This has absolutely nothing to do with Cafe Racers...but who care. Meagan Fox for Esquire magazine. Enjoy.

I've always held a fascination for American's ability to put personal freedoms above all else. There's few other examples of the culture that take you so quickly to the true heart of the country and which speaks more strongly about what it means to be an American. And in my eyes at least, nothing speaks more strongly about America's dedication to personal freedoms than their helmet laws. Now please don't get me wrong, I'm no spokesperson for the Helmet Law Defense League. I have never ridden a bike without a helmet and I never intend to. I value my brain too much for that. It's what I use to love my family, earn a living, and enjoy a country ride in autumn as the sun sets. But I've always been one for standing up for a person's right to choose.

There's nothing more intriguing in a bike build story than a mystery, and this here little Triumph has it in spades. See, no one knows exactly what this bike was in a previous life but the smart money is on a rigid dirt tracker. The motor and frame were acquired with a large stockpile of old British dirt trackers and parts that Big D Cycles bought last year; "this bike came out of Les Edwards stash" says Jerrett Martin from Big D. "Les was a famous tuner and builder of dirt track bikes out of California. He owned the Triumph/Suzuki Shop Cycle Imports. A lot of famous riders got their start riding Edwards' bikes; Gene Romero, Mark Brelsford, Dave Hansen and many others. Dave Hansen rode an Edwards' bike to Triumph's last TT race victory at the Houston Astrodome in 1974 (pictured below). In that race, Hansen beat king Kenny Roberts, who was on a Yamaha." When Les retired he moved his large collection of motorcycle goodies to south Texas. When he passed away, Big D Cycles bought all the race bikes, motors, frames, and spares that were in an old metal barn on his property.

If you're searching for some cool posters to line the walls of your workshop look no further. Classified Moto has come these 3 great posters available now in the webshop.






Or if it's extra light you need you could dig a little deeper and splash out on one of their amazing lamps. Made from recycled motorcycle shocks and brake discs. Perfect for those late nights up to your elbows in oil and grease.

Here's something that's been hanging on the ideas board for a while now. A Pipeburn ride day. Yes, you read that correctly. Us. You. The builders. The bikes. Great views. A killer ride. Got your attention now? Thought so. But that's not all - not by a long stretch. See, if we get our shite together, we're looking to carbonise some meat to boot. It simply does not get any better than this, gentlefolk. Understandably, some of you may have lost your senses right about now so take a moment, breath, lay down for a while if need be and when you've recovered your composure read on...

I don't know know why green is a popular colour for these little Cafe Racers but I have to say I like it. This time it's a nippy little Kawasaki that's received the full Cafe Racer treatment.

There's not many vehicles in Australia that would earn you a police search and a close inspection of the business end of a boom stick, but believe it or not this bike would. Because it's illegal. Actually it would also be illegal in Britain, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Netherlands and even Canada. Not because it exceeds any noise or build restrictions but because those big-ass brass knuckles under the seat. You see, knuckle dusters are illegal in most countries. In France where the Motobecane Moped rolled off the production line 30 years ago, brass knuckles are legal, but carrying them requires a license – not a bike license either. The French term for knuckle dusters is 'coup de poing américain', literally 'an American punch'. So we think it's fitting that an American, Jarrett Petty of Austin Texas gave this French moped a serious make over. You could call it an 'American Punch' to the eye balls.

These days when we talk about Cafe Racers by definition a lot has changed. Back in post WW2  England Cafe Racers were built because of a lack of production motorcycles that had the performance the riders wanted. The Rockers or Ton Up boys went to great lengths to defy the manufacturers by building their own "sports bikes". A high powered (and more reliable) Triumph engine was transplanted in to a legendary Norton featherbed frame and the Triton was born. The Norvin and Tribsa were similar creations that produced the handling to give riders the edge in street racing and the power to break the mighty Ton (100 Mph).


But the motorcycle manufacturers caught on to the trend and motorcycles began to evolve. Improved all round performance meant that such drastic measures were no longer needed to build a better bike. Today there are a plethora of motorcycles that out power and out perform the classics (sad but true) and building a Cafe Racer is no longer just about the search for better performance, it is an expression of style...but in the most practical sense. Does this mean these modern interpretations are a diluted version of the original Cafe Racers? Well I'd say no. The Rockers were all about style and they were posing on their machines in just the same way the Mods were on their scooters, their motorcycles were practical works of art. This is perhaps the key to building a Cafe Racer. It's an expression of power and style. There's no excess, everything you will see is essential and most importantly it all looks great.


So if you want to build a Cafe Racer where do you start? What motorcycles make good Cafe Racers? What parts do you need and what difference will they make? How can you build a Cafe Racer on a budget and who can you ask for advice? I am starting this series of posts titled "Building a Cafe Racer" to hopefully inspire and empower, to give guidance to those who need it and to hopefully have some fun. Watch this space for more over the coming weeks.