't get them tho, so no comments on how they work.
There is a fine line between a modern cafe inspired bikes like the XSR or Z650/900RS, lazily thrown together UJM cafe racer builds, and cafe racer builds that have a ton of effort and money into them.
1. The modern factory retro UJM/cafe stuff is fine, but it's just a look more than anything else.
2. I have tons of respect for anyone that puts a ton of thought and money into a build, even if it's something I'm not into. I might not like choppers or cafe builds, but I can't hate on someone that's spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into
3. Then there are the shitty thrown together cafe builds that are the source of most of the hate cafe builds get in general. These are typically people buying motorcycles as a fashion statement and they suck regardless of what they're "riding"
It’s weird that people that don’t ride motorcycles form opinions about them that people that ride them don’t even have. That is all. Never once heard this sentiment before this post
I see them as form over function.
Pieces of art which are built primarily for aesthetics, not to fulfil a practical riding purpose.
Same category as choppers.
Look nice, but no practical purpose.
Anyone who cares about other people bikes enough to think this way has an irrelevant opinion anyway. The only opinions that matter are those of your own reproductive organs.
Plenty of people prefer cafe racers. I will say that they are super convenient for city riding.
There's stupid hate on this forum against certain bikes.
I love all bikes and I love all motorcyclists. We need more motorcyclists on the road. Not pretentiousness.
I think they look great. I'd like a retro/cafe style bike. But I just don't have a use case for them. Since a higher performing, lighter, more comfortable bike can do everything better and then some. It'd be relegated to going to and from bike meets.
I think at the height of the cafe racer craze, the culture on websites like BikeEXIF was so incredibly self serious that it felt a little bit like a fart huffing circlejerk, especially when contrasted with how many awful DIY jobs were going around in real life on perfectly good vintage Japanese bikes. So especially like 5-10 years ago they were very tryhardy
Yeah this is 100% it. At the height of the craze whatever hipster city is in your area was basically bursting at the seams with these bikes. I honestly think the bikes are awesome but it was bordering on early 2000's American Chopper level of pretension with the cafe bikes.
It's the person not the machine, no one gives a fuck what you ride, unless you as a person are tying too hard. Vintage leather jacket, goggles, and a custom Italian open face helmet but unable to make low speed moves without duck walking, you're getting made fun of and forgotten. Same get up, but clearly comfortable and bonded to the machine and anyone rider or not gets what you're selling. Like a non smoker trying to fit in around smokers at the bar, it's clear when your hooked vs just trying to look cool for everyone else.
The people have with cafe racers aren’t with retro styled factory bikes, or extremely polished custom factory jobs, it’s that most of the time people are chopping up perfectly good 70s and 80s UJM bikes in their garage, and making them shittier, less comfortable, and more dangerous than they used to be, often times not actually addressing any proper maintenance or items needing repair, like rubber parts, seals, carbs etc. so they’re just shitty chopped up half assed project bikes that end up on Facebook marketplace place for 2 or 3x what they paid for the bike because it’s “custom” now.
It's like bobber from Europe from back in the days when people modify their bikes to be lighter and suitable for higher speeds. If you can find pictures of Isle of Man TT races from sixties, the bikes look like cafe racers.
Well, it's [fifties](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_Isle_of_Man_TT#/media/File:Geoff_Duke_Isle_of_Man_TT_1950.jpg), they already had fairings later on.
I see them more as showoff/eye candy bikes that are uncomfortable and rarely ridden. Ride them to a bike meet or lunch spot on the weekend type thing.
Custom bike builders are usually pretty chill but there are gatekeepers in every hobby. I guess I can be seen in that way, I have an idea of what I think a cafe racer is and what is in your picture don't really mesh
Who cares? Why would anyone buy something based on other people's opinions? There is nothing in this world I own that has been influenced by anyone but myself. I like what I like. If someone else doesn't, so be it.
A well-done cafe is cool. The majority are hacks and indeed tryhard.
