Cafe Racer style

HISTORY
 
The term café racer (/ˈkæff reɪsər/ kaff racer or less commonly /ˈkæffi reɪsər/ kaffi racer) developed among British motorcycle enthusiasts of the early 1960s, specifically the Rocker (or ton-up boy) subculture,The term describes a style of motorcycle for quick rides from one "transport café"or coffee bar to another.Cafe Racers were also common in Italy, France and other European countries.
In 1973, Popular Mechanics said the term Café Racer was originally coined as an insult toward riders pretending to be road racers but instead only parked outside cafés.

Typical configuration

The café racer is a light and lightly powered motorcycle that has been modified for speed and handling rather than comfort. The bodywork and control layout of a café racer typically mimicked the style of a contemporary Grand Prix roadracer, featuring an elongated fuel tank, often with dents to allow the rider's knees to grip the tank, low slung racing handlebars, and a single-person, elongated, humped seat.
One signature trait were low, narrow handlebars that allowed the rider to "tuck in" — a posture with reduced wind resistance and better control. These handlebars, known as "clip-ons" (two-piece bars that bolt directly to each fork tube), "clubmans" or "ace bars" (one piece bars that attach to the standard mounting location but drop down and forward). The ergonomics resulting from low bars and the rearward seat often required "rearsets", or rear-set footrests and foot controls, again typical of racing motorcycles of the era. Distinctive half or full race-style fairings were sometimes mounted to the forks or frame.

The bikes had a utilitarian, stripped-down appearance, engines tuned for maximum speed and lean, light road handling. The well-known example was "The Triton", a homemade combination of Norton Featherbed frame and Triumph Bonneville engine. It used a common and fast racing engine combined with a well-handling frame, the Featherbed frame by Norton Motorcycles. Those with less money could opt for a "Tribsa"—the Triumph engine in a BSA frame. Other combinations such as the "Norvin" (a Vincent V-Twin engine in a Featherbed frame) and racing frames by Rickman or Seeley were also adopted for road use.

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