Topic: Is the cafe craze over?

[chewbacca5000]

Is the cafe bike thing fizzled out?  I don’t seem to see it as much on TV or the internet.

[seanbarney41]

Does anyone care?

[chewbacca5000]

Does anyone care?

I guess not.

[simon#42]

Does anyone care?

if you sold exhaust wrap and black rims you would be gutted ..

[Tim2005]

not forgetting stockists of frame hoops and quilted seats

[spotty]

my god ...think of the clip ons , what'll happen to all of them ? will they be left to starve on the shelves of a million ebay stores ?

[lafindufondu]

right there with the brown leather seats

[Kelly E]

right there with the brown leather seats

Leather? I thought they were made of the finest pleather.

[scottly]

Poor Carpy.

[754]

Cafe bikes were an old thing by 1975, big in Britain.
 Then around 75 some Japan makers starter making bikes with Cafe cues.. and Harley built a cafe bike as well..

 I am waiting for the sportbike craze to wear out..

[bwaller]

Sportbikes? As opposed to cruisers Frank? Seems HD is scratching their heads too.

[dave500]

nothing has,or ever will,replace the 70s universal Japanese motorcycle,still perfect in todays world,attractive,sporty and versatile,adaptive,economical and so much fun to ride!i for one will be glad to see the end of the modern era cafe craze if that's what it is?this craze also must include retards just learning how to hold an angle grinder?and drill holes?and just google #$%* to get their "build" so different from the others?

[754]

Sportbikes? As opposed to cruisers Frank? Seems HD is scratching their heads too.

I don't like a lot of the cruisers from Japan, I like the Harleys better.
But what I like about cruisers is you can ride from sea to shining sea in our country.
 On a sportbike on the Western side here, you get caught 24mph over the speed limit, they want to take your bike, and give you a heavy fine and maybe your license for a week. .
 So what fun is it riding with the throttle off most of the time.
 Car drivers are terrible here, many distracted drivers, it's not like when we started riding 40 years ago..
 I like travelling  but don't go full tilt through the corners .

It's more about how many corners in a day, as how fast I can corner.

But hey I get it, some like riding fast and making the bike work, and the racetrack is the right place..

[Bankerdanny]

It seems to have died down. That said I am still toying with building one from my stash of 550 parts, which is large enough to build almost 2 bikes.

[754]

 There will always be cafe bikes..
 There is a new subspecies, Starbux bikes, and some ofvthem don't corner well.

[Kelly E]

I am building a cafe bike. My 74' 550 is an abandoned cafe project that I got for $500. It came with about $1500 worth of new parts and a bunch of good work done on the motor. I got clip-ons that rise up 2 5/8" and I only moved the pegs 2" back and 1/2" up. I am 60 and have broke my back twice. There is no way the clubman bars that came with it were going to work as well as the rearsets. So I guess my build will be a rideable cafe bike.

[simon#42]

most of them were rubbish , hipsters thought they were making something trendy out of an old motorbike when in reality they were ruining one .
at best badly made at worst dangerous !

[mathias2803]

I think the worst thing being done is putting Firestone tires on and not thinking about how changes being made will effect the handling of the bike. I grew up riding dirt bike, 50cc moped and 125cc and now 750cc. I strongly remember my friend's father having a Norton caferacer and from the moment seeing it and going to old bike gatherings I've always loved older bikes. But instead of buying a Norton I wanted to build my own caferacer and personalize it which I've done. But I hate the label and generalization all these old guys are putting on me when they see I have a built Cafe.. I see alot of ignorance around the caferacer hipster builders tho so I do understand were it's coming from

[TwoTired]

most of them were rubbish , hipsters thought they were making something trendy out of an old motorbike when in reality they were ruining one .
at best badly made at worst dangerous !

...is what I was thinking...

[bwaller]

As long as people feel the need to "improve what the factory did" there will be abortions appear.

Frank, I support people riding whatever they choose. At some point ebikes will dot the skyline so be prepared.

I agree that any bike out of the crate that can manage 160+mph is ridiculous. Here the insurance rate is so high, many are leaving their faired bike in the garage. From a firefighters point of view it's more baby boomers returning to motorcycles falling off that sportbikes....but whatever!

I'll say this...if sport bikes disappear there will be no need for factory   MotoGP or WSBK racing. That will end the technology trickle down. No other model line benefited more.

I feel the manufacturers need to take a look back. Smaller displacement models, even a return of the Cub may excite the millenials, a new HD isn't doing it anymore than a 1000cc sportbike

[Kelly E]

My main bike is a 84' Honda Sabre 700. Even though it is 35yo it surprises a lot of people with how quick it is but I like it because it is very comfortable around town or on trips. 

[carnivorous chicken]

People ask me if my 350F is a cafe racer. I've had it for 22 years, and when I got it the exhaust was shot. So I got a 400F exhaust. And that means I needed to replace the pegs with 400F pegs that put them back 6 inches or so. And I've got clubman's on it, and it's comfortable and fun to zip around town on. Stock airbox. Stock seat, Stock everything else, really, even turn signals and rear brake light. I put rear sets and clubmans and a cafe seat on my 160 because, c'mon, it's a 160. Most of the bikes I've worked on in the last decade are usually stock or close to it. But I do think that the "cafe craze" is over, for better or worse. Ok, for better -- there were a ton of junky and dangerous looking bikes out there.

[Don R]

 I'm seeing cut up bobber and cafe projects for sale, mostly bikes that have been stripped and screwed up until the owner realizes he has no real plan. Then they don't have time.
 I had a relative of a friend ask me to help finish his bobber, he had the wiring all separated and half removed. I declined the offer. I kinda feel bad for not helping. Not really.  And it's a Yamaha, not my favorite.

[bwaller]

You're right Don, there must be many, many just like the one you mention.

[BomberMann650]

You guys are all right

And you #$%*in bet there's gonna be a goddamn screaming 550 sticking around for a while