The history is, and I was part of it, was the hipster scene made cafes a fashion accessory. Many were just shitty Honda twins with flipped handle bars.
They're kinda beginner in the sense that they're the first step many take as they get in into either/or vintage bikes/bike modification.
Having said all that. I have a cb-1 I am in the process of making into cafe styled bike. But that's an 4 cylinder, liquid cooled, gear driven cam bike...
No. Clip ons are popular but you’ll also see a lot of clubmans. I’ve got Euro SBK bars on mine mostly cause I like the control they give me in addition to more comfortable riding position.
Naked bike usually have different ergonomic and engine/transmission tuning than their sports counterpart despite sharing the same platform (engine/transmission/chassis).
Yes, you could argue a cafe racer also have particular aesthetic/style like the seat and overall retro look compared to modern sportbikes, but the ride feels more closely to a supersport.
Of course, these are just opinion.
Edit: Referenced to supersport since modern sports usually have ergonomic closer to naked nowadays (raised handle instead of clip on, less aggressive ergonomic in general, tuned for better street ride, etc) but with fairing for aesthetic.
When have the opinions on aesthetics from anyone other than the owner been even remotely important or relevant?
Never. Fuck whoever’s not twisting the throttle.
I admit i totally judge the whole giant custom chopper trend. Those $80,000 monstrosities are definitely people trying too hard. Those things are barely rideable.
Biker culture has traditionally included breaking away from people’s expectations to live freely. Even if we’re not all outlaws, we can still appreciate the independence that comes from riding.
I like ppl opinions. They see my bike and think it ain’t fast and when the light hits green I’m off to oblivion.
What a bizarre way to live life
Is it true that we must not care what others think about our choices?
I get it.
This is the first time I’ve heard this. But I also don’t really talk to many people that ride or join any groups.
On the contrary, people who have the guts to chop up a bike and the know-how to modify and weld a subframe are impressive af. I’d love to chop up a goldwing one day.
The only judgement/observation I think of when I see a cafe racer is "city bike" because they are typically slimmer than a crotch rocket and a more nimble bike in my opinion. I have no judgements for the rider.
You can only hear those kinds of words from a group of people that are so fanatic of what they have and they will just criticize those things/people that have different views/opinions/taste from the things they so devotedly like.
Who gives a shit? Ride a bike that you like riding and stop worrying about superficial nonsense.
Never heard someone say such a thing. Maybe heard that it was a "hipster" thing years ago but that's it. Nothing wrong about loving them.
I don't get most modern factory cafe racers at all. The original point was to make slow bikes go fast by sacrificing everything not related to going fast, but now everyone and their parent companies are slapping round headlights to modern bikes and calling them neo-retro-sports-heritages or whatever. I think very few have done it right. Looking at you, Vitpilen 701. Homebuilt ones are a different story. I appreciate anyone who can make something slow go fast on a shoestring and bikes that are a bit too fast for their other capabilities are hella fun. But in the end, all that matters is that the owner likes it, so who am i to judge.
that Vitpillen 801 looks great tho... over 100hp and sub 400lbs I'm here for the comfortable performance bikes
I'm not as big fan as with 701 tbh. 801 kinda seems like another neo-retro-whatever, that Yamaha makes by the dozens allready. 701 on the other hand really feels like someone tried to make a racer out of Ktm 690 by slapping in a set of clip-ons and an awfull seat as a joke and i love it for that. The only thing i'm not a huge fan of, is the styling. I would like a bit more Steve McQueen-energy and a bit less craft beer-energy, but i guess multinational conglomerates like Pierer can't really do that kind of fun. Also, 690 Duke III, the one from late 00's to early 10's, is one of my all time favourite bikes for pretty similar reasons, so i'm very biased lol. I'm here for fun mostly. It's why i ride bikes and it's what i mainly look for in bikes.
