I was born in 1956 and, at the age of ten started to go to the Ace Cafe on the back of my brother`s bike, from our home in Woodford Green. Sadly, my brother was killed in `67 on his bike but those days will always be in my heart
So sorry to hear about your brother but glad to see you carrying on with the motorcycles. Your brother will be forever young and so glad you carry him in your heart. I too was born in '56, started riding at 13 and still ride.I can ride better than I can walk....Lol!!!
Back in my day, the 60's, it was Norton Dominators, BSA Goldstars, Arial Arrows, and Tritons. It was all about racing fuel tanks, clip on handlebars, racing saddles and rear set foot rests. We used to hang out at Kathy's Cafe in Woking. Now long gone. And my mum wouldn't go to bed till I got home.
Don't forget the Tribsa an Norvins an my hang out was the Busy Bee Whatford, the Ace an Blinking Owl on the A127 Great days. Now you can't even go out with out being filmed.
What a terrific video, Stu, and so full of genuine facts. In 1962 I passed my motorcycle test which consisted of driving a figure of eight round the streets a couple of times with the emergency stop taken care of by the examiner walking into the road about 30 yards in front of you. Obviously you failed if you knocked him over. I bought my first real motorcycle in 1964, a Norton 650SS which cost £379 new and on which I spent a fortune in Dunstall goodies. My next bike was a Thruxton Venom which I bought in 1969. In London our favourite haunts were the 59 Club, The Busy Bee, Chelsea Bridge, Ally Pally, and the Salt Box. I’m riding a Honda VFR800X Crossrunner now.
Same time same places. Great times. My local cafe was the Caprice in Morden with visits to the Ace cafe and Chelsea bridge every other week. Like yourself l am still riding. Stay safe.
Very good was that stu my mum and dad were part of that culture and at 84 she is badgering me for a ride on the pillion 😂 my father no longer with us taught me how to ride
When I was 24 my father had a hip replacement so was unable to drive for a while, so I took my then 60 year old mother shopping on the back to my bike. She hadn't been on a motorcycle in years. The one thing that she didn't like was having to wear a crash helmet, she said that she used to wear a white leather flying helmet.
I am of a similar era to yourself and was aware of this history, again, like you, hearing it direct. However I still enjoyed this video, it’s delivery and it’s images. Thank you and a speedy recovery. Ride safe.
Wow Stuart, you are the brightest star in the youtube heaven. This was a great story, packed with real facts...and your storytelling is just amazing. More MC history is always welcome, espesially when it comes from you... Thank you Stuart!!!
I'm 72 now and still riding but remember well those long gone days in the mid sixties when aaI first threw a leg over my own bike, after having travelled many many miles as pillion to one or the other of a gang of lads from our village. No cafes around so we met, often in the dead of night at the local pub, (WATCHING POLICE FROM THE AREA HAVING A SWIFT ONE AFTER CLOSING) We would sneak away as quite as possible then race around the quiet roads til cold, or weather or the need to go to work in an hour got us home leaving the lanes to echo the sound of Goldies, T110's a Triton and sundry other large and small bikes, thing was there were always stops for the slower riders to catch up, No one was ever derided for the bike they rode it was what anyone could afford at the time!! Sorry for going on but it's your fault for awakening all these old memories, of which there are thousands!!!
Fascinating Stu, and as erudite and insightful as ever! Can I add that I think the development of UK motorcycling sub-culture was so characteristically British...that is, gravitationally warped by class. Pre-war, when it was expensive to be fast, the sporty machines were only ridden by Lawrence of Arabia types or sporting johnnies, and the plodding commuter bikes (and usually sidecars) were used by impecunious Midlanders or fish delivery retailers. Mind you, they had graduated from the damning social stigma of bicycle clips. When at last, Arthur Seaton could afford a powerful Triumph Twin, the exclusivity factor had left him in the dust and he was just another machinist trying to score with a bird. I am minded of those toys we had as kids, where you had a face behind a plastic screen and some iron filings with a magnetic stick...no matter how you shook the new horizon, class always aligned it indelibly North and South. Hope things free up soon in UK, happy trails
Mostly agree with you, but the stereotype of gritty northern worker verses the southern wealthy class gets old! There were plenty of working class manufacturing and industrial towns and areas south of Brum and even in ( gasp) London. In terms of this subject, the 59 club, Busy Bee and Ace cafe were founded in London as was the Mods and Rocker mayhem of the bank holiday run to Brighton! Colin ( A long ago 59 club member)
@@ColinTBurton what you have to remember Colin is that the cafes you mention where by no means in any way remarkable. They just got more media coverage because most of the media was based in London. It gets old for us Northerners that these pass times have always been associated with London, when in fact it was a national phenomena, but no one could be bothered to leave the London city limits to cover it.
@@stuartfillingham For the benefit of anyone unacquainted with post-WW2 Britain, transport cafés were a pre-motorway phenomenon, from the days of heavy haulage on A and B roads. Coach travel was also big business, and most families took holidays in the UK. Many caffs were glorified Nissen huts where lorry drivers, motorcycle and scooter riders and the bus trade expected to be fed and watered in the shortest possible time. If a café looked too busy, a coach would often drive a few miles to a quieter one, and there was no shortage of them. Some emphasised the jukebox and pinball brigade, others were a bit more genteel, but most catered for a mixed bunch of travellers. Few traditional transport cafés remain, motorway service stations and private motorcar ownership have killed them off.
And whilst we are on the subject, don’t underestimate the effect in rural areas. Young people in rural areas were some of the most disadvantaged in terms of transport and to them motorcycling was a great source of freedom. I remember the “rocker” culture being particularly strong in the small towns and actually persisting for years after the city bikers had bought their first Ford anglia!
Excellent; well done for gathering that precious oral history. I've just purchased the ultimate 60's factory cafe racer, a Matchless 750CSR. Now if only it would stop raining!
So many happy memories of hanging round that tea stall on Chelsea bridge in 1965. I was one year off being old enough to get my license so wasn't riding but loved the vibe. The evening that the rockers threatened to throw the tea stall over the bridge because the owner wanted to charge a deposit on the cups and mugs because threy would be thrown at passing mods is quite memorable. Needless to say the deposit scheme never was never adopted. Happy days 😂
Well Uncle Stu, you really tugged at my memory, and I loved this Programme , I do watch all your video's and follow your advice, having bourht a 2019 Enfield Interceptor, after trying, buying, and selling, several modern day motorcycles, I had a trial run on the interceptor did the deal there and then, waited 5 months for delivery of my chrome Interceptor , and it was well worth the wait. I love the bike have made may modifications to it , handle bar risers, added custom made rear crash bars to match the front crashbars by a local guy all in polished stainless steel, DNA air filter, Booster Plug, stainless steel chain guard, HAGON Shock Absorbers stainless steel, Union Jack tank pads. And polished and painted (Red) crank case, Engine Casing , fly screen and also exaust outlets, changed the foot gear leaver and brake pedals having had them as an upgrade, and having them, and all stainless covers on the bike polished professionally by a guy in plymouth ( very Reasonable price of £40 the lot). Iam now 80 yrs old and this bike reminds me of all the fun I had back in 1956 when I owned a Royal Enfield Constalation again with the Chrome Tank, your Programme reminds me of all my yesterdays and the fun we all had back in those days, thank you Uncle Stu, for all your Video's you have been a great guideance to my return to Biking, anyone who disagrees with my comment needs to get a life, and be happy that you are bringing happyeness to all of us Bikers Very Best Regards Bryan Medway
Another country (Finland, where I grew up), a later decade (got my first bike and license in -74) but that was more or less what we did, also. Racing to some roadside coffee shop and maybe see some girls to impress. By this time a helmet was obligatory (saved my life in -76) and there were speed limits. Which we of course broke, all the time. So quite a lot of speeding tickets also, so many in fact that when it was time for me to get a car there was a little trouble before I could upgrade to that license. A couple of deaths, and some serious crashes was the toll on our "gang" of mostly 10-15 youngsters. Still a time I remember fondly, it was a tough way to learn to ride and a lot of luck helped to survive but it gave me a love for bikes which has lasted a lifetime. Great video, and brilliant to put in that older footage. And get better soon, now is the time to be out on the roads...
We certainly were bankrupt after the war. I remember driving through the East end of London pass bombed buildings that had not yet been rebuilt. (It was the Germans who “built” the sites for Britain’s newest operator into the car parking industry, NCP.) Not only did we have to pay for the war and repay US loans but we also coughed up to rebuild Germany. Our final payment of £45.5 million to the USA was on 29th December 2006 and on the same date we cleared our debt to Canada with a payment of £12 million. During the war our factories had the misfortune of not being bombed flat. This meant that when the world economy finally took off we were left with a worn out, useless, uncompetitive industrial infrastructure. This in turn was run by out of touch bosses ruled overruled by greedy unions and as a nation, governed by incompetent politicians. Yet still we managed. Some of the essence of what makes us British is shown in and by these cafe racers. Persecution of motorcyclists has been an ongoing issue for years. I was hosting a business lunch for 20 people some time ago and two (smartly dressed) motorcyclists were refused service. When they confirmed that it was their policy not to serve motorcyclists we left for another pub. Losing 20 expense account boozy business lunches is not much in the grand scheme of things but it sent the message. Not all motorcyclists ride to pubs. I never returned.
