The post-war era also saw the United Kingdom experience the beginning of a golden era in Grand Prix racing, with a slew of Brits such as Fergus Anderson, Freddie Frith, Bob Foster, Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Phil Read, and Mike “The Bike” Hailwood dominating top-level racing in the 1950s and ‘60s. This undoubtedly played a pivotal role in influencing café culture, with enthusiasts borrowing and adapting race parts for use on their road-going bikes. This is also why cafe racers bare such a striking resemblance to the competition machines of half-a-century-ago, as well as why these race-derived bikes traditionally sport a headlight. The modern café racer craze that persists today arguably began at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show when Ducati pulled the cover off its revolutionary Sport Classic: a modern L-Twin dressed up in unmistakably vintage aesthetics. A few years later, and not only had Ducati released its Pierre Terblanche-penned modern-retro, but Triumph also followed suit with its Thruxton model. With the success of the Thruxton, it didn’t take long for other major manufacturers to catch onto what was happening and toss their hats into the proverbial café ring. Fast-forward to today and café racers have gone from a niche style to a widely-recognized production model genre. They are generally looked after. It’s also a favourite for people who want to customise their bikes. They are favourites for that and people do spend money on them and do like to look after them. Riding Position: While café racers typically sport the clip-ons and rear-sets that allow for a tight, hunched-forward rider’s triangle, the truth is that, while this setup looks cool and allows for more spirit riding, it just isn’t very practical for commuting or day-to-day riding (assuming you don’t spend 90% of your saddle time in the canyons). Consider your intended use, and whether a bike’s riding position is conducive to that. It’s also worth noting you can always swap out any model’s handlebars or foot-controls with relative ease. Olive and Bean is a destination that is highly praised by many students, often it being the place you would take your friends or parents to “show off” Newcastle. This, I think, is due to the delicious range of sweet and baked treats they have to offer and the drinks you can indulge in such as freshly made smoothies and hot chocolate with generous whips of cream.

The amount of top brass from the Piaggio/Aprilia group in attendance at the launch and their keenness to hear journos’ opinions shows that this retro/heritage range, which began with the California Vintage three years ago, is particularly important for Moto Guzzi. Luca Scopel, the young and enthusiastic category manager for Moto Guzzi, was very much involved in the design process of the V7 Café Classic from the beginning. He explains that Moto Guzzi is very intent on expanding and improving the 750-based heritage range. This includes preparing a range of accessories for the Café Classic, including adjustable rearsets, dual seats, passenger pegs, fly screens and other goodies. As a relative newbie to the whole retro scene, I was initially a little sceptical about the Moto Guzzi V7 and, indeed, all retro bikes. Are they all style over substance, or can they actually offer me a riding thrill? Within a mile I had my answer. The little Guzzi is quirky and full of character and I was instantly smitten with it. The addition of bar end mirrors really helps to finish off the café racer look of this bike; however, they are completely for show and visibility of the road behind you is quite poor. It’s a low, nimble motorcycle, a good first “big” motorcycle for beginners and shorter riders. That doesn’t mean it’s unchallenging for more experienced riders, as there’s plenty to get excited about. The 750cc Euro 3 engine from the Breva is an excellent all rounder, with plenty of zip to accelerate away from oncoming traffic, while its broad torque also means you can cope with slow moving traffic. A personal favourite of mine. I accidentally discovered Super Natural Café when walking to the train station and once I went in, I fell in love. Simple but cosy, whenever I step into the café I instantly feel warm and relaxed. The ceiling is decorated with many twinkling fairy lights which illuminate the place, especially on a cold winter’s day. Building onto this tranquillity is the music they play which ranges from smooth jazz to blues to some Elvis Presley. Prices are also quite decent, and they serve a vegan menu that Is aided by some homemade smoothies. Another positive is on weekends they remain open until 8pm so if you want a place to relax after a late lecture, you can even grab a drink from their selection of beers and wines. If I had to critique one thing (though I’d rather not) it would be the wifi connection that often connects and disconnects, so if you’re planning to do some work, it can be slightly frustrating. Otherwise, I only have high praise for this snug eclectic oasis of a café.Minus points are few. There’s no storage behind the side panels, and I gave up trying to remove the seat after fiddling with it for a minute or two. The yellow engine management warning light stayed on for long periods, but I just ignored it and kept riding, and it went out again. There’s also no center stand, but seeing as this bike is meant to embody the spirit of a café racer, stripped down for speed, it’s begrudgingly allowed. The one downfall of the Grand that I must mention, is that often you must bear in mind that it does get busy. Sometimes it can be difficult finding a seat as it is quite small, so bear that in mind. Apart from that, I highly recommend it, after all, the Grand is, well…grand!

