and there’s the current brown seat and fat tyres cafe bikes.... but hopefully we haven’t seen them or need to discuss them.....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 !
Absobloodylutely....and there’s the current brown seat and fat tyres cafe bikes.... but hopefully we haven’t seen them or need to discuss them.....
What than is a modern Thruxton or a Ducati monster? Both are able to out perform many modern bikesI 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.
The modern caff racer is not about performance as it once wasWhat than is a modern Thruxton or a Ducati monster? Both are able to out perform many modern bikes
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’.The modern caff racer is not about performance as it once was
It's now solely about style
The Thruxton is a modern classic, a re-creation with cafe design, like the 961, but with marginally better performance.What than is a modern Thruxton or a Ducati monster? Both are able to out perform many modern bikes
Marginally ?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.
I agree.The modern caff racer is not about performance as it once was
It's now solely about style
Yes,Marginally ?
That’s my point of the thruxton. It’s a better performer than the 961. And it also runs with many modern bikes.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.
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 thatThe 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.