Well said Stu My Dad was one of those..... Motorbikes were the only affordable transport, plenty of ex WD kit to adapt for riding and plenty of cheap spares for their machines.....when we came along it was only natural to then have a combination, in our case a BSA A10 with a huge DA Busmar attached! Cars came later but now in his late 80s, still riding! Take care of that back.......
Thanks a lot for this video and your point of view. I'm French and the vice president of café racer club. I'm totally agree with your analysis of this motorcycle phenomenon. It's very popular in France. Some moto bikers are lost in road, more and more string laws, linear design of motorcycle, less freedom. Thanks for your video.
Thank you Stuart, a proper documentary. My dad was one of those boys, doing his national service in the early fifties. He inspired my love of motorcycles with his stories of late night rides up an empty Great North Road and round local towns and villages with his mates. But he always quick to remind me that there were a lot less cars around and they were pushed to do 70 mph flat out so he was probably a lot safer than we are today as well...!
Being born in 1963 I missed the biker boys era but briefly enjoyed biking for 2 - 3 years in my youth before joining up and then having to move on to cars. Still I’m now enjoying the renascence of modern classic biking with my Triumph T120. Thanks for your video again Stu. Keep them coming.
It was the café racer in the UK and the chopper and bobber in the USA both with similar post war stories up to a point , nice little bit of history for those that do not know .
here in the US, my Dad was a teen during those times and loved Triumph (cars and bikes) but could only afford a Honda whatever it was.... I barely remember it , aside from him giving me rides on it. He is the reason I've always loved bikes, and had a few of my own over the years... I've ridden numerous bikes that weren't mine, but when it came time for me to finally get back on a bike for good, I went RE GT650 so I could simply personalize it, rather than building it to the cafe racer style (Not to mention price vs value) I've told a few of the guys around here... If you ride, you know, and if you know, you ride.
Watching this brought back happy memories of my dad. He was one of the ton up boys from London, born in '32. He used to do the London to Brighton run, on a Velocette Mac 350.
Something that I forgot to add, that wasn't included in your vid, was the reason why some people rode bikes. My dad used to love riding, but he said that main reason he used to go on bike runs was to get out of London. If you stayed, you had more chance of getting press-ganged into doing something nefarious by the Krays, or Richardsons. Everyone remembers them as being gentlemanly, and that they only hurt their own. People like to forget that they were at war, and if you were told to do something... you did it.
I've been looking forward to this video since the grand reveal. Having my lunch looking on my phone, I am almost tempted to watch it....... but the quality of filming, the sound and the editing are lost on a phone in my opinion, so I will wait till after work and watch on the big telly. A big thank you for the continuing captivating crafted content on each and every video.
I should have watched before commenting. Still made the right choice watching on TV rather than phone and really enjoyed the video. Fantastically told account and from direct sources......straight from the horses mouth so to speak.
I have a Dr.Mayhem with a tall flyscreen. The best machine I will ever own. The parallel twin, the retro lamps, the clipons can't ask for more. A head turner for Sure! More than a 22 Year Old could ask for. Thank you for the history!
Young guy parked a Hayabusa next to the Interceptor at work today. If it wasn’t for the guys that you’re talking about, that mechanical marvel wouldn’t even exist. Not bad for a bunch of kids. Great video.
That is exactly what I was told long ago, Young men racing motorcycles from cafe to cafe and building up their bikes to go faster. I have heard so many different stories in the intervening years that I became confused. Thank You for the clarification. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, I too have a bad back, It is not what I would call fun. It puts a damper on my riding and wrenching activities.
Story time from uncle Stuart! Yea! Loved the vintage clips, never seen them before. 👍 Motorcycle culture from that time was groundbreaking, and, you are right, the cafe racer did influence what came after. I love the RE GT, but I'm not so sure my body could take the riding position these days. 😕
I'm a bit late to the party with bigger motorcycles and am, aged 49, finally trawling my way through what you describe as the legacy of the cafe racers (my theory test, CBT, Mod 1 and Mod 2). I have Mod 1 and Mod 2 still to go but am hoping to have an RE Interceptor parked in the garage by the end of summer all being well :) The closest I've got to being a cafe racer was putting a set of drop handlebars on my 1980 Suzuki GP100 back in 1989 when I was 17!
Blimey! I never realised that I was seven years older than you. This is pretty much my understanding of the history of cafe racers and am surprised to hear you hint that there are other stories relating to it. I really enjoyed watching this video. If you promise to keep making good videos, I promise to keep watching. Regarding the hoops that people have to jump through in order to get a bike licence, and having gained mine in March of this year, I don't think that we are too far away from how people should be tested, but car tests need to catch up. Added to this, in the motorcycle world, there is much provision and encouragement for post test training, which I'd like to see extended to car drivers (although I know that the take up would be, proportionally, much lower than it is with motorcyclists).
Thanks for probably the closest description of the cafe racers and ton up boys i have heard. From an old ACE, Cellar and Busy Bee ton up boy, 77 now and still riding a 65 modified Triumph TR6.
The café racer continued well into the 1980's. During the 1970's & 1980's the majority of café racers were build from 2 stroke twins & tripples, averaging 250cc to 400cc. This was mainly because a stock 1970's 250cc 2 stroke would eat a 1960's British 4 stroke café racer for breakfast, plus also because, thanks to a film called "Easy Rider", countless British bikes were butchered/bodged into choppers, during the 1970's. I still have my 350cc 2 stroke café racer, which I started building in 1982, sat on the drive. It has 79,879 miles on the clock, so far.
Well, *wow* (again): you filled in a bunch of gaps about 50s-and-onward Brit bike culture, where it was never easy to parse fact from fiction (or rose-tinted fact for that matter). And, as a Yank, I've heard all sorts of stuff about the ton-up crowd (as well as scooter culture, which I'm closer to on account of, well, owning a Vespa GTS). I knew most of the bits about how the UK pulled itself off the floor post-WW II (I was quite into both motorcycles and hi-fi gear from Britain for a long time), but you helped connect a few dots for me, and I can only thank you for that. And the story about your home town during the Blitz: I have no words for that. And: That new Enfield…looks mouth-watering. Looking forward to more observations on that ride. Plus: I literally feel your pain regarding "Covid back": last week I rolled out of bed with a sharp pain in my lower back. While this has happened on occasion in the past, I worried that I'd done something *seriously* rash this time (as an aside, I'm eight years your senior, born in 1956). But now, all's good, and I'm nicely limber again. Hoping the same is the case for you.
We are apparently the same age. I have owned many bikes over the years, hardtail choppers, street bikes, trikes, sport bikes, etc, but the one constant throughout all those years has been my 1975 Kawasaki Z1b 900 Cafe` racer. Now, it is the only bike I still have...
Hi Stuart, thanks for this background to the cafe racer story. In the 70s in the UK the cafe scene was still going strong and I remember how two riders would select a timed song on the juke box, run out from the cafe to their bikes and race down the dual carriageway to the roundabout and race back again before the song finished. Some early hits were only 3 minutes so a few speed limits were broken.
Brilliant Stu...really enjoyed that. As for the problem...its age. I have suffered Sciatica leaving me barely able to walk for 6 months and recently my right thigh has gone numb....to do with nerves...had a scan and waiting for treatment now. Hope you get right.
I totally agree with you. The 'original' cafe racers of the late 50's early 60's are iconic and still set my pace racing when I see a set of clip ons.. I do get frustrated when (many) manufactures simply put a bikini fairing and slightly lower bars on there standard model and label it 'cafe'(hands up Kawasaki W800 amongst many others). With due respect to your choice of the Royal Enfield, in my opinion the best looking 'modern' cafe racer is the Norton 961 Commando Cafe Racer.
Top notch Stu, an era and a lifestyle, the 'Bloke in his Shed' captured in fifteen minutes. Thank heaven someone has at least tried to put the record straight about the youth of that time. The place, the 'Blinking Owl' Caff, The road, the Southend Arterial Road (A127) the carpark was full of Triumphs, BSA, Matchless, Norton, Enfield's plus many others....not a Japanese bike in sight, nor Harley Davidson for that matter.......Hell, it was a great time to have ones youth. I arrived in Spain some forty years later with a..'Bloke in Shed'..Triton that I had built in the late 1990. On concentracions I wore traditional garb, A Cromwell type crash helmet..(Davida). white scarf, aviator style googles. Denim jeans, leather boots, gloves and jacket completed the ensemble' for the early sixties 'Rocker' For a short time I rekindled part of my Baby Boomer youth...Me on me Triton, me mate on 'is BSA Road Rocket. Alas, time has caught up with me and the extreme Cafe Racer is but a memory now...But what the hell! it was great whilst it lasted.. Great little video Stu ..... Greeting from España
As always, this story sheds a bit of light on what cafe racer culture is all about. I found it very interesting and enriching, I appreciate it and I thank you. From Buenos Aires, Argentina. A follower who esteems you.
