Author Topic: cafe bikes are getting popular and the "hipster"word is getting thrown around  (Read 12172 times)

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Offline d3buttz

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I dont think anyone has posted yet about what we all have been hearing and thinking. cafe bikes are getting popular and the "hipster"word is getting thrown around. I know that the cafe scene is getting very popular and its has me feeling uncertain about its future.  This realization hit me when i saw the first few episodes of Cafe Racer on HDTHEATER (which i totally enjoyed) but, mainly im tired of people charging way too much for parts bikes now that they are popular.  Hell, i like the the fact that there are people who are also into what i love but im scared of seeing what we do turn into another category others can put us in and see it get ruined. I like to wrench and build cafe bikes- period.

What are all your thoughts?
« Last Edit: November 02, 2010, 05:00:23 PM by d3buttz »
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=80508.0

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Offline Gordon

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What are all your thoughts?

I think you've been hiding under a rock. ;) ;D

Offline DavePhipps

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Fads come and go. We'll still be doing what we like after it's over. Then we can get all those projects that couldn't be finished by the fad followers.
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Offline SOHC Digger

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Fads do come and go.  Look at "Choppers."  Jesse James was doing some cool stuff and getting publicity and pretty soon everybody was a "Master Builder."  Then those clowns from Orange County came along and really drove the nail in the coffin on that one.  Now the only people building choppers anymore are those of us who liked them before they were "cool."  The term "chopper" got so bastardized from it's original meaning "to chop #$%* off" and now people think any bike with rake and stretch is a chopper.  Hell, I even saw a Caterpillar theme "Chopper" that weighed in at a hefty 800 pounds.  Tell me what got chopped off of that thing?

Cafe's may be the new fad, but if you truly love them, you and your bike will still be around when the posers are gone.  To thine own self be true.

Offline solo 2

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Have you seen the prices on custom choppers and parts, they've come down quite a bit now that the fad is wearing thin. In Europe the cafe thing has been huge all along, once all the "band wagon" guys come and go I personally look forward to more people enjoying my hobby. I own 10 bikes right now, this will be my second sorta cafe, the other being last years RD400. I consider myself a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, as long as you ride and love bikes I'll ride/hang with ya(assuming you're not an a**hole) ;)
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Offline FunJimmy

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Yup. Keul things catch on. I love them and hope to always have a café bike in the stable. Is it the only bike I’d own or ride? No, but it has a place and the more the merrier.

As for the popularity, I say good. Think of all the trash that will be restored and loved by others. Well, at least until the bobber craze takes over.  ;D

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We got cafe bikes in smaller cc than the 750 selling for 3K now on eBay, out of season.  I have 12 bikes and could use a $$ boost in this economy.  You won't see me complaining.  I also have choppers and bobbers in storage so when all that comes back around I am prepared :-) Fads come and go, I have been into the cafe thing for 8 years now, and will be in another 8.

Offline Bluegreen

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Yup. Keul things catch on. I love them and hope to always have a café bike in the stable. Is it the only bike I’d own or ride? No, but it has a place and the more the merrier.

As for the popularity, I say good. Think of all the trash that will be restored and loved by others. Well, at least until the bobber craze takes over.  ;DCheers

This.

 As far as I can tell, the cafe thing is done as ar as being hip or popular. Bobbers are the new "it" bike, wait till summer...

Offline scunny

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This.

 As far as I can tell, the cafe thing is done as ar as being hip or popular. Bobbers are the new "it" bike, wait till summer...


dang, I was hip for a moment, twice in my life now  ;D
past-cb100,ts250,cb500,cb500,gs1000,gs650g.phillips traveller
present-CB 650 retro
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Offline MidTNJasonF

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Yeah the hipster thing is a bit of a pain. For me it is pretty easy to spot the difference between a gear head built bike with lots of personal touches and a cottage industry built high dollar cafe that some hipster wannabe paid too much for. I do not find it hard to ignore the idiot that paid someone else thousands of dollars to build their bike for them. They will probably not be riding in a few more years anyway and there are plenty of people to chat with that put many hours and miles on their projects. Those builders and riders are the ones I want to spend my time chatting with anyway.
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Offline scottly

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Huhh? What are you guys talking about? My bike, that I've owned for over 30 years, is now popular? Does that make me a "hipster"?
Don't fix it if it ain't broke!
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Offline CaféElite

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I have a friend that falls in the hipster category. Not only is he a cool guy but he has built some cool bikes and cars over the years. Labels fall on all types of people for different reasons and are always up for interpitation. Just enjoy what you enjoy without worrying what others think and let time change the labels associated to us.

Thread topic FAIL....
« Last Edit: November 02, 2010, 08:10:55 PM by CaféElite »
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Offline Gordon

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Yup. Keul things catch on. I love them and hope to always have a café bike in the stable. Is it the only bike I’d own or ride? No, but it has a place and the more the merrier.

As for the popularity, I say good. Think of all the trash that will be restored and loved by others. Well, at least until the bobber craze takes over.  ;DCheers

This.

 As far as I can tell, the cafe thing is done as far as being hip or popular. Bobbers are the new "it" bike, wait till summer...

