Although the chapters of conflict that we have experienced throughout our existence have been very regrettable, not everything is negative, because precisely the consequences that the periods of lack at the end of the wars have brought with them have been the inspiration of the birth of one of the most popular motorcycling concepts.
In the 1950s, Europe was trying to recover from the horrors and devastation of World War II. But just when the gasoline rationing in England was canceled, the young people of the time started a movement that would last until today.
Most young British people did not earn enough money to buy a new motorcycle, much less to buy a large engine. Most could only aspire to buy a utility motorcycle, even with everything, that motorcycle was already the first step to access the freedom of movement that allows your own vehicle and a new way of living.
These utility bikes were transformed to improve their performance and that is how the Café Racer concept was born .
The concept of Café Racer was born in England in 1950, Its North American equivalent would be a Bobber or a Chopper .
It is a style of motorcycling and motorcycle popularized mainly by the Rockers , who customized their motorcycles with small fairings , modifications to the chassis and footpegs, exhaust pipes, tailpipes and general lightening of the machine, removing everything that was not necessary and placing special emphasis. in speed and agility, leaving the comfort of your mounts in the background.
The term Café Racer in particular was used to refer to the motorcycle races that young motorcyclists did between coffee and coffee, while a song was playing on the jukebox of the exit cafe. The beginning of the song gave the starting signal and the participants had to reach the next reference cafe before the topic ended. They themselves built their motorcycles in their home garages in the most traditional and personal way.
Thus arises the name Café Racer
But where does this name come from? The boys traveled around London on their motorcycles and stopped to rest and hang out in some popular cafes of the time, such as the BusyBee or the Ace Cafe.
In these places there were jukeboxes where they could listen to rock and roll and rockabilly songs, which were banned on British radio because they were considered violent and scandalous.
It is said that the challenge was to go from one cafe to another in less time than a song lasts and although some claim that this is a myth, the truth is that motorcycle races were organized on the motorways around London, being the cafes the meetinghouses of the Ton-Up Boys.
Currently, the big motorcycle brands have their caferacer line, which has become a classic that awakens nostalgia and is the icon of those times of rebellion, motorcycles and rock and roll.
The cafe racer is much more than a motorcycle style, it is an attitude towards life. In the words of writer and journalist Hunter S. Thompson, caferacers are of a different breed, with “an ancestral mentality, a peculiar mix of low-key, high speed, sheer nonsense and an inordinate commitment to 'coffee life' and all its pleasures. dangerous."
For a motorcyclist, building his own cafe racer is starting the engine of his life, he becomes a Dr. Frankenstein who takes the best parts of different motorcycles and unites them into one that expresses his personal style and shows the world what speed wants to reach its destination.
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