Stu I hope you recover quickly. I get trapped nerves in back/neck about 4 times a year. It’s a week of hell, all the Voltarol I can use, ice packs, heat packs, paracetamol and ibuprofen. If I’m lucky I can bend my head again after 5 days. Motorcycling does it no favours sadly. I’ve triggered it getting out of bed, reaching down low for the freezer or even standing up after being sat on the loo. Frail creatures are we humans
Hi Stuart, hope your back recovers soon. Nice vid. Until I was about 11, we lived very near the original Ace in the late fifties. It was different then, the North Circular ran right past the place but now it's separated by an access road in between. Also the Hanger Lane one way system junction with the North Circ, which is about a mile from the Ace was completely different. Eventually as you probably know the Ace closed in the late sixties but was re-opened a few years ago. I still have the T shirt from the reopening which I attended. Back then, despite the press invented description of "ton-up", (those guys didn't call themselves that) very few bikes in fact could exceed 100mph or even close to it. The power output and power to weight ratios of the sports bikes of today, compared to those BSAs, Norton, Triumphs etc. is enormously greater. You would have to modify your bike seriously to do a genuine 100+, or get a Vincent but they were out of the reach of most. These bikes were not as far as I recall known back then as "café racers", that description came much later, paradoxically long after the Ace closed, I believe. One story about the Ace was the challenge of sticking a certain rock'n'roll record on the juke box, I don't know which one, and trying to ride up to the Hanger Lane junction and back before the record finished. Don't even know if the story is true but it was around at the time. I was too young to be one of them but saw them a lot.
Hi again Stuart, firstly thank you for reply regarding crash hats. I really enjoyed this cafe racer video, when I was fifteen or sixteen many years ago, myself and mates used to ride our pushbikes to a motor bike cafe called the Enterprise at East Farleigh in Kent, the owner of the cafe was a Harry Smart the Dad of Paul Smart, ( Paul sadly died last year riding his bike in Sussex.) Got my first bike in 61 when I was 17 and obviously all this time were regulars at the Enterprise, the bike was a James sports Captain cost 162 pounds took me 3 years to pay for it as I was an apprentice, then got a 650 Matchless followed by a Dommie. Used to be able to buy a round badge from the cafe to put on your bike, Harry used to let us play three card brag, but most times no money on the table he used to save us the bottle tops and they were worth a penny each. Of course Paul was around took me on the back of his BSA over to a Motor bike shop in Chatham, Bannisters I think. it was the fastest I had ever been on a bike at the time. In later years Paul had two Motor bike dealerships Honda in Maidstone and Kawasaki in Paddock wood, bought a Honda VF1000 from the Paddock Wood shop. All above Great times. I remember seeing Paul racing at Brands with his style hanging down the side of the bike
Best motorcycle vid that I have watched in a long time; well done Sir! I was born in 1952 and remember well playing on the bomb sites (half demolished buildings) with my pals; seriously daring/ dangerous stuff we used to get up to. I bought a Lambretta TV 175 in 1968 and became a Mod. I now ride a Moto Guzzi V100 Mandelo S (amongst other bikes). I must have morphed into a Rocker somewhere along the line!
Sorry to hear of your aches and pains. My recommendation, if you don’t already, is to add unpowered two wheeling , some yoga and some regular resistance training to your weekly routine. You can’t turn back time but as a 60 year old who cycles daily and races and mixes in flexibility and resistance training I have maintained useful muscle mass much longer than someone who doesn’t. Train today so you can continue to ride large motorcycles tomorrow 😎. I guess from the videos that you keep in shape so probably not news to you.
Couple of questions 1. Is it the complete look of cafe racer, seen few mods of fairing 2. Why RE is not focusing on changing it into alloy and tubeless tyres , because if puncture happens it's really heavy bike to manage and only few ppls are interested in changing the tyres ,you hv to wait till service truck comes. I know you will keep them as they were originally but mention them in your upcoming videos what necessary changes RE should do. I think not every one likes fairing , but RE should think about alloy and tubeless tyres for hassle free rides
great video mate, just watched with my dad, he said i was probably born a few decades too late, the music, the bikes and the culture of the time is definitely hardwired in to me through my parents
Essential refresher course for understanding the 'Cafe Racer culture and heritage'. The story of it's modest beginning and overall impact on the 'Philosophy of Motorcycling' is undeniable. It might be a little stretch for those who aren't perceptive to the beauty of motorcycles and specially classic motorcycles. But for those who do, it's an important topic in the history on motorcycling. Generally we should respect all manufacturer taking a crack at modern classic motorcycles while there is a wide choice in styles of motorcycles to fill the market. It's a leap of faith as I understand, and things should continue to go well; these modern classic motorcycles will be another important and inseparable arm of present and future of motorcycling industry. Especially, Cafe Racer platforms from RE, Triumph, Norton, and will continue to attract many other manufacturers from across the world to join the race.
Born Oct 1950 my first bike was a tiger cub 200cc then in 1968 passed my test and bought a T100 then upgraded to a T120 from a 59 member then started the run from the Ace to the Bee or the 59 to Chelsea bridge. For me a Cafe racer was a bike you stripped all excess weight, racing seat with clip-ons oh and a slug of Castor oil 😂 down the exhaust. The one part I recall with fondness was the Iron bridge going to the Ace a right hand bend were some met with the iron fencing. We didn’t wear crash lids unless it was raining or cold. Quite strange now. Today I’m still riding a Kawasaki KRT 400 which I must say is faster and more fun than any of the old cafe racers I owned.
I enjoyed that Stuart. It’s good of you to record the history of these post war young biker enthusiasts and their influence on the motorcycle industry. I loved the black and white footage you found.
Often come over to see and hear a little piece of home and see how your doing Stu. I must have missed what happened to the pay day project after wondering to other TH-camrs for a bit, don't see the little Bonnie leaving your stable, I did enjoy seeing the little additions and work being done. Great little snippet into the halcyon days of the Great British biker. Get well soon
I too missed out on the cafe racer first time round. Both my dad and brother had BSA A10s. I started on a Bantam, when I passed my test I wanted to test ride a Triton which was for sale but it having a high compression racing head and me being less than 9 stone I couldn’t even move the kickstart so ended up with a T21. I’ve finally got a Bonneville which I’m now turning into a cafe racer. So got there in the end. Good vid as usual Stu.
It's funny that i always hit the like button first for all Uncle Stu's videos before even begin to watch. Amazing content as always. Keep them coming. Can't wait for more content on GT 650. I have one in Ice Queen color.
Ayup Stu ! Great vid, can't claim to be one of the original boys - too young at 67, but I do remember a generation of them on my old estate when I was approaching teens, the Conti looks pukka and not unlike my old Yam divvy after being fettled, back in May '98 just after I bought a new Suz SRAD I also bought a naked Honda Bros 400 principally for getting to work, but I came to love that bike for it's naked looks, little did I realise the seed that was planted in early '60s was still growing, now all the Crotch Rockets are gone and in my stable is only a retro! Rock on!
That moniker, the ‘ton-up boys’, I first heard my gran say when a bunch of lads roared past us on motorcycles - would have been about 1965. I was hooked - the sound alone did that. Have been hooked ever since. I still chicken out at a ‘ton’ though, although it’s 160km/hr where I live now (in Aus).
Awesome video! It's great to hear a more accurate account of the Cafe racers origin. Hope you feel better soon. Had a simular issue with my shoulder last year and took months to get to the point of not grunting or cursing if I moved it or lifted something the wrong way. I still have no idea what caused it.
Stuart, thanks for a great video. One of your best yet, I think -- not only because of the great images but because your storytelling is top notch. You explain in detail the wherefores of the British motorcycle mystique. Here in America, the motorcycle industry before WWII consisted almost entirely of big displacement Harley's and Indian's, mostly used by police forces and a handful of adventurous young men. Postwar was the same except many of the new riders were unsettled returning servicemen who got their big bikes from war surplus and formed like-minded outlaw motorcycle groups. Movies like "The Wild Bunch" pushed the public's opinion that all motorcyclists were unclean hooligans and generally up to no good. Only Soichiro Honda's genius for small displacement bikes and his clever 1960's ad campaign brought Americans to believe that motorcycling could be -- clean and fun (hear "Little Honda" by The Beach Boys). I have to say thanks and a tip-of-the-hat to the Indians for keeping Royal Enfield running strong and grabbing the attention of a new generation of young motorcyclists worldwide who have only known plastic-layered hypersonic bikes from Japan (which evolved from "You Meet The Nicest People ...). I understand that Mahindra is selling reincarnations of other British and Czech motorcycles. I hope we see them here in America someday. Thanks again!
