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From: Knobdoodle on 27 Oct 2009 10:51
Even Brad Pitt wears $5 Rigger's gloves:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/25/article-1222833-06F4A534000005DC-286_468x627.jpg
--
Clem
(http://xkcd.com/621/)


From: Zebee Johnstone on 27 Oct 2009 20:31
In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:27:22 GMT
George W. Frost <georgewfrost(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?

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.

Zebee
From: George W. Frost on 27 Oct 2009 21:09

"Zebee Johnstone" <zebeej(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:slrnhef46i.1qgr.zebeej(a)gmail.com...
> In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:27:22 GMT
> George W. Frost <georgewfrost(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?
>
> 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.
>
> Zebee

I think the first "factory cafe racer" I saw was a Ducati 350 around 1968
then the British came out with a cafe racer Triumph, BSA and others followed
Thought the Enfield had more of an upright position with their bars
Clip-ons were popular here, but not in the USA, they went more for the
high-rise ape hangers
popular here from around 1958 on


From: Zebee Johnstone on 27 Oct 2009 22:01
In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:09:23 GMT
George W. Frost <georgewfrost(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> I think the first "factory cafe racer" I saw was a Ducati 350 around 1968
> then the British came out with a cafe racer Triumph, BSA and others followed
> Thought the Enfield had more of an upright position with their bars
> Clip-ons were popular here, but not in the USA, they went more for the
> high-rise ape hangers
> popular here from around 1958 on

Nope, see http://www.realclassic.co.uk/continental05081900.html
that's the Continental. Hardly upright bars.

The long forks and apehangers is a later custom, in the 50s they
weremaking their bikes more like brit ones with cruft removed and
lower bars.

They also modified for desert racing and drags as I said.


Zebee

From: theo on 28 Oct 2009 02:19
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
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