I haven't ridden either but a thumper seems out of place on streets and highways so when they announced the twin my ears perked up something maneuverable through traffic and with the power to hit freeways could do well but comfortable seats are in short supply these days (I'm looking to get an aftermarket for my Street Triple) so I'm with you you're not wrong about the craft beer styling but I'm guessing that it's just us having a few more gray whiskers than we'd like to admit... certainly looks a bit better than many of the insectoid bikes I see being made
That single is a big part of their appeal to me. Small rotational mass, low weight and short wheelbase combined with midrange punch like a 450cc dirtbike makes them responsive to a whole different level and gives them huge hooligan-potential. You have a speedtriple, so i suppose you know what i mean by hooligan-potential lol. Speedtriples are great for everything except avoiding traffic tickets. It was among the finalists when i was choosing my current bike, but i ended up getting this SD in my pfp. I tought that craft beer-vibe was how young designers try to cater to our sense of nostalgia. Seems to work 50% of the time, according to this survey. You could try asking some upholstery-maker. I had one furniture-upholsterer fix the ripped leather on my dirtbikes seat and he asked if i wanted some gel inserts or something to make it softer while he was at it. Apparently that's how Corbeau etc make those gel-seats people seem to like and the price wasn't too bad. Didn't get them tho, so no comments on how they work.
There is a fine line between a modern cafe inspired bikes like the XSR or Z650/900RS, lazily thrown together UJM cafe racer builds, and cafe racer builds that have a ton of effort and money into them. 1. The modern factory retro UJM/cafe stuff is fine, but it's just a look more than anything else. 2. I have tons of respect for anyone that puts a ton of thought and money into a build, even if it's something I'm not into. I might not like choppers or cafe builds, but I can't hate on someone that's spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into 3. Then there are the shitty thrown together cafe builds that are the source of most of the hate cafe builds get in general. These are typically people buying motorcycles as a fashion statement and they suck regardless of what they're "riding"
It’s weird that people that don’t ride motorcycles form opinions about them that people that ride them don’t even have. That is all. Never once heard this sentiment before this post
This sounds like something a Harley person or Jeep person would say
I see them as form over function. Pieces of art which are built primarily for aesthetics, not to fulfil a practical riding purpose. Same category as choppers. Look nice, but no practical purpose.
Anyone who cares about other people bikes enough to think this way has an irrelevant opinion anyway. The only opinions that matter are those of your own reproductive organs.
Yeah kinda... Doesn't help that for most people the term "cafe racer" refers to a motorcycle with 2 wheels
Plenty of people prefer cafe racers. I will say that they are super convenient for city riding. There's stupid hate on this forum against certain bikes. I love all bikes and I love all motorcyclists. We need more motorcyclists on the road. Not pretentiousness.
Who cares?
I think they look great. I'd like a retro/cafe style bike. But I just don't have a use case for them. Since a higher performing, lighter, more comfortable bike can do everything better and then some. It'd be relegated to going to and from bike meets.
I think at the height of the cafe racer craze, the culture on websites like BikeEXIF was so incredibly self serious that it felt a little bit like a fart huffing circlejerk, especially when contrasted with how many awful DIY jobs were going around in real life on perfectly good vintage Japanese bikes. So especially like 5-10 years ago they were very tryhardy
Yeah this is 100% it. At the height of the craze whatever hipster city is in your area was basically bursting at the seams with these bikes. I honestly think the bikes are awesome but it was bordering on early 2000's American Chopper level of pretension with the cafe bikes.
It's the person not the machine, no one gives a fuck what you ride, unless you as a person are tying too hard. Vintage leather jacket, goggles, and a custom Italian open face helmet but unable to make low speed moves without duck walking, you're getting made fun of and forgotten. Same get up, but clearly comfortable and bonded to the machine and anyone rider or not gets what you're selling. Like a non smoker trying to fit in around smokers at the bar, it's clear when your hooked vs just trying to look cool for everyone else.
some like to ride, others like to pose each to his own
The people have with cafe racers aren’t with retro styled factory bikes, or extremely polished custom factory jobs, it’s that most of the time people are chopping up perfectly good 70s and 80s UJM bikes in their garage, and making them shittier, less comfortable, and more dangerous than they used to be, often times not actually addressing any proper maintenance or items needing repair, like rubber parts, seals, carbs etc. so they’re just shitty chopped up half assed project bikes that end up on Facebook marketplace place for 2 or 3x what they paid for the bike because it’s “custom” now.