It was The Wild One, not The Wild Bunch. Easy mistake to make but the latter is a western, pretty good one too in my view. It's interesting to note that despite Harleys and Indians being the predominant brand by far in the US, Marlon Brando as Johnny leading the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club in The Wild One rides a Triumph. There are several other notable aspects of this film in my view (I'm a big film fan) apart from the Triumph: 1 The film was supposedly based on an incident where a bunch of bikers beat up a town called Hollister in California. It was later proven that a famous press shot of a drunken biker was staged. 2 It has one of the greatest script lines in Hollywood history, in my view. This is where Johnny is in the cafe and the girl serving sees the Black Rebels MC patch on his jacket. "What are you rebelling against?" she asks. The wonderful response from Johnny: "What you got?" 3 We used to have censorship in the UK and the film, made in the fifties, was banned for a very long time here for fear that bikers in this country might emulate the actions of the gangs in the film. Now it's shown on daytime TV on a channel that plays old films. 4 The film has a very early appearance by Lee Marvin, later to become a well known actor, as the leader of a rival biker gang.
It never occurred to me that the bomber jackets worn by the café racers were actual WWII surplus. Here in L.A., I just assumed that it was a WWII *style* that had been adopted by *Lewis Leathers* in London . I bought one with fringes running down the arms and across the back. One day I caught a glimpse of myself as a reflection in a shop window, and I was amazed to see that I looked like a gorilla riding a 10-speed. :-)
well chaps in 1956 I was 16 years old and riding a 700cc Royal Enfield which I passed my test on.. In those days I lived in Chippenham Wilts. are ton up road was the A4 chipp to London and the Ace Cafe. from the American milk bar chipp. about 17 of us would go and stake out the strait bits up Calne way on toward the white horse at Cheryl. would meet up with lads at the cafe have a laugh and do what teens do. so I think you can add us to your list. Briddy now 85 Dorset.
Another fact packed interesting video thanks Stuart. It's great to see your subscriber numbers climbing too, nearly 10% over that 50k milestone already, well done! ✔
Nice one Stu. Nothing more therapeutic than a spot of old two wheeled footage for soothing the soul. Hope those shoulders click back in a bit sharpish mate 👍
I am old and retired in Asia now - and wasn't sure I wanted to re-enter the traffic fray here without 4-wheeled-protection (the drivers here are suicidal). So last year I bought a new, cheap Chinese Cafe Racer marketed here - as a toe in the water and too see if I'd survive. I'd say it's about as far from the true cafe racer heritage as you can get - but hell it is fun. Now all I have to do is wait a few more pension payments so I can add an Interceptor to the collection :).
Sorry to hear about the seizing of the parts, Stuart. I suspect this is just the wear and tear we can expect when we clock up the miles, and anounces your entry into the Chromium Years (as in old motocyclists don't go grey, they just go chrome). If you keep it up, you'll be at risk of qualifying for a Sons of Arthiritis t-shirt. Hope you are back on 2 wheels soon - I want to see how you get on with your new Connie. A great improvement on the original 250 Connie that looked lovely but became my personal training ground in motorcycle mechanics!
I was a biker in the 60’s with a Norton 650ss. I guess I was considered one of the bad’ns, certainly by my girlfriends dad; when we arrived back at hers at 11pm he would always ask “where have you been?” to which we would reply “just to The Anchor coffee bar in Cambridge” or “Oh, just to the fish shop”. Whereas in reality we’d often ride 90 miles to Yarmouth (often without helmets unless it was raining!). I’m 80 now with a Honda VFR v-tech, my then girlfriend is sadly now 250 miles away in Exeter…..if only….!
My Dad was a weekend mechanic around the grass track & road racing scene in the 50s & early 60s. Annual holidays in the IOM as pit crew at the Manx. His day job was driving a truck. I remember him referring to the ton-up boys as "bloody cafe racers" that is not the real thing. Unfortunately, he didn't like rock & roll & was deeply cheesed off at having to put up with the jukebox in his favorite transport cafe.
Very good enjoyed that I remember those times well it was all British. The start of the super bike era was the Norton commando, the triumph trident and the bsa rocket3. Then it happened the Honda cb750 and a whole new era started. Fantastic Stu.
We still go from cafe to cafe on a ride out, back in the day I only wore my helmet if it was raining and on my test ( one test and twice around the block). Still riding 54 years later.
Re- your comments about licensing Stuart. As a long-serving retired Driving Examiner I feel that I can speak on the issue. The whole bike test culture has got completely out of hand. I used to follow 125’s around for forty minutes and if competent would give them a full Category A at the end of the test. I saw nothing wrong with this. I remember only one fatality with a rider I had tested. Then, due to an EU directive it seems that new riders had to be restricted to a middle-weight machine. The industry over-reacted envisaging big bikes glued to showroom floors and the Government panicked. So Direct access was introduced. Subsequent EU directives led us to where we are now. It high time that bike testing was rationalized. I honestly believe that the Module 1 is a waste of time. It doesn’t produce better riders. A good CBT, I repeat, A GOOD CBT, and training on a reasonably sized machine, followed by an on- road test is all that we need. Surely Brexit allows us to look at this again…..
What a fantastic vlog thanks Stu. I’ve been to a couple of Ton up days at local truck stops awesome time was had lots of old bikes rock n roll music and friendly people who just love bikes. 👍
Nice bike uncle Stu!! That’s the paint scheme I’m going to get as well! Beautifully done. Thanks for the history lesson. We all need to hear it from the horses mouth. Or close to
Nice Visio Stu. I started biking at the end of the ton up boys era. There were quite a few of the old rockers around still but they didn’t appreciate us new style of rocker (Greasers) hanging around. There were lots of mods around then too. They didn’t like us either. They good days though.
Thanks for the history lesson, Stuart! Similar errors in knowledge here in the US, I was rather surprised to learn a while back that the original "Hell's Angels" were former fighter pilots who took to motorcycling!
The biggest legacy from the “ton-up” days is the continuing disregard/distaste of motorcycling in general and motorcycle sport in particular by the British public and media. No other country would totally ignore the fact that we have a world champion who has not only won the world championship, but won it six years in succession. The good side is that I can record any race I like in the sure and certain knowledge that NO radio or TV program will announce the results before I can watch the recording. No, scratch that, NO radio or TV program will ever announce the results EVER!
I dreamed of having a Cafe Racer back in the late 60's. Saving my nickels and dimes I bought a Titan 500 Suzuki. It was my first bike. It was a good bike but I outgrew it quickly. I have had some true monsters since then. Now, I think that I am ready for that Royal Enfield. I gave my V-Max to my son to enjoy. The Fat Boy is waiting for me to take it out of the garage. But, sometimes I just want a relaxing ride on something not to big or not to small.
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I was born in 1956 and, at the age of ten started to go to the Ace Cafe on the back of my brother`s bike, from our home in Woodford Green. Sadly, my brother was killed in `67 on his bike but those days will always be in my heart
So sorry to hear about your brother but glad to see you carrying on with the motorcycles. Your brother will be forever young and so glad you carry him in your heart. I too was born in '56, started riding at 13 and still ride.I can ride better than I can walk....Lol!!!
Sorry for your loss.
Back in my day, the 60's, it was Norton Dominators, BSA Goldstars, Arial Arrows, and Tritons. It was all about racing fuel tanks, clip on handlebars, racing saddles and rear set foot rests. We used to hang out at Kathy's Cafe in Woking. Now long gone. And my mum wouldn't go to bed till I got home.
first bike, BSA 250, second Arrow, third Dommie, forth Goldie. I know exactly what you're saying. Still riding heading for 80.
Very true, Paul. The smokey Ariel Arrows and Leaders and the Dave Degens Dresda Tritons. Those were the days. See my posting above.
Hi Paul. Was that cafe on goldsworth rd where sandy"s was?
Don't forget the Tribsa an Norvins an my hang out was the Busy Bee Whatford, the Ace an Blinking Owl on the A127 Great days. Now you can't even go out with out being filmed.
Yeah, that was the bikes availible ...at least to me!!!
What a terrific video, Stu, and so full of genuine facts.
In 1962 I passed my motorcycle test which consisted of driving a figure of eight round the streets a couple of times with the emergency stop taken care of by the examiner walking into the road about 30 yards in front of you. Obviously you failed if you knocked him over.
I bought my first real motorcycle in 1964, a Norton 650SS which cost £379 new and on which I spent a fortune in Dunstall goodies. My next bike was a Thruxton Venom which I bought in 1969.
In London our favourite haunts were the 59 Club, The Busy Bee, Chelsea Bridge, Ally Pally, and the Salt Box.
I’m riding a Honda VFR800X Crossrunner now.
Amazing how different things are with the test now. My uncle had the copper stood on the street corner, a few runs up and down, it’s a pass!
