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Michael Lichter

Paul d'Orleans

Cafe Racers: Speed, Style, and Ton-Up Culture Hardcover – June 15, 2014

by Michael Lichter (Author), Paul d'Orleans (Author)

77 ratings

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A photographic chronology of some of the fastest, most stylish, and most individualized bikes in motorcycling history. Originally used as a slur against riders who used hopped-up motorcycles to travel from one transport café to another, café racer describes a bike genre that first became popular in 1960s British rocker subculture - although the motorcycles were also common in Italy, France, and other European countries. The rebellious rock-and-roll counterculture is what first inspired these fast, personalized, and distinctive bikes, with their owners often racing down public roads in excess of 100 miles per hour ("ton up" in British slang), leading to their public branding as "ton-up boys." Café Racers traces café racer motorcycles from their origins in the mid-twentieth century all the way into modern times, where the style has made a recent comeback in North America and Europe alike, through the museum-quality portraiture of top motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter and the text of motorcycle culture expert Paul d'Orléans. Chronologically illustrated with fascinating historical photography, the book travels through the numerous ever-morphing and unique eras of these nimble, lean, light, and head-turning machines. Café Racers visually celebrates a motorcycle riding culture as complex as the vast array of bikes within it.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Motorbooks
Publication date

June 15, 2014
Dimensions

10.25 x 0.88 x 12.38 inches
ISBN-10

0760345821
ISBN-13

978-0760345825
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you enjoyed Paul's crisp, perceptive writing in our own book The Ride, take a look at his latest work€”a joint project with one of the top US motorcycle photographers, Michael Lichter. So fresh my own copy has not arrived yet€”but I'll be ripping off the packaging in haste when it lands in the mailbox." - BikeEXIF.com

"D'Orleans does an amazing thing in Cafe Racers - he provides a history of motorcycling's earliest days and how cafe racers evolved, became widely popular in the 1960s and beyond that is almost clinical in its completeness, yet he keeps it from being as dry as a helmet owner's manual. Add to that 200 stunning, large format, full-color studio shots of some of the best examples of cafe racers you'll ever see, 75 period and historic black-and-white images slathered all over 224 10" x 12.25" heavy stock pages and you have a book that is as much presentation quality art as it is a technical masterpiece. Even if you haven't been particularly drawn to the cafe racer scene up to now, if you appreciate Spartan, essential motorcycles that are an art form unto themselves, you will find Cafe Racers a fascinating read and a great addition to your library." - UltimateMotorcycling.com

"...the just released hardcover book Cafe Racers, Speed, Style and Ton Up Culture is a must-own if you like the Cafe Racers genre." - CyrilHuzeBlog.com

About the Author

Since the early 1980s, Michael Lichter has been photographing custom motorcycles for the pages of Easyriders magazine--often hanging from the beds of pickup trucks during rainstorms or photographing packs of bikers in such places as Daytona Beach, Florida, and Sturgis, South Dakota. He has written and provided photography for a number of books, and he lives and works in Boulder, Colorado.

Paul d'Orléans, better known as the publisher of website The Vintagent, travels the world following the vintage motorcycle scene. As a rider, collector, and recognized expert on moto-history, he is a passionate advocate for old motorcycles and writes for numerous magazines (including Cycle World, MCN, Men's File, Klassik Motorrad, and Café Racers FR), websites, and club journals worldwide.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Motorbooks (June 15, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0760345821
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0760345825
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.97 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.25 x 0.88 x 12.38 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,963,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #118 in Bike Repair
- #170 in Motorcycle Pictorials
- #317 in Motorcycle History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
77 ratings

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About the authors

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Michael Lichter
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Paul d'Orleans
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Paul d’Orléans is a writer and photographer living in San Francisco. He is also a globally recognized expert on the history of motorcycles and motorcycle cultures. His website TheVintagent.com has been the gold standard for motorcycle writing since 2006. Paul curates major exhibits at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles (Silver Shotgun, Electric Revolution, and Custom Revolution), is a TV commentator on NBCSN, and the host of the Quail Motorcycle Gathering. He has been an esteemed judge for ten years at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, and organizes events like Wheels+Waves California (2016/2017). Paul co-founded the Motorcycle Arts Foundation (a 501c3) to support arts and exhibitions around motorcycle culture. He has written, co-written, and edited a dozen books, and one book of photography with his partner Susan McLaughlin, ‘Longer Ways to Go’ (2021 MotoTintype). He has produced 5 films, and a new feature documentary ‘A Film Interrupted’ will be finished in 2021.
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Customer reviews

5 star		73%
4 star		10%
3 star		7%
2 star		5%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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J

Cafe Racers: an elegant approach

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 25, 2014

Verified Purchase

Most of the time the computer screen seems adequate to explore interests like this. Lots of great photos out there if you look around and these days there aren't a lot of books of this heft and size that you want to commit your space and money to. This one is different. It's an excellent group of talents coming together to make a great book. I just picked it up for my brother's birthday, now I need one. Paul d'Orleans is a learned, modern day cavalier who knows bikes in and out. His writing is elegant and fun and his wet-plate photos are beautiful. Michael Lichter, ex be-bop drummer / now well-established and extraordinary photographer has done each bike justice with photos that are very powerful. You really feel like you can reach out and polish them. If you just want a great visual treat with very cool bikes or if you want in-depth history of some motorcycles from the cafe racer culture, this is a very good book.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ol' Huck

Burn Up!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 10, 2017

Verified Purchase

Beautifully printed large format book with great insight and details on the history of the café racer bikes and scene. Beautiful photographs by Michael Lichter, and words by Paul D'Orleans.

Helpful

G D VINTEN

It does no book any good having to push the spine flat to see an ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2014

Verified Purchase

Bit disappointing, lovely images ruined by being on two pages each, so a seam down the middle and the impact of the bike and the image is lost in the fold. It does no book any good having to push the spine flat to see an image, so yes a bit disappointing.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

wade

Probably some of the highest quality photographs of motorcycles I've ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

Probably some of the highest quality photographs of motorcycles I've seen. Worth every penny if you have an interest in motorcycles and specifically modified cafe style bikes. I can't comment on the text, in this case it's secondary to the photos.
Wade

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

A comprehensive and nice write-up with good quality images/prints. The cover could have been better.

One person found this helpful

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Caroline Dobson

Great fathers day gift!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

I bought this as a gift for my dad who's a cafe racer lover and he was really thrilled with it.

One person found this helpful

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Patrick Lawrence Sullivan

Great reference book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 14, 2014

Verified Purchase

Great reference book! Thanks to Licter's, outstanding (The Best In The Business) photography. If you're interested in the "Cafe" culture, then buy this book! A truly definitive piece of work. A+++

3 people found this helpful

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I Fly

You old Rockers are gong to have flashbacks

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 3, 2015

Verified Purchase

Better than expected...Very good price

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Top reviews from other countries

Dougie McG

The pictures are amazing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

I bought this for my girlfriend's father, who grew up in the cafe racer culture and has fond memories of zooming around in the 60s and 70s on his motorbikes. He enjoys this book thoroughly and often reads it and takes in the beautiful images. The book is well made, with lots of detail and some fantastic photographs. If you're looking for a colour history of the ton up culture, look no further. This book is well worth it.