03 Jan Cafe Racer
The Return of the Cafe Racer
I created the Cafe Racer design above as a tribute to the return of the cafe racer. From Hipster to Gramps, the cafe racer is back with the stripped down flat black (or whatever color you like) vintage bike. The cafe racer scene began to boom because people wanted something that wasn’t a classic chopper, or high performance sport bike. You also see the big time hipster movement bringing back the old style from clothes to mustaches and most importantly for this article, the cafe racer.
The modern Cafe Racer is typically built on older bikes. A cafe racer is built from many old motorcycles such as the Honda cb 400, Honda cb 650, Honda cb 750 preferably from the 70’s to 80’s. A cafe racer is also built from various Suzuki, Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi and many other brands and models from back in the day. These older bikes are the perfect place to start. From there, builders strip them down, tune them up, and add paint and upgraded parts to make them handle even better. A Cafe Racer is easy to spot with their low, narrow handle bars and fairing on the back of a single seat. These stripped down machines are back as artisans transform well used road bikes into modern day cafe racers. Some of the big brands of today even bring out their own retro models.
The past five years has seen a huge increase in the number of artisan motorcycle builders around the world. They are creating a modern day cafe racer from well used, often neglected road bikes built during the 1970s, 1980s and even the 1990s. This era of motorcycles were generally well engineered and reliable. They did not have the complicated electronics like the motorcycles of today. They still looked like motorcycles, with exposed air-cooled engines, analogue instruments, a lack of plastics and enough chrome.
Niche cafe racer companies like Blitz, Wrenchmonkees, Deus, Steel Bent Customs and Bare Bone Rides, have turned cafe racer building into an art form. They work closely with their clients to create the cafe racer of their dreams.
Graphic Design for Your Garage
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