Same time same places. Great times. My local cafe was the Caprice in Morden with visits to the Ace cafe and Chelsea bridge every other week. Like yourself l am still riding.
Stay safe.
@@bikerfred6765 Keep riding, Fred, it's one of the best therapies there is.
A wonderful view!
A big thank you from a Japanese motorcyclist.
Well well, any civilised man would envy that garage.
Admire rather than envy.
Very good was that stu my mum and dad were part of that culture and at 84 she is badgering me for a ride on the pillion 😂 my father no longer with us taught me how to ride
When I was 24 my father had a hip replacement so was unable to drive for a while, so I took my then 60 year old mother shopping on the back to my bike. She hadn't been on a motorcycle in years. The one thing that she didn't like was having to wear a crash helmet, she said that she used to wear a white leather flying helmet.
I am of a similar era to yourself and was aware of this history, again, like you, hearing it direct. However I still enjoyed this video, it’s delivery and it’s images. Thank you and a speedy recovery. Ride safe.
Great video. Another factor was that you could ride a bike at 16, whereas you had to wait until you were 17 to drive a car.
Ah yes Brian... I passed my test at the age of sixteen...... Try putting that on an insurance website!!! 😂😂😂
Wow Stuart, you are the brightest star in the youtube heaven. This was a great story, packed with real facts...and your storytelling is just amazing. More MC history is always welcome, espesially when it comes from you... Thank you Stuart!!!
Glad you enjoyed it
I'm 72 now and still riding but remember well those long gone days in the mid sixties when aaI first threw a leg over my own bike, after having travelled many many miles as pillion to one or the other of a gang of lads from our village. No cafes around so we met, often in the dead of night at the local pub, (WATCHING POLICE FROM THE AREA HAVING A SWIFT ONE AFTER CLOSING) We would sneak away as quite as possible then race around the quiet roads til cold, or weather or the need to go to work in an hour got us home leaving the lanes to echo the sound of Goldies, T110's a Triton and sundry other large and small bikes, thing was there were always stops for the slower riders to catch up, No one was ever derided for the bike they rode it was what anyone could afford at the time!! Sorry for going on but it's your fault for awakening all these old memories, of which there are thousands!!!
Fascinating Stu, and as erudite and insightful as ever! Can I add that I think the development of UK motorcycling sub-culture was so characteristically British...that is, gravitationally warped by class. Pre-war, when it was expensive to be fast, the sporty machines were only ridden by Lawrence of Arabia types or sporting johnnies, and the plodding commuter bikes (and usually sidecars) were used by impecunious Midlanders or fish delivery retailers. Mind you, they had graduated from the damning social stigma of bicycle clips. When at last, Arthur Seaton could afford a powerful Triumph Twin, the exclusivity factor had left him in the dust and he was just another machinist trying to score with a bird. I am minded of those toys we had as kids, where you had a face behind a plastic screen and some iron filings with a magnetic stick...no matter how you shook the new horizon, class always aligned it indelibly North and South. Hope things free up soon in UK, happy trails
Mostly agree with you, but the stereotype of gritty northern worker verses the southern wealthy class gets old! There were plenty of working class manufacturing and industrial towns and areas south of Brum and even in ( gasp) London. In terms of this subject, the 59 club, Busy Bee and Ace cafe were founded in London as was the Mods and Rocker mayhem of the bank holiday run to Brighton!
Colin ( A long ago 59 club member)
@@ColinTBurton what you have to remember Colin is that the cafes you mention where by no means in any way remarkable. They just got more media coverage because most of the media was based in London. It gets old for us Northerners that these pass times have always been associated with London, when in fact it was a national phenomena, but no one could be bothered to leave the London city limits to cover it.
@@stuartfillingham For the benefit of anyone unacquainted with post-WW2 Britain, transport cafés were a pre-motorway phenomenon, from the days of heavy haulage on A and B roads. Coach travel was also big business, and most families took holidays in the UK. Many caffs were glorified Nissen huts where lorry drivers, motorcycle and scooter riders and the bus trade expected to be fed and watered in the shortest possible time.
If a café looked too busy, a coach would often drive a few miles to a quieter one, and there was no shortage of them. Some emphasised the jukebox and pinball brigade, others were a bit more genteel, but most catered for a mixed bunch of travellers. Few traditional transport cafés remain, motorway service stations and private motorcar ownership have killed them off.
And whilst we are on the subject, don’t underestimate the effect in rural areas. Young people in rural areas were some of the most disadvantaged in terms of transport and to them motorcycling was a great source of freedom. I remember the “rocker” culture being particularly strong in the small towns and actually persisting for years after the city bikers had bought their first Ford anglia!
Spot on Stuart, my father was a ton up boy and loved his bikes. He had a BSA Gold Star, can you imagine what it's worth today. Great video 👍🏍️
Excellent; well done for gathering that precious oral history. I've just purchased the ultimate 60's factory cafe racer, a Matchless 750CSR. Now if only it would stop raining!
So many happy memories of hanging round that tea stall on Chelsea bridge in 1965. I was one year off being old enough to get my license so wasn't riding but loved the vibe. The evening that the rockers threatened to throw the tea stall over the bridge because the owner wanted to charge a deposit on the cups and mugs because threy would be thrown at passing mods is quite memorable. Needless to say the deposit scheme never was never adopted. Happy days 😂
A great recollection Steve. Thank you for sharing it 😂👍
Twangy guitars,black leather clad rockers,oily bikes♠️we have come a long way,great film♠️
The amount of trust I place on the quality of your content is phenomenal. I can just blindly hit 👍🏼 even before watching the video 🙂
My 88 yo Dad relates many experiences of coffee shop to coffee shop in the 50's when he had his Royal Enfield twin.
Well Uncle Stu, you really tugged at my memory, and I loved this Programme , I do watch all your video's and follow your advice, having bourht a 2019 Enfield Interceptor, after trying, buying, and selling, several modern day motorcycles, I had a trial run on the interceptor did the deal there and then, waited 5 months for delivery of my chrome Interceptor , and it was well worth the wait. I love the bike have made may modifications to it , handle bar risers, added custom made rear crash bars to match the front crashbars by a local guy all in polished stainless steel, DNA air filter, Booster Plug, stainless steel chain guard, HAGON Shock Absorbers stainless steel, Union Jack tank pads. And polished and painted (Red) crank case, Engine Casing , fly screen and also exaust outlets, changed the foot gear leaver and brake pedals having had them as an upgrade, and having them, and all stainless covers on the bike polished professionally by a guy in plymouth ( very Reasonable price of £40 the lot).
Iam now 80 yrs old and this bike reminds me of all the fun I had back in 1956 when I owned a Royal Enfield Constalation again with the Chrome Tank, your Programme reminds me of all my yesterdays and the fun we all had back in those days, thank you Uncle Stu, for all your Video's you have been a great guideance to my return to Biking, anyone who disagrees with my comment needs to get a life, and be happy that you are bringing happyeness to all of us Bikers Very Best Regards Bryan Medway
The quality of your videos is a 10/10
Another country (Finland, where I grew up), a later decade (got my first bike and license in -74) but that was more or less what we did, also. Racing to some roadside coffee shop and maybe see some girls to impress. By this time a helmet was obligatory (saved my life in -76) and there were speed limits. Which we of course broke, all the time. So quite a lot of speeding tickets also, so many in fact that when it was time for me to get a car there was a little trouble before I could upgrade to that license. A couple of deaths, and some serious crashes was the toll on our "gang" of mostly 10-15 youngsters. Still a time I remember fondly, it was a tough way to learn to ride and a lot of luck helped to survive but it gave me a love for bikes which has lasted a lifetime. Great video, and brilliant to put in that older footage. And get better soon, now is the time to be out on the roads...
We certainly were bankrupt after the war. I remember driving through the East end of London pass bombed buildings that had not yet been rebuilt. (It was the Germans who “built” the sites for Britain’s newest operator into the car parking industry, NCP.) Not only did we have to pay for the war and repay US loans but we also coughed up to rebuild Germany. Our final payment of £45.5 million to the USA was on 29th December 2006 and on the same date we cleared our debt to Canada with a payment of £12 million. During the war our factories had the misfortune of not being bombed flat. This meant that when the world economy finally took off we were left with a worn out, useless, uncompetitive industrial infrastructure. This in turn was run by out of touch bosses ruled overruled by greedy unions and as a nation, governed by incompetent politicians. Yet still we managed. Some of the essence of what makes us British is shown in and by these cafe racers.
Persecution of motorcyclists has been an ongoing issue for years. I was hosting a business lunch for 20 people some time ago and two (smartly dressed) motorcyclists were refused service. When they confirmed that it was their policy not to serve motorcyclists we left for another pub. Losing 20 expense account boozy business lunches is not much in the grand scheme of things but it sent the message. Not all motorcyclists ride to pubs. I never returned.
Well said Stu
My Dad was one of those.....
