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The term 'Cafe Racers' has never really related to anything to do with performance. It was originally coined as an disrespectful name for the type of (1950s and 1960s) biker who rode no further than the local biker cafe and spent all his time boasting about the speed he could do and his riding prowess. The term then started to be used for the bike they rode (which were, in many cases, a POS... for those who remember the Ogri cartoons, think Malcolm rather than Ogri). Later, the term was adopted for custom machines of a particular type. This type was characterised by aggresive minimalism in terms of equipment and gave rise to some very attractive machines when the customising was done by competent customisers (and also some complete abortions, it has to be said). Moving on, the term has now come to be used for anything that has a single seat and low bars even sometimes things produced manufacturers.

In essence, whatever the term is about, it's never been about performance, more a 'style' thing...

Rob

Malo81, you're looking to do this to a modern single shock R100RT. Be aware there is more to removing the fairing than removing the fairing. You will need parts to mount a headlight. What about instruments? The cables will be too long for lower bars. Have you ever ridden a bike with the fenders removed? I suggest you talk to someone who has already built a similar bike. Get a ride on one! Your modern R100RT is probably a fine motorcycle. Good luck.

Zombie Master wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 3:11 am

SteveD wrote: ↑Tue Aug 17, 2021 6:28 am That's the thing with cafe racers...the mods aren't necessarily about performance.

Then why call them racers?

The term goes back to mods & rockers doesn't it?

SteveD wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 9:40 am

Zombie Master wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 3:11 am

SteveD wrote: ↑Tue Aug 17, 2021 6:28 am That's the thing with cafe racers...the mods aren't necessarily about performance.

Then why call them racers?

The term goes back to mods & rockers doesn't it?

Probably precedes the Mods and Rockers phenomenon though dates for both terms are a bit nebulous. I think it originates in the late fifties when the current term for teenage bikers was 'greasers'...

There are many apocrophal stories about the origin... I think the most likely refers to it's use by a journalist describing the antics of the youth of the day... The only thing that is fairly consistent is that it was originally a derogatory term referring to the rider rather than the machine.

Rob

I'm always amused how owners and dealers think they can engineer better than the factory.

I think Mr. Mallo81 has moved on...he hasn't been back for two days and likely read only a few of the comments early on and figured he wasn't going to get any real help. I personally agree with all that has been said about trying to "improve" the Airhead experience...but I guess some have to find out for themselves.

Kurt in S.A.

I agree that he's probably walked but I think he got a lot of 'real help', it just didn't provide hime with what he wanted which was a simple answer to a very complex question. If someone asks for advice on surviving falling off a cliff, advice to the effect of 'don't do it' is a 'real help'.

Rob

FWIW;
I think you can get pods to work if you use long velocity stacks, Like the original tubing prolonged and the into one or two filters. But then I guess the point is gone..
For the cafe racer term, I allways assumed it started out as bikes modified for speed - lighter mudguards and seats, lower bars, using Triumph engines in Norton frames, cause Norton frames where better and Triumph engines faster.
Put a coin in the jukebox, round the mark and back before the tune was finished!
But then offcourse... nowadays it's a lot about posing,, Caferacers with knobby tires? clip-ons, knobbys and no mudguards? No thank you!

hal wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 8:24 am FWIW;
I think you can get pods to work if you use long velocity stacks, Like the original tubing prolonged and the into one or two filters. But then I guess the point is gone..
For the cafe racer term, I allways assumed it started out as bikes modified for speed - lighter mudguards and seats, lower bars, using Triumph engines in Norton frames, cause Norton frames where better and Triumph engines faster.
Put a coin in the jukebox, round the mark and back before the tune was finished!
But then offcourse... nowadays it's a lot about posing,, Caferacers with knobby tires? clip-ons, knobbys and no mudguards? No thank you!

I think you're seeing what todays aficionados want to portray. The 'original' cafe racer bikes were very often what the impecunious teenagers of the time could afford as a means of transport... often dads old discarded bike or one bought from a geezer down the pub for ten bob. The 'bike' would then be patched up to run and have bits taken off in a (often vain) attempt to make it go a bit faster. The 'racer' part of the name existed only in the cafe and mainly in the imagination of the riders. The Tritons, Norvins and Tribsas were a later generation. It's clear from a number of sources that the term originally referred to the person not the bike... even if the exact origin is lost in the mists (isn't it always). Of course, that's all history. These days the term means what it means (which frankly isn't much) and the origin is largely forgotten. To me, the term ceased to have any significance when various manufacturers started producing 'Cafe Racers' and others started producing them commercially. If anything, the epitomy of the Cafe Racer is that it is individual to the rider and 'all his own work'.

Rob

Nice put Rob! I do love my friends TriBSA, but there's a lot of rubbish out there..

Cheers