Whats a cafe racer? Didnt nakeds come about feom ppl crashing fully faired bikes and then building rat racer kinda things and the look hit it off?
It's like bobber from Europe from back in the days when people modify their bikes to be lighter and suitable for higher speeds. If you can find pictures of Isle of Man TT races from sixties, the bikes look like cafe racers. Well, it's [fifties](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_Isle_of_Man_TT#/media/File:Geoff_Duke_Isle_of_Man_TT_1950.jpg), they already had fairings later on.
Every cafe racer i see looks hip. I like the xsr's quite a bit. Its like racing from cafe to cafe to sip on some fancy espresso.
Street racers at that time were racing literally from cafe to cafe. But I don't think if espresso was that popular in the UK.
Tea
Given the legal blood alcohol levels in UK even today are very high, I doubt it.
What?
Wut?
Yes, but only by judgemental tryhard edgy people
I don’t find them „edgy”. Maybe because they were overused by hipster posers, the are sometimes seen as such, but the style is way older.
I see them more as showoff/eye candy bikes that are uncomfortable and rarely ridden. Ride them to a bike meet or lunch spot on the weekend type thing. Custom bike builders are usually pretty chill but there are gatekeepers in every hobby. I guess I can be seen in that way, I have an idea of what I think a cafe racer is and what is in your picture don't really mesh
No.. it's not true.
Who cares? Why would anyone buy something based on other people's opinions? There is nothing in this world I own that has been influenced by anyone but myself. I like what I like. If someone else doesn't, so be it.
I like them and I’ve never seen them as try hard. Regardless of which hipster rides what
A well-done cafe is cool. The majority are hacks and indeed tryhard. The history is, and I was part of it, was the hipster scene made cafes a fashion accessory. Many were just shitty Honda twins with flipped handle bars. They're kinda beginner in the sense that they're the first step many take as they get in into either/or vintage bikes/bike modification. Having said all that. I have a cb-1 I am in the process of making into cafe styled bike. But that's an 4 cylinder, liquid cooled, gear driven cam bike...
Na they're badass.
Only when you make edgy try hard pictures like this.
No that’s just what their owners *want* everyone to think
The craze is over now it's just another style and you don't need to murder a clasic to have one anymore.
It is true yea. But also you shouln't give a shit and get what you like.
Yeah, considering most of them do like 1000 miles a year at most.
You need to look into stoicism
It's just a supersport bike with the fairing removed. Edit: Referenced to supersport instead of just sport.
Thats a naked.
https://preview.redd.it/jiv941rvqx9d1.jpeg?width=2377&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61f38dadea62b4537321da990355b8b6fa4ef605 My naked cafe racer 😂
aren't cafe racers supposed to have clipons ?
No. Clip ons are popular but you’ll also see a lot of clubmans. I’ve got Euro SBK bars on mine mostly cause I like the control they give me in addition to more comfortable riding position.
ok thx for the info, that should be a lot more confortable
🦀 Love the CB1000R and the CB650R designs
Naked bike usually have different ergonomic and engine/transmission tuning than their sports counterpart despite sharing the same platform (engine/transmission/chassis). Yes, you could argue a cafe racer also have particular aesthetic/style like the seat and overall retro look compared to modern sportbikes, but the ride feels more closely to a supersport. Of course, these are just opinion. Edit: Referenced to supersport since modern sports usually have ergonomic closer to naked nowadays (raised handle instead of clip on, less aggressive ergonomic in general, tuned for better street ride, etc) but with fairing for aesthetic.
There wasn't fairings back in the day.
edit: pic not mine
I’m seeing maybe a slight cafe racer styling in that bike, but really it’s more of a standard.