Motorbikes were the only affordable transport, plenty of ex WD kit to adapt for riding and plenty of cheap spares for their machines.....when we came along it was only natural to then have a combination, in our case a BSA A10 with a huge DA Busmar attached!
Cars came later but now in his late 80s, still riding!
Take care of that back.......
Mr. Fillingham, your presentation is pure art. Simple,crisp and untamed.
Thanks a lot for this video and your point of view. I'm French and the vice president of café racer club. I'm totally agree with your analysis of this motorcycle phenomenon. It's very popular in France. Some moto bikers are lost in road, more and more string laws, linear design of motorcycle, less freedom. Thanks for your video.
Thank you Stuart, a proper documentary. My dad was one of those boys, doing his national service in the early fifties. He inspired my love of motorcycles with his stories of late night rides up an empty Great North Road and round local towns and villages with his mates. But he always quick to remind me that there were a lot less cars around and they were pushed to do 70 mph flat out so he was probably a lot safer than we are today as well...!
Not only that, it was before cell phones. Now, waiting for a traffic light to change, I always wonder if this is the day some kid rear ends me.
Being born in 1963 I missed the biker boys era but briefly enjoyed biking for 2 - 3 years in my youth before joining up and then having to move on to cars. Still I’m now enjoying the renascence of modern classic biking with my Triumph T120. Thanks for your video again Stu. Keep them coming.
It was the café racer in the UK and the chopper and bobber in the USA both with similar post war stories up to a point , nice little bit of history for those that do not know .
here in the US, my Dad was a teen during those times and loved Triumph (cars and bikes) but could only afford a Honda whatever it was.... I barely remember it , aside from him giving me rides on it. He is the reason I've always loved bikes, and had a few of my own over the years... I've ridden numerous bikes that weren't mine, but when it came time for me to finally get back on a bike for good, I went RE GT650 so I could simply personalize it, rather than building it to the cafe racer style (Not to mention price vs value)
I've told a few of the guys around here... If you ride, you know, and if you know, you ride.
Watching this brought back happy memories of my dad. He was one of the ton up boys from London, born in '32. He used to do the London to Brighton run, on a Velocette Mac 350.
Something that I forgot to add, that wasn't included in your vid, was the reason why some people rode bikes. My dad used to love riding, but he said that main reason he used to go on bike runs was to get out of London. If you stayed, you had more chance of getting press-ganged into doing something nefarious by the Krays, or Richardsons.
Everyone remembers them as being gentlemanly, and that they only hurt their own. People like to forget that they were at war, and if you were told to do something... you did it.
I've been looking forward to this video since the grand reveal.
Having my lunch looking on my phone, I am almost tempted to watch it....... but the quality of filming, the sound and the editing are lost on a phone in my opinion, so I will wait till after work and watch on the big telly.
A big thank you for the continuing captivating crafted content on each and every video.
I should have watched before commenting. Still made the right choice watching on TV rather than phone and really enjoyed the video.
Fantastically told account and from direct sources......straight from the horses mouth so to speak.
I have a Dr.Mayhem with a tall flyscreen. The best machine I will ever own. The parallel twin, the retro lamps, the clipons can't ask for more. A head turner for Sure! More than a 22 Year Old could ask for. Thank you for the history!
Young guy parked a Hayabusa next to the Interceptor at work today. If it wasn’t for the guys that you’re talking about, that mechanical marvel wouldn’t even exist. Not bad for a bunch of kids. Great video.
That is exactly what I was told long ago, Young men racing motorcycles from cafe to cafe and building up their bikes to go faster. I have heard so many different stories in the intervening years that I became confused. Thank You for the clarification. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, I too have a bad back, It is not what I would call fun. It puts a damper on my riding and wrenching activities.
Story time from uncle Stuart! Yea! Loved the vintage clips, never seen them before. 👍 Motorcycle culture from that time was groundbreaking, and, you are right, the cafe racer did influence what came after. I love the RE GT, but I'm not so sure my body could take the riding position these days. 😕
Once again. I love listening to you tell a story. You are a natural at story telling. Grate job. Keep it up. Thanks so much.
I'm a bit late to the party with bigger motorcycles and am, aged 49, finally trawling my way through what you describe as the legacy of the cafe racers (my theory test, CBT, Mod 1 and Mod 2). I have Mod 1 and Mod 2 still to go but am hoping to have an RE Interceptor parked in the garage by the end of summer all being well :)
The closest I've got to being a cafe racer was putting a set of drop handlebars on my 1980 Suzuki GP100 back in 1989 when I was 17!
Blimey! I never realised that I was seven years older than you.
This is pretty much my understanding of the history of cafe racers and am surprised to hear you hint that there are other stories relating to it. I really enjoyed watching this video. If you promise to keep making good videos, I promise to keep watching.
Regarding the hoops that people have to jump through in order to get a bike licence, and having gained mine in March of this year, I don't think that we are too far away from how people should be tested, but car tests need to catch up. Added to this, in the motorcycle world, there is much provision and encouragement for post test training, which I'd like to see extended to car drivers (although I know that the take up would be, proportionally, much lower than it is with motorcyclists).
Thanks for probably the closest description of the cafe racers and ton up boys i have heard. From an old ACE, Cellar and Busy Bee ton up boy, 77 now and still riding a 65 modified Triumph TR6.
The café racer continued well into the 1980's. During the 1970's & 1980's the majority of café racers were build from 2 stroke twins & tripples, averaging 250cc to 400cc. This was mainly because a stock 1970's 250cc 2 stroke would eat a 1960's British 4 stroke café racer for breakfast, plus also because, thanks to a film called "Easy Rider", countless British bikes were butchered/bodged into choppers, during the 1970's.
I still have my 350cc 2 stroke café racer, which I started building in 1982, sat on the drive. It has 79,879 miles on the clock, so far.
Dad had a new gold star - the hp payments were half his wages. Mum wasn't happy.
Well, *wow* (again): you filled in a bunch of gaps about 50s-and-onward Brit bike culture, where it was never easy to parse fact from fiction (or rose-tinted fact for that matter). And, as a Yank, I've heard all sorts of stuff about the ton-up crowd (as well as scooter culture, which I'm closer to on account of, well, owning a Vespa GTS). I knew most of the bits about how the UK pulled itself off the floor post-WW II (I was quite into both motorcycles and hi-fi gear from Britain for a long time), but you helped connect a few dots for me, and I can only thank you for that. And the story about your home town during the Blitz: I have no words for that.
And: That new Enfield…looks mouth-watering. Looking forward to more observations on that ride.
Plus: I literally feel your pain regarding "Covid back": last week I rolled out of bed with a sharp pain in my lower back. While this has happened on occasion in the past, I worried that I'd done something *seriously* rash this time (as an aside, I'm eight years your senior, born in 1956). But now, all's good, and I'm nicely limber again. Hoping the same is the case for you.
Great Video uncle Stu 👌🏼
Thanks for the story
We are apparently the same age. I have owned many bikes over the years, hardtail choppers, street bikes, trikes, sport bikes, etc, but the one constant throughout all those years has been my 1975 Kawasaki Z1b 900 Cafe` racer. Now, it is the only bike I still have...
Hi Stuart, thanks for this background to the cafe racer story. In the 70s in the UK the cafe scene was still going strong and I remember how two riders would select a timed song on the juke box, run out from the cafe to their bikes and race down the dual carriageway to the roundabout and race back again before the song finished. Some early hits were only 3 minutes so a few speed limits were broken.
Brilliant Stu...really enjoyed that. As for the problem...its age. I have suffered Sciatica leaving me barely able to walk for 6 months and recently my right thigh has gone numb....to do with nerves...had a scan and waiting for treatment now. Hope you get right.
I totally agree with you. The 'original' cafe racers of the late 50's early 60's are iconic and still set my pace racing when I see a set of clip ons.. I do get frustrated when (many) manufactures simply put a bikini fairing and slightly lower bars on there standard model and label it 'cafe'(hands up Kawasaki W800 amongst many others). With due respect to your choice of the Royal Enfield, in my opinion the best looking 'modern' cafe racer is the Norton 961 Commando Cafe Racer.
I'm latecomer to motorcycling, but, having grown up in the 60s/70s, I have been quite confused when seeing what some people claim to be cafe racers.
Top notch Stu, an era and a lifestyle, the 'Bloke in his Shed' captured in fifteen minutes. Thank heaven someone has at least tried to put the record straight about the youth of that time.
The place, the 'Blinking Owl' Caff, The road, the Southend Arterial Road (A127) the carpark was full of Triumphs, BSA, Matchless, Norton, Enfield's plus many others....not a Japanese bike in sight, nor Harley Davidson for that matter.......Hell, it was a great time to have ones youth.
