This is not intended as a complete history, rather a look at the highpoints in the café scene which is timely because in recent years, it seems that the term “Café Racer” can be applied to any old motorcycle that has been spray-painted black and fitted with pipe wrap. However, motorcycle enthusiasts who raced each other from café to café were the true Café Racers in the UK during the 1960s.  The most famous of which is the Ace Café, in London, which is still in existence today

There is also a suggestion that the term Café Racer was created as the riders were only pretending to be racers as, instead of using their modified bikes, they just parked them outside cafes to show off.

It may also be part of motorcycle folklore too, but it is rumored that these riders would apparently select a record on a café’s jukebox and then race each other to a predetermined place, with the objective of getting back before the record finished. This would then prove their bike was capable of hitting 100 mph.

Predominantly most of the early Café Racers were British bikes – Triumph, BSA, AJS, Norton etc and none of them were particularly quick. But, the objective of most of the riders at the time was to try and achieve the ton – or 100 mph. If you could demonstrate your bike was capable of going at that speed or faster you could call yourself a member of The Ton Up Club.

To get anywhere near the magic 100 mph, riders at the time needed to heavily modify their bikes. Fortunately in the 1960s the British motorcycle industry was still alive and kicking and there was a big British presence in motorcycle racing. Consequently, there were a lot of aftermarket parts for the Café Racers to choose from to upgrade their bike

The 59 Club originally  started in 1959 in London UK.

Leadership duties were taken on by Graham Hullett and William Shergold (1919 – 2009 ).

The 59 Club became well known, and attracted luminaries such as Sir Cliff Richard, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon to its opening night, and later many motorcycling sportsmen and musicians.

For British motorcyclists, it was famous for being the first place in the UK to preview the previously banned biker movie The Wild One, in 1968.

From 1962 to the early 1970s, the club enjoyed fame as the top hang-out spot for British rockers and motorcyclists, and overall it created a positive archetype for the young members to follow, in the bad boys made good vein. The glory days of the café racer. Nights spent at the Ace Café, and membership in the 59 Club England was ground zero for a new culture that featured hot fast bikes and leathers. An entire generation of riders has been influenced by the style and spirit of the original rockers from the 1950's and 60's.

Their look and attitude was an amalgamation of styles heavily influenced by the changing times. Disaffected youths in Britain joined one of two camps the mods or the rockers. At the time, the Rockers were considered folk devils, due to their clashes with the scooter riding mods. The mods grew out of the style conscious teddy boys and rode scooters (Vespas & Lambrettas).  A hallmark of the rocker culture, leather jackets, boots and jeans were essential attire. The rockers met at what we call truck stops with the most famous being the Ace Café. Rockers disdained drugs and booze, because it takes a clear head to ride at a ton

Modifying these bikes to ride and race from one coffee bar to the next was a simple affair. Take a Triumph, BSA, Norton, Matchless, AJS, or Royal Enfield and add clip on handlebars. Ditch any extraneous bits and pieces, modify the exhaust, brakes and fenders and you have a basic Café Racer. Café Racer bikes became the rule. Take some youthful rebellion and the desire to be individuals add some horsepower and leather and you end up with the rockers. Rockers liked to ride hard and fast. The expression "Ton-Up" comes from the rocker lexicon, and means 100+ MPH.

The 59 Club profited greatly from the work being done by others in the Rocker Reunion Movement, which included a Classic Section, a sub-group of members dedicated to upholding the 1960s rockers subculture (fashion, music and motorcycles). During its 1960s heyday, the club may have been the largest motorcycle club in the world, with over 20,000 members, who had to sign up in person. Members came from all over the UK, and even Europe.The 59 Club attracted both male and female members, and according to Graham, its success was based on its almost entire lack of rules. Besides motorcycles and rock and roll, the club involved activities such as football — which gave the youths, mainly from underprivileged backgrounds, an outlet for their energy. Each year, The 59 club organised ride-outs to famous motorcycle rallies such as The Dragon rally in Wales, The Elephant Rally at the Nürburgring in Germany, and to the Isle of Man TT races. The 59 BBQ event still occurs every year at TT in Laxey.Towards the end of its heyday, the club saw the birth of a very different type of motorcycle club; American-style outlaw motorcycle clubs such as the London-based Road Rats and the California-originated Hells Angels. The rise of these groups, which tended to cater to an older, tougher crowd, pretty much marked the death of the 1960s rockers culture