From: atec 7 7 "atec on
theo wrote:
> On Oct 28, 9:31 am, Zebee Johnstone <zeb...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>> In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:27:22 GMT
>> George W. Frost <georgewfr...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> There were no cafe racers in the 1950's
>>> they didn't come into vogue till the early 1970's when the Japanese bikes
>>> hit the market
>> Umm... eh?
>
> That was my reaction.
>
>> The term is late 50s early 60s in the UK (hint, why cafe?), and the
>> import of the lighter faster Brit bikes were what prompted HD to
>> create the Sportster in the early 50s.
>>
>> I dunno if the US riders used the clipon style when they customised
>> their bikes, I bet a few did. Most I think tended to the more US
>> style of street racing so tended towards higher wider bars for drags
>> and desert racing.
>>
>> I think one of the first "factory cafe racers" was the Enfield
>> Continental GT which was a 250 from the mid 60s. As the name notes
>> though it was more about emulating the Italian sportbikes than the
>> Brit ton-up boys.
>
> It would indeed be very difficult to emulate ton-up boys on a 250
> Enfield. :-)
>
> Theo
But the 500 might have a chance and the 650 4 sure
From: Zebee Johnstone on
In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:04:05 +1000
atec 7 7 <"atec 77"@hotmail.com> wrote:
> theo wrote:
>> It would indeed be very difficult to emulate ton-up boys on a 250
>> Enfield. :-)
>>
> But the 500 might have a chance and the 650 4 sure

dunno.. I don't think they got much in the way of boy racer till the
constellation.

Zebee
From: atec 7 7 "atec on
Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:04:05 +1000
> atec 7 7 <"atec 77"@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> theo wrote:
>>> It would indeed be very difficult to emulate ton-up boys on a 250
>>> Enfield. :-)
>>>
>> But the 500 might have a chance and the 650 4 sure
>
> dunno.. I don't think they got much in the way of boy racer till the
> constellation.
>
> Zebee
I had a 59 Meteor in the late 60's which was ridden to high school on
the dry days ( owned a 49 Mercury at the same time for the wet)
The meteor was the prettiest thing with a cut down clipper fairing on
black frame , chrome fork covers and tank with a deep red laquer applied
as a central colour over chrome , with higher compression and cams with
a tweaked carb it made a genuine 100 mph plus although throwing me once
shattering my right collar bone and a major shoulder dislocation
destroying it's self in the process which was quite a loss at the time
.. I has saved for years working after school and only owned it perhaps
nine months , bloody nice bike and with dropped end bars and Dunlop
tyres corned well , only good thing out of the smash was I bought my
first Triumph speed twin and discovered real performance and going "fast"
:)
From: George W. Frost on

"theo" <theodoreb(a)bigpond.com.au> wrote in message
news:9a77f1c0-28b6-4331-aa35-41b6aa06ddfc(a)g22g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
On Oct 28, 9:31 am, Zebee Johnstone <zeb...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:27:22 GMT
> George W. Frost <georgewfr...(a)gmail.com> wrote:

> > There were no cafe racers in the 1950's
> > they didn't come into vogue till the early 1970's when the Japanese
> > bikes
> > hit the market
>
> Umm... eh?

That was my reaction.

************************

There were the few boy racers around before this, but the majority of cafe
racers didn't eventuate till later on

In the 1950's, it was the Triumph, BSA, AJS, and others with standard bars
which were on the road
then the japs came in around 1967 with cheaper and better lasting bikes,
then the urge to change the styling of them started, with the bars changed
along with other things.
If you could get a Harley, it was usually a Sporty, because the Glides were
too expensive, then if you got a Gilde, the first things to go were the
garbage bags and standard bars, replaced with ape hangers

I thought you were old enough to remember those things Theo



> The term is late 50s early 60s in the UK (hint, why cafe?), and the
> import of the lighter faster Brit bikes were what prompted HD to
> create the Sportster in the early 50s.
>
> I dunno if the US riders used the clipon style when they customised
> their bikes, I bet a few did. Most I think tended to the more US
> style of street racing so tended towards higher wider bars for drags
> and desert racing.
>
> I think one of the first "factory cafe racers" was the Enfield
> Continental GT which was a 250 from the mid 60s. As the name notes
> though it was more about emulating the Italian sportbikes than the
> Brit ton-up boys.

It would indeed be very difficult to emulate ton-up boys on a 250
Enfield. :-)

Theo

**************************

It would be very difficult to really find someone who actually wanted to buy
an Enfield


From: Zebee Johnstone on
In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:40:51 GMT
George W. Frost <georgewfrost(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
> "theo" <theodoreb(a)bigpond.com.au> wrote in message
> news:9a77f1c0-28b6-4331-aa35-41b6aa06ddfc(a)g22g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> On Oct 28, 9:31 am, Zebee Johnstone <zeb...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>> In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:27:22 GMT
>> George W. Frost <georgewfr...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> > There were no cafe racers in the 1950's
>> > they didn't come into vogue till the early 1970's when the Japanese
>> > bikes
>> > hit the market
>>
>> Umm... eh?
>
> That was my reaction.
>
> ************************
>
> There were the few boy racers around before this, but the majority of cafe
> racers didn't eventuate till later on

THey did. Not as factory, but you didn't say that did you.

Be clear, it helps.

And I dunno the Continental was the only one.

Zebee