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Two-Up, Cafe Style
by Gary Charpentier |
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Since
I began writing this column about a year and a half ago, I
have been asked many times about my definition of "Cafe
Racing". Is it defined by the style of bike you ride, or by
the style in which you ride your bike? Originally, the
cafe racers of England and continental Europe rode nothing
more than stripped-down roadrace replicas. These were as
close to the machinery one would see on the racetracks or at
the Isle of Man TT as imagination and basic machining skills
could duplicate. Almost always equipped with a single seat,
clip-on handlebars, and the absolute minimum of electrical
equipment, light weight and a well tuned engine were the
core of the formula. For the most part, these machines had
to be custom-built, because the factories weren't putting
out race-replicas yet, and modern sport bikes were still
decades away. The way I
understand it, cafe racing grew up around the "transport
cafes" on the ring roads of London. Much like our truck
stops here in the States, these little joints dotted the
landscape between London and Brighton and all the other
major cities and towns in the island kingdom. A bit of sport
called "Record Racing" was invented, where a rider would
start his bike, someone inside would start a record on the
jukebox, and the rider would roar off to a predetermined
location from which he would call and see if the record had
ended yet. Breaking "The Ton", or 100 mph, was a goal--and
really quite a feat for some of these oil-slinging
contraptions. Today however, you
can go into any dealership and find a motorcycle to fit
almost any style you want. There are ready-built cafe racers
on offer from several manufacturers, only limited in their
authenticity by minimal safety and pollution control
requirements. Or you can buy a bare-bones standard and spend
the money you save on the purchase price buying the
accessories necessary to convert and personalize your mount
to whatever your idea of a proper cafe racer is. You can
even go all out, and into debt, buying the latest
superbike/race-replica and attain speeds the "Rockers" of
yore never dreamed of. These choices kind of muddy the
waters for those who define cafe racer as a style of bike.
The other
alternative is to buy a sport bike of your choice, and spend
your saddle time getting from cafe to roadhouse to wherever
as quickly as possible, parking next to your buddies to
spend a pleasant afternoon bench racing over a nice
micro-brew or mocha. I like this approach the best, because
it emphasizes riding over wrenching. Sure it is nice to
build a knock-your-eyes-out custom, and then spend all day
answering questions like: "Where did you get that piece?"
and "How fast does it go?". I have done plenty of that in
the past. But this year, it's time to ride! My wife and I
found the bike of our dreams at the Cycle World show in
Minneapolis. How fitting that on Valentine's Day, 1999, we
should both fall in love with the same motorcycle! I am
talking about the Triumph Sprint ST. With that snarly 955 cc
triple, streamlined dual headlight fairing, and sporty yet
comfortable riding position, this bike has everything we
will need to cover a lot of miles with smiles. Can you ride
two-up and still be a cafe racer? Why not? Long before they
started calling it "Sport Touring", young blokes and their
"birds" were hooning all over the British Isles on the backs
of Triumphs and Nortons, BSAs and Velocettes. While not
exactly trying to set records point to point as they did
when riding solo, there was something about sharing the
experience of a fast motorbike with an enthusiastic
passenger that had a thrill all it's own. Besides, when you
pull into that small greasy spoon out on the edge of a
strange town, it's nice to have someone along to talk to as
you scarf down your next case of heartburn. Destinations are
going to become more important, of course. In the past, the
ride has always been the thing. A destination was only an
excuse to put on more miles. Roll up a sleeping bag, pack
only the bare essentials in a tank bag and hit the road
to…anywhere! Well yeah, that's great when you are
twenty-something, single, and free of the stiffness which
overcomes older riders after a night spent on a picnic table
in a wayside rest. For Amy and I, add a tent to that list,
and pack the Visa card for that spontaneous hotel stay. We
want to go and see stuff! We want to go and do things! We
don't want to ride hundreds of miles to nowhere only to
return hunchbacked and miserable, victims of our own
romantic impulse. Don't get me
wrong, I don't see a Gold Wing anywhere in my future. Not
even an ST1100! But after several long road trips on my old
roadracing Ducati, I am ready to see what this whole
ergonomics thing is all about. Am I getting soft? Growing
old? Oh, I don't think so. After all, the Sprint ST is
faster on the top-end than the Ducati ever was--even in race
trim. I can always pull off the bags, raise the pipe, and go
Sunday morning scratchin' with the boys. Then I can come
home, pick up my wife and head out to the river to watch the
sunset. So, is it a Cafe Racer? Well, I don't know about
that--but I do know that I still am. M.M.M.
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