Overview
The Café Racer captures the very essence of motorcycling, with its stripped-to-the-bone styling and a timeless blend of cat-quick chassis, matched to a barn-storming engine. From its roots in the ’59 Club, home-brewed specials and the creation of the Triton by Dave Degens, the Café Racer became the must-have Rockers’ motorbike. It then became the template for a new generation of fast road riders in the 1970s, with the rise of Dunstall, Rickman, Seeley and many more bespoke bike builders. The factories jumped on the bandwagon. Machines like the Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk I, Ducati 900SS and the MV Agusta 750S all captured the spirit of the Café Racer. Then the slick, super fast, Japanese sport bikes of the ’80s came along, and looked set to consign the Café Racer special to the history books. But a revival had to happen. The Ace Café London re-opened, bike builders as diverse as Wakan, Fred Krugger, Nick Gale and Roland Sands all began to create lean, back-to-basics motorcycles, but with their own unique twist on Café Racer heritage. From the Buell 1125 CR to the Guzzi V7 Sport, mainstream modern bikes have also re-discovered their street racing soul. Packed with previously unseen photos, machine profiles, interviews, and personal anecdotes from the glory days of Café Racer culture, this book takes a look at the enduring cult of the Café Racer, in all its ton-up glory.
Full Product Details
Author: Alastair Walker
Publisher: David & Charles
Imprint: Veloce
Dimensions:
Width: 20.50cm
, Height: 0.70cm
, Length: 19.00cm
Weight: 0.281kg
ISBN: 9781845842642
ISBN 10: 1845842642
Pages: 96
Publication Date: 15 September 2009
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Awaiting stock
The supplier is currently out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out for you.
Reviews
A welcome book on the cafe racer scene ... a quick, but enjoyable look at some 'fab' bikes and good times. - Bike Rider<br><br> If you were there at the time it is a must-have addition to the library, and if you were not, it may make you wish you were! - inter-bike.co.uk
If you're a biker of the '60s. cafe racer or not, you'll lap this book up. With plenty of photos and anecdotes galore, if you're simply interested in what makes motorcycling special, you'll like it too! - Motorcycle Rider Photographs there are in plenty, the b/w pics of the sixties are to me especially interesting ... - NacelleFor anyone who lived through the motorcycle culture of the '50s, '60s, and '70s, or even those who didn't, the book is packed with info and images related to cafe racers and the Rockers who loved them. With a stack of black & white photos liberally scattered through its 96 pages, the tome traces the origin of the cafe racer and the rebellious spirit that went with it, going on to detail the uptake of the style by manufacturers themselves. - Motorcycle Trader
Author Information
Riding motorcycles from 1975, Alastair has tested classic Vincents and 190mph Suzuki Hayabusas. He has toured New Zealand, Oregon, California and most of Europe by motorcycle and followed the Paris-Dakar rally as a journalist in 2001. His favourite motorcycle in 30 years of biking was his Honda 400/4 as “it was the first bike I ever did the magic ton on and got my knee down whilst riding. Fabulous 70s classic.” With over 2500 features published on motorcycles, cars and scooters worldwide, Alastair has written for the Manchester Evening News, Bike, T.W.O. Classic Bike Guide, MSL, Classic Mechanics, NZ Motorcycle Trader, Dealernews USA, and edited online magazine insidebikes.com from 2000-07. His books include Scooterama and The Cafe Racer Phenomenon.
