Cafe Racer Cafe

Cafe Racer History. The Ton-Up Boys
Perhaps the ultimate achievement for a cafe racer to gain prestige among his peers was to reach the elusive 100mph mark, no easy feat back in the late 50s and early 60s. The bikes of that era were nowhere near as powerful as some of the options we have available today and would require plenty of customisation on the rider's part.

One of the most popular and iconic cafe racer configurations was a combination of the latest Norton Featherbed frame with a Triumph Bonneville engine inside it. This fused the best of both worlds, the raw power potential and reliability of the Triumph, with the groundbreaking handling and agility of Norton's racing frame. This hybrid would become known as the 'Triton', a simple mash-up of both brand names, the fact that it was also the name of a God from Greek mythology is a happy coincidence. Another popular hybrid configuration was the Tribsa, once again using the beloved Triumph engine, but this time housed inside a BSA frame. Not quite as catchy a name but still a formidable machine.

Even after obtaining and customising your ride, doing the ton (British slang for 100mph, also known as tonning up) was not easy. The roads back then were not in the condition we are now accustomed to with gravel patches, potholes and oil spills commonplace. Accidents were frequent and lots of youths lost their lives in pursuit of this milestone. One of the original names this group became known by was 'The Ton-Up Boys' because of this quest and the rare few who did manage it would have pride of place among the cafe racers

cafe racer cafe is opening soon in Estanza, Legazpi - We will recreate the 50s & 60s cafe racer motorcycles & Rock & Roll Era- You can roll by and have some quality coffee snacks and lunch at our restaurant, we will also have a pool table and darts for your leisure plus a car wash whilst you chill out !
Plenty of motorcyclist & old vintage car memorabilia will be around you to enjoy plus the sounds of the 50s & 60s !