Whether you want to do some extra work or just get a bit of a break before your next lecture, what isn’t there to like about getting a good cup of coffee to wake yourself up and a nice piece of cake to recharge? Being a new student in Newcastle, I made it my goal to try to find the best cafes for this very purpose and here’s what I found. It’s difficult, if not impossible to pin down which bike was the first true production café racer, as the genre slowly evolved into being over time. Complicating the matter even more is the fact that production café models are by no means a new phenomenon, with every decade since the 1950s offering turn-key models that we would today classify as café racers. In the late ‘50s and ‘60s, AJS had their 7R “Boy Racers” while Norton famously produced its Manx model. The 1970s saw even more café’d bikes, including an increase in models from Italy such as Moto Guzzi’s Le Mans and Laverda’s Jota and SFC. In the 1980s Honda released its GB500 TT, which today we’d view as something of an archetypal café racer. Following the launch of the V7 Classic last year, it was obvious Moto Guzzi would eventually produce something like the new V7 Café Classic. While last year’s V7 Classic suggested classily but sensibly what was in the cards, the Moto Guzzi Café Classic has burst on the scene, all luminescent paint and upswept chrome exhausts, taking over the current mantle of Guzzi’s glitziest roadster. As an international leader in parcel delivery, DPD Local offers you, our valued customer, a first-class delivery service. DPD Local is devoted to delivering the best parcel service, and we are proud they have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for their unique one hour delivery service. With route optimisation, unbeatable safety protocols and exceptional efficiency we are sure you will be pleased with your delivery service. There was an ABS recall on the latest models and before that there were no recalls and no other issues.They are pretty bullet proof, actually. They are quite a basic bike – in modern terms – and there are not a lot of thrills on it. All you’ve got is fuel injection on this model, however a good service history is still always important though. Noisy pipes and aftermarket paint are both popular and people like to change the seats, as well as chop the tail off. They also like to change the mudguards at the front and rear. These are often replaced with smaller ones, to help give it a café racer style and things like that. The V-twin produces approximately 50hp at 6,800rpm, is smooth and very capable, though a little vibration can be felt on the foot pegs when really caning the bike. But the engine holds no surprises for the rider; no confusing power bands, no fueling glitches — it revs freely and smoothly, and at highway speeds of 80mph-plus, it feels unburstable.

If you’re anything like me then you most likely have been to a café to study before. And why not? Why wouldn’t you want a good atmosphere or distraction from the regular draining space of your room or kitchen, maybe a place to refresh yourself from loud flatmates and dirty sinks? With thanks to CMC Coleshill for the loan of the bike. The Mechanic: Cristian Ingignoli, Dealer Principle at In Moto, London Deliveries are made Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm. DPD Local provides a one hour delivery window on the day of delivery so you can carry on with other parts of your day as normal. Firstly, disclaimer, I must admit, I did focus my search on the centre of Newcastle due to the convenience of it being closer to the university, so if you’re wondering about places in Jesmond or Heaton, I do apologize. With that said, I found quite a few, often surprising, cafes that I feel everyone would enjoy: The Grand The Moto Guzzi V7 Cafe Classic is a brilliant introduction to the world of retro motorcycles and offered Senior Online Reporter, Dan, a brief eye-opening glimpse into the genre.Availability: This isn’t really an issue when buying most models from major manufacturers, however one downside to buying from small brands is the relatively limited access to replacement parts. It can also be harder to find shops to service certain types of bikes (though this obviously doesn’t apply to Chinese-made air-cooled singles). Special and limited-edition models also tend to have much more limited availability in terms of parts and replacements. Moto Guzzi has decided to go whole-heartedly down the retro motorcycle route, and the Moto Guzzi V7 Café Classic is the latest Guzzi to be given the treatment.. Essentially a restyled V7 Classic, the Café Classic is built around the Breva chassis and 750cc engine. Nothing wrong there, as the Breva 750 and the V7 Classic are both fine motorcycles, so using an already proven platform makes economic sense. But where last year’s V7 Classic took its styling clues from the “loop frame” V7 Specials of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Café has been designed specifically to mimic the beautiful lines of the V7 Sport, Guzzi’s iconic factory café racer from the early 1970s.