I arrived in Spain some forty years later with a..'Bloke in Shed'..Triton that I had built in the late 1990. On concentracions I wore traditional garb, A Cromwell type crash helmet..(Davida). white scarf, aviator style googles. Denim jeans, leather boots, gloves and jacket completed the ensemble' for the early sixties 'Rocker' For a short time I rekindled part of my Baby Boomer youth...Me on me Triton, me mate on 'is BSA Road Rocket. Alas, time has caught up with me and the extreme Cafe Racer is but a memory now...But what the hell! it was great whilst it lasted.. Great little video Stu ..... Greeting from España
As always, this story sheds a bit of light on what cafe racer culture is all about. I found it very interesting and enriching, I appreciate it and I thank you. From Buenos Aires, Argentina. A follower who esteems you.
Great video Stu!!! I was born in London in 1961 and have loved bikes my whole life!!
Stu I hope you recover quickly. I get trapped nerves in back/neck about 4 times a year. It’s a week of hell, all the Voltarol I can use, ice packs, heat packs, paracetamol and ibuprofen. If I’m lucky I can bend my head again after 5 days. Motorcycling does it no favours sadly. I’ve triggered it getting out of bed, reaching down low for the freezer or even standing up after being sat on the loo. Frail creatures are we humans
Hi Stuart, hope your back recovers soon. Nice vid.
Until I was about 11, we lived very near the original Ace in the late fifties. It was different then, the North Circular ran right past the place but now it's separated by an access road in between. Also the Hanger Lane one way system junction with the North Circ, which is about a mile from the Ace was completely different. Eventually as you probably know the Ace closed in the late sixties but was re-opened a few years ago. I still have the T shirt from the reopening which I attended.
Back then, despite the press invented description of "ton-up", (those guys didn't call themselves that) very few bikes in fact could exceed 100mph or even close to it. The power output and power to weight ratios of the sports bikes of today, compared to those BSAs, Norton, Triumphs etc. is enormously greater. You would have to modify your bike seriously to do a genuine 100+, or get a Vincent but they were out of the reach of most. These bikes were not as far as I recall known back then as "café racers", that description came much later, paradoxically long after the Ace closed, I believe.
One story about the Ace was the challenge of sticking a certain rock'n'roll record on the juke box, I don't know which one, and trying to ride up to the Hanger Lane junction and back before the record finished. Don't even know if the story is true but it was around at the time. I was too young to be one of them but saw them a lot.
Hi again Stuart, firstly thank you for reply regarding crash hats. I really enjoyed this cafe racer video, when I was fifteen or sixteen many years ago, myself and mates used to ride our pushbikes to a motor bike cafe called the Enterprise at East Farleigh in Kent, the owner of the cafe was a Harry Smart the Dad of Paul Smart, ( Paul sadly died last year riding his bike in Sussex.) Got my first bike in 61 when I was 17 and obviously all this time were regulars at the Enterprise, the bike was a James sports Captain cost 162 pounds took me 3 years to pay for it as I was an apprentice, then got a 650 Matchless followed by a Dommie. Used to be able to buy a round badge from the cafe to put on your bike, Harry used to let us play three card brag, but most times no money on the table he used to save us the bottle tops and they were worth a penny each. Of course Paul was around took me on the back of his BSA over to a Motor bike shop in Chatham, Bannisters I think. it was the fastest I had ever been on a bike at the time. In later years Paul had two Motor bike dealerships Honda in Maidstone and Kawasaki in Paddock wood, bought a Honda VF1000 from the Paddock Wood shop. All above Great times. I remember seeing Paul racing at Brands with his style hanging down the side of the bike
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Best motorcycle vid that I have watched in a long time; well done Sir! I was born in 1952 and remember well playing on the bomb sites (half demolished buildings) with my pals; seriously daring/ dangerous stuff we used to get up to. I bought a Lambretta TV 175 in 1968 and became a Mod. I now ride a Moto Guzzi V100 Mandelo S (amongst other bikes). I must have morphed into a Rocker somewhere along the line!
Sorry to hear of your aches and pains. My recommendation, if you don’t already, is to add unpowered two wheeling , some yoga and some regular resistance training to your weekly routine. You can’t turn back time but as a 60 year old who cycles daily and races and mixes in flexibility and resistance training I have maintained useful muscle mass much longer than someone who doesn’t. Train today so you can continue to ride large motorcycles tomorrow 😎. I guess from the videos that you keep in shape so probably not news to you.
Good advice. Keep moving!
Couple of questions
1. Is it the complete look of cafe racer, seen few mods of fairing
2. Why RE is not focusing on changing it into alloy and tubeless tyres , because if puncture happens it's really heavy bike to manage and only few ppls are interested in changing the tyres ,you hv to wait till service truck comes.
I know you will keep them as they were originally but mention them in your upcoming videos what necessary changes RE should do.
I think not every one likes fairing , but RE should think about alloy and tubeless tyres for hassle free rides
Morning Stuart . Lovely video, big like from me 👍hope you’re feeling better again soon.
great video mate, just watched with my dad, he said i was probably born a few decades too late, the music, the bikes and the culture of the time is definitely hardwired in to me through my parents
Essential refresher course for understanding the 'Cafe Racer culture and heritage'. The story of it's modest beginning and overall impact on the 'Philosophy of Motorcycling' is undeniable.
It might be a little stretch for those who aren't perceptive to the beauty of motorcycles and specially classic motorcycles. But for those who do, it's an important topic in the history on motorcycling.
Generally we should respect all manufacturer taking a crack at modern classic motorcycles while there is a wide choice in styles of motorcycles to fill the market. It's a leap of faith as I understand, and things should continue to go well; these modern classic motorcycles will be another important and inseparable arm of present and future of motorcycling industry. Especially, Cafe Racer platforms from RE, Triumph, Norton, and will continue to attract many other manufacturers from across the world to join the race.
Born Oct 1950 my first bike was a tiger cub 200cc then in 1968 passed my test and bought a T100 then upgraded to a T120 from a 59 member then started the run from the Ace to the Bee or the 59 to Chelsea bridge.
For me a Cafe racer was a bike you stripped all excess weight, racing seat with clip-ons oh and a slug of Castor oil 😂 down the exhaust. The one part I recall with fondness was the Iron bridge going to the Ace a right hand bend were some met with the iron fencing. We didn’t wear crash lids unless it was raining or cold. Quite strange now.
Today I’m still riding a Kawasaki KRT 400 which I must say is faster and more fun than any of the old cafe racers I owned.
I enjoyed that Stuart. It’s good of you to record the history of these post war young biker enthusiasts and their influence on the motorcycle industry. I loved the black and white footage you found.
Often come over to see and hear a little piece of home and see how your doing Stu. I must have missed what happened to the pay day project after wondering to other TH-camrs for a bit, don't see the little Bonnie leaving your stable, I did enjoy seeing the little additions and work being done. Great little snippet into the halcyon days of the Great British biker. Get well soon
Never knew the story. Hell, never even heard of The Ton Up Boys!
Thanks for the story and as always the beautiful scenery.
I too missed out on the cafe racer first time round. Both my dad and brother had BSA A10s. I started on a Bantam, when I passed my test I wanted to test ride a Triton which was for sale but it having a high compression racing head and me being less than 9 stone I couldn’t even move the kickstart so ended up with a T21. I’ve finally got a Bonneville which I’m now turning into a cafe racer. So got there in the end. Good vid as usual Stu.
It's funny that i always hit the like button first for all Uncle Stu's videos before even begin to watch. Amazing content as always. Keep them coming. Can't wait for more content on GT 650. I have one in Ice Queen color.
That was a damn good video Stu. Going to share this with my friends. Cheers
Ayup Stu ! Great vid, can't claim to be one of the original boys - too young at 67, but I do remember a generation of them on my old estate when I was approaching teens, the Conti looks pukka and not unlike my old Yam divvy after being fettled, back in May '98 just after I bought a new Suz SRAD I also bought a naked Honda Bros 400 principally for getting to work, but I came to love that bike for it's naked looks, little did I realise the seed that was planted in early '60s was still growing, now all the Crotch Rockets are gone and in my stable is only a retro! Rock on!
That moniker, the ‘ton-up boys’, I first heard my gran say when a bunch of lads roared past us on motorcycles - would have been about 1965. I was hooked - the sound alone did that. Have been hooked ever since. I still chicken out at a ‘ton’ though, although it’s 160km/hr where I live now (in Aus).
Awesome video! It's great to hear a more accurate account of the Cafe racers origin. Hope you feel better soon. Had a simular issue with my shoulder last year and took months to get to the point of not grunting or cursing if I moved it or lifted something the wrong way. I still have no idea what caused it.
So interesting. Great insight into a fascinating post war era and the birth of the cafe racer culture.
So appreciated!
A most beautiful and authentic explanation on the cafe racer culture.
Wow...!
Stuart, thanks for a great video. One of your best yet, I think -- not only because of the great images but because your storytelling is top notch. You explain in detail the wherefores of the British motorcycle mystique.