Yeah.  Cafes have been cool for too long, so it's time for the next fad.  Rest assured that your cafe is no longer sought after by the hipster crowd, but is still valued by the hipster's parents for nostalgic reasons, albeit for slightly less, since they know it's their own money they're spending. 

Offline johnyvilla

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Ebay prices might be crazy, but Craigslist prices seem to have been the same for a few years. There will always be overpriced CB's on CR, but they usually don't sell until the buyer breaks and takes a fair price.

Offline FrankenFrankenstuff

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I remember the summer after Discovery channel had OCC...it seemed like everyone ran out and bought bikes.

Offline BeSeeingYou

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I dont think anyone has posted yet about what we all have been hearing and thinking. cafe bikes are getting popular and the "hipster"word is getting thrown around. I know that the cafe scene is getting very popular and its has me feeling uncertain about its future.  This realization hit me when i saw the first few episodes of Cafe Racer on HDTHEATER (which i totally enjoyed) but, mainly im tired of people charging way too much for parts bikes now that they are popular.  Hell, i like the the fact that there are people who are also into what i love but im scared of seeing what we do turn into another category others can put us in and see it get ruined. I like to wrench and build cafe bikes- period.

What are all your thoughts?

You sound like someone who thinks he has stumbled on some cool secret cafe scene and is now worried about it becoming popular.  Oh the horror, you won't be cool anymore if it starts to appeal to the unwashed masses . ;D  Sorry, it's been around for decades but I don't think it has ever been overly popular.  The vast majority of bikes I see on the road are stock or close to it.  If you like to wrench and build cafe bikes that's great.  Why worry about what others do or think?

Offline pdxPope

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Well, at least until the bobber craze takes over.

Yup.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=75691.0;topicseen

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Offline The_Crippler

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Then we can get all those projects that couldn't be finished by the fad followers.

I've seen this sentiment in a few threads (might even have been you a few times) and every time I see it, I can only thing, *Mr. Burns voice* "Eeeeeeeeexcellent."  I sure do hope that's the way it pans out.

Offline KeithTurk

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My first bike was a CB350 with Drag bars and a 2 into 1 pipe.... Web Cam, springs and retainers... pistons and a few other do dad's .... this was back in 73-78.... it was a cool bike... ran hard... blew it up several times... fun junk...

My latest Cafe nod is a 550 we rode to Mexico from here....   

Bottom line... bring on the hoard.... they can't do anything but make some parts cheaper and some bikes more valuable...

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Offline Duanob

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If you want to be part of the really cool group that won't be over run anytime soon try the classic OEM restorer's. Everyone wants to cafe or bobber these bikes but few of us want to restor them to their former glory. Not sure why ??? :-*
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Offline bikerbart

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first person to call me hipster is getting a knuckle sandwich.Hipster cojures up images of skinny pants,stupid mustaches,ugly 80's clothing,arrogance and grizzly adams beards.At least up here in B'ham thats what you see a lot of.Hand built cafe's are way too cool to be labeled.
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Offline Anti-Johnny

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I think the hipster term gets thrown about a bit too much. I have been called a hipster because I listen to indie music, wear raybans, and use a mac.  I will be the first to tell you I am not hip. It seems to be a derogatory term used by people that are somewhat bitter, Or maybe theyre tired of going to their favorite bar and have to listen to people argue about the cure or some other #$%*ty band (I know I am). My loose definition of a hipster is someone who spends way too much of their parents money in order to look like theyre into retro gear. I have no parents and my gear is old because I am too poor to buy new stuff.

I bought my bike before I realized that cafe was making a comeback. Perhaps it was subconscious because of subtle media saturation. I still havent seen the show, but I would like to. I like motorcycles and history, so an old motorcycle is just frikkin badass to me. Here in Austin youre more likely to see "hipsters" in VWs or on an extremely expensive scooter with LaCoste bags hanging off their backs.

If anything it should level out in a few years when these people are tired of maintaining their bikes and theyre back on the market for really cheap.
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Offline The_Crippler

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first person to call me hipster is getting a knuckle sandwich.Hipster cojures up images of skinny pants,stupid mustaches,ugly 80's clothing,arrogance and grizzly adams beards.At least up here in B'ham thats what you see a lot of.Hand built cafe's are way too cool to be labeled.

Down here is similar, but sounds more cleaned up.  No grizzly adams beards, but side-burns, thick, black-framed glasses, goatees, retro-chic clothes, Apple products and a PBR to drink - but most of them ride bicycles, anyway.

Offline scunny

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 PBR to drink  ? whats that ?
past-cb100,ts250,cb500,cb500,gs1000,gs650g.phillips traveller
present-CB 650 retro
            VTR1000F3
           XL250S riverbed rocket
           TS250[sold]
           TS185[sold]
           XL125S[sold]
           MT50 (white)
           MT50 (red)[sold]
           KN250/XS400 project
           XR/XL250 bitsa under construction
           SL100[sold]
           XL250R
           pedal(pub bike) leaks oil
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Offline Duke McDukiedook

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Whoa there, do not diss the PBR, next thing you know they'll try to diss Stag and Schlitz, and Hamms and Olympia beers- #$%*s.

They like to drive scooters anyways.
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