BREWING UP SPEED & STYLE: THE STORY OF CAFÉ RACER MOTORCYCLES

by Mark Manzo

BREWING UP SPEED & STYLE:
THE STORY OF CAFÉ RACER MOTORCYCLES

When you hear the term, “café racer,” do you think of bikers zipping between coffee shops to toss down oat milk lattés on the quick? While café racers and cups of joe have a connection, there’s so much more to them — including their inspiration behind Old Soren motorbikes. 

What’s in a name?
The term "café racer" originated from motorcycle enthusiasts in post-WW2 Britain speeding to their hangouts of choice: cafés. This sparked a popular challenge: start a song on the jukebox and race from one café to another before it finished playing — a practice known as "record racing."

Caffeinated customization
For these bikers to get to their destinations as quickly as possible, they began stripping their rides down and matching the look of the era’s Grand Prix racing motorcycles. This led to what would become the trademark look of café racers:

  • Single seats with a seat cowl
  • Minimal bodywork and stripped-down aesthetics
  • "Ace" handlebars for a lower, more aerodynamic riding position
  • Longer fuel tanks with indentations for the rider's knees
  • Rear-set footpegs for a more aggressive riding stance 

The Fab Four
While a variety of motorcycles became popular bases for café racer conversions, these four bikes were favored for their performance and ease of modification:

  1. Triumph Bonneville
  2. Norton Commando
  3. BSA Gold Star
  4. Royal Enfield Continental GT 

Join the club
For many riders of the era, the goal was to hit 100 mph (aka, “the ton”). This gave rise to the "Ton Up Club," an informal group of riders who had achieved this speed on their customized machines. 

Across the pond and beyond
By the 1960s, the café racer style had passed Britain’s boundaries and spread to Italy with Moto Guzzi and Ducati, followed by Japan with Honda's CB series, which became popular for cafe racer conversions. (Our bikes enjoy inspiration from Honda’s TMX frame). 

Falling down and getting back up
With the rise of more specialized motorcycles (especially choppers in the U.S.), the popularity of café racers faded in the 1970s. However, the style never completely disappeared and saw a significant revival in the 2000s.

Revving up a renaissance
Today, many manufacturers offer modern interpretations of the classic style, blending retro aesthetics with contemporary technology. This is exactly what Old Soren Motorcycle Co. does with its fully electric moped motorbikes — combining timeless café racer looks with leading-edge EV technology for the ultimate riding experience.

EMBODYING THE SPIRIT OF SPEED AND INDIVIDUALITY
Much like the mid-century café racers they’re based on, Old Soren moped motorbikes emphasize the connection between rider and machine, prioritizing the perfect blend of form and function while providing a modern, sustainable transportation solution that can help make the planet a better place. After all, those coffee beans aren’t going to harvest themselves.

Get things brewing at oldsorenmotorcycleco.com/products/founder-series-motorcycle.

 

 

 

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