Here in America, the motorcycle industry before WWII consisted almost entirely of big displacement Harley's and Indian's, mostly used by police forces and a handful of adventurous young men. Postwar was the same except many of the new riders were unsettled returning servicemen who got their big bikes from war surplus and formed like-minded outlaw motorcycle groups. Movies like "The Wild Bunch" pushed the public's opinion that all motorcyclists were unclean hooligans and generally up to no good.
Only Soichiro Honda's genius for small displacement bikes and his clever 1960's ad campaign brought Americans to believe that motorcycling could be -- clean and fun (hear "Little Honda" by The Beach Boys).
I have to say thanks and a tip-of-the-hat to the Indians for keeping Royal Enfield running strong and grabbing the attention of a new generation of young motorcyclists worldwide who have only known plastic-layered hypersonic bikes from Japan (which evolved from "You Meet The Nicest People ...). I understand that Mahindra is selling reincarnations of other British and Czech motorcycles. I hope we see them here in America someday. Thanks again!
It was The Wild One, not The Wild Bunch. Easy mistake to make but the latter is a western, pretty good one too in my view.
It's interesting to note that despite Harleys and Indians being the predominant brand by far in the US, Marlon Brando as Johnny leading the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club in The Wild One rides a Triumph. There are several other notable aspects of this film in my view (I'm a big film fan) apart from the Triumph:
1 The film was supposedly based on an incident where a bunch of bikers beat up a town called Hollister in California. It was later proven that a famous press shot of a drunken biker was staged.
2 It has one of the greatest script lines in Hollywood history, in my view. This is where Johnny is in the cafe and the girl serving sees the Black Rebels MC patch on his jacket.
"What are you rebelling against?" she asks. The wonderful response from Johnny: "What you got?"
3 We used to have censorship in the UK and the film, made in the fifties, was banned for a very long time here for fear that bikers in this country might emulate the actions of the gangs in the film. Now it's shown on daytime TV on a channel that plays old films.
4 The film has a very early appearance by Lee Marvin, later to become a well known actor, as the leader of a rival biker gang.
It never occurred to me that the bomber jackets worn by the café racers were actual WWII surplus.
Here in L.A., I just assumed that it was a WWII *style* that had been adopted by *Lewis Leathers* in London .
I bought one with fringes running down the arms and across the back. One day I caught a glimpse of myself
as a reflection in a shop window, and I was amazed to see that I looked like a gorilla riding a 10-speed. :-)
well chaps in 1956 I was 16 years old and riding a 700cc Royal Enfield which I passed my test on.. In those days I lived in Chippenham Wilts. are ton up road was the A4 chipp to London and the Ace Cafe. from the American milk bar chipp. about 17 of us would go and stake out the strait bits up Calne way on toward the white horse at Cheryl. would meet up with lads at the cafe have a laugh and do what teens do. so I think you can add us to your list. Briddy now 85 Dorset.
I was busy and wasn't able to watch your video,but now I can enjoy ur contents again😄
I love it Stu. I don’t follow the history of cafe racers but I love the aesthetic so I bought one and making it my own backyard special.
Another fact packed interesting video thanks Stuart.
It's great to see your subscriber numbers climbing too, nearly 10% over that 50k milestone already, well done! ✔
Nice one Stu. Nothing more therapeutic than a spot of old two wheeled footage for soothing the soul. Hope those shoulders click back in a bit sharpish mate 👍
I am old and retired in Asia now - and wasn't sure I wanted to re-enter the traffic fray here without 4-wheeled-protection (the drivers here are suicidal). So last year I bought a new, cheap Chinese Cafe Racer marketed here - as a toe in the water and too see if I'd survive. I'd say it's about as far from the true cafe racer heritage as you can get - but hell it is fun. Now all I have to do is wait a few more pension payments so I can add an Interceptor to the collection :).
Great video, the way you tell the story of those guys is priceless! A very interesting point of view on those days.
Sorry to hear about the seizing of the parts, Stuart. I suspect this is just the wear and tear we can expect when we clock up the miles, and anounces your entry into the Chromium Years (as in old motocyclists don't go grey, they just go chrome). If you keep it up, you'll be at risk of qualifying for a Sons of Arthiritis t-shirt. Hope you are back on 2 wheels soon - I want to see how you get on with your new Connie. A great improvement on the original 250 Connie that looked lovely but became my personal training ground in motorcycle mechanics!
Ah Stuart. Memories of my 55 dommie 88 ( clipons and clubman seat ) 66 Bonnie, ( gold Star pattern silencers ) running on R 40. Happy days!!
I was a biker in the 60’s with a Norton 650ss. I guess I was considered one of the bad’ns, certainly by my girlfriends dad; when we arrived back at hers at 11pm he would always ask “where have you been?” to which we would reply “just to The Anchor coffee bar in Cambridge” or “Oh, just to the fish shop”. Whereas in reality we’d often ride 90 miles to Yarmouth (often without helmets unless it was raining!). I’m 80 now with a Honda VFR v-tech, my then girlfriend is sadly now 250 miles away in Exeter…..if only….!
My hat goes off to you sir
Superb clip and thanks for sharing .
Cheers,
Dave from Scotland
My Dad was a weekend mechanic around the grass track & road racing scene in the 50s & early 60s. Annual holidays in the IOM as pit crew at the Manx. His day job was driving a truck. I remember him referring to the ton-up boys as "bloody cafe racers" that is not the real thing. Unfortunately, he didn't like rock & roll & was deeply cheesed off at having to put up with the jukebox in his favorite transport cafe.
Fantastic Stuart. Well done. Many thanks.
Very good enjoyed that I remember those times well it was all British. The start of the super bike era was the Norton commando, the triumph trident and the bsa rocket3. Then it happened the Honda cb750 and a whole new era started. Fantastic Stu.
We still go from cafe to cafe on a ride out, back in the day I only wore my helmet if it was raining and on my test ( one test and twice around the block). Still riding 54 years later.
#st mal - I know what you mean - I only wore the helmet in the early sixties because it was bloody cold without it!
Re- your comments about licensing Stuart. As a long-serving retired Driving Examiner I feel that I can speak on the issue. The whole bike test culture has got completely out of hand. I used to follow 125’s around for forty minutes and if competent would give them a full Category A at the end of the test. I saw nothing wrong with this. I remember only one fatality with a rider I had tested. Then, due to an EU directive it seems that new riders had to be restricted to a middle-weight machine. The industry over-reacted envisaging big bikes glued to showroom floors and the Government panicked. So Direct access was introduced. Subsequent EU directives led us to where we are now. It high time that bike testing was rationalized. I honestly believe that the Module 1 is a waste of time. It doesn’t produce better riders. A good CBT, I repeat, A GOOD CBT, and training on a reasonably sized machine, followed by an on- road test is all that we need. Surely Brexit allows us to look at this again…..
What a fantastic vlog thanks Stu. I’ve been to a couple of Ton up days at local truck stops awesome time was had lots of old bikes rock n roll music and friendly people who just love bikes. 👍
Nice bike uncle Stu!! That’s the paint scheme I’m going to get as well! Beautifully done. Thanks for the history lesson. We all need to hear it from the horses mouth. Or close to
That was my favourite when I bought mine. No regrets!
Na then Stuart, You should have your own half hour program on TV. Another brilliant and informative video once again 👏👍 Thank you.
Nice Visio Stu. I started biking at the end of the ton up boys era. There were quite a few of the old rockers around still but they didn’t appreciate us new style of rocker (Greasers) hanging around. There were lots of mods around then too. They didn’t like us either. They good days though.
I love the information you provide I’ve watched almost all of your videos thank you the time you spend.
Thanks for the history lesson, Stuart! Similar errors in knowledge here in the US, I was rather surprised to learn a while back that the original "Hell's Angels" were former fighter pilots who took to motorcycling!
Cafe racer scent; uncle Stu, that's why I like your channel! I hope you get well soon!
Good stuff, and very interesting too. I hope your injuries heal soon, Stu.
The biggest legacy from the “ton-up” days is the continuing disregard/distaste of motorcycling in general and motorcycle sport in particular by the British public and media. No other country would totally ignore the fact that we have a world champion who has not only won the world championship, but won it six years in succession. The good side is that I can record any race I like in the sure and certain knowledge that NO radio or TV program will announce the results before I can watch the recording. No, scratch that, NO radio or TV program will ever announce the results EVER!
I dreamed of having a Cafe Racer back in the late 60's. Saving my nickels and dimes I bought a Titan 500 Suzuki. It was my first bike. It was a good bike but I outgrew it quickly. I have had some true monsters since then. Now, I think that I am ready for that Royal Enfield. I gave my V-Max to my son to enjoy. The Fat Boy is waiting for me to take it out of the garage. But, sometimes I just want a relaxing ride on something not to big or not to small.
Brilliant video as always Stuart and very informative as always, loved listening about the ton up boys and cafe racers 🏍👍🏻
Hi uncle stu, thanks for putting the record straight on cafe racers. Keep up the good work