A café racer (/ˈkæf reɪsər/ kaf-ray-sər or less commonly /ˈkæfi ˌreɪsər/ ka-fi-ray-sər) is a lightweight, lightly powered motorcycle optimized for speed and handling rather than comfort – and for quick rides over short distances.[1][2] With bodywork and control layout recalling early 1960's Grand Prix road racing motorcycles, café racers are noted for their visual minimalism, featuring low-mounted handlebars, prominent seat cowling and elongated fuel tank – and frequently knee-grips indented in the fuel tank.[3]
The term developed among British motorcycle enthusiasts of the early 1960s, specifically the Rocker or "Ton-Up Boys" subculture, where the bikes were used for short, quick rides between cafés – in other words, drinking establishments.[4][3][5][6]
Writing in 2005, motorcycle journalist Peter Egan suggested the genesis of the term to the 1960s.[7] In 1973, American freelance writer Wallace Wyss, contributing toPopular Mechanics magazine, wrote that the term café racer was originally used derogatorily in Europe to describe a "motorcyclist who played at being an Isle of Man road racer" and was, in fact, "someone who owned a racy machine but merely parked it near his table at the local outdoor cafe."[8]
In 2014, journalist Ben Stewart described the café racer as a "look made popular when European kids stripped down their small-displacement bikes to zip from one café hangout to another."[9]
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