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Visit a café in the 60s and you would typically find a line of motorcycles stacked along the front of the establishment, demanding the attention of all who passed by. These were not just any motorcycles, and they weren’t invented on the drawing boards of a major manufacturer in Coventry; these machines were built by the owners. They looked fast and they were fast.

The recipe for a successful 60s café racer was simple: just fit clip-ons, rear set footrests, swept-back pipes (complete with barely legal reverse-cone megas) and a race seat with a Manx Norton type hump, and you had a café racer. As the café racer scene developed, bikes started to have small handlebar fairings fitted, too. And for the serious café racer, engine tuning began to take hold. Bigger carbs, more carbs, and performance cam shafts gave the café racers the power to match the looks.

Today the café racer motorcycles come from a variety of sources. Major manufacturers such as Triumph produce new machines styled in the classic café racer of the 60s (with their Thruxton), but it is the small specialist shops and owner riders who are driving this thriving business. And although a conversion of a modern bike may require specialist fabrication and welding skills, most of the parts to give a bike the authentic café racer look are readily available.

The choice of which bike to turn into a café racer is almost unlimited. The original café racers were typically Triumph Bonnevilles, then Tritons became a popular choice (a Bonneville engine in Norton featherbed frame). But today the café racer style can be seen on many different bikes.

If you are thinking of converting your bike to give it that café racer look, it pays to consider the entire project first and seek the help and advice of companies such as Original Café Racer Co. And remember, if you make it look good and go faster, don’t neglect the braking system!