History of the "Cafe Racer" jacket.

[handymike]

While on the subject, I'd also like to know why do people call these "double rider" and "single rider" jackets? Didn't this originate from the Japanese having no grasp on the language whatsoever and slapping words together they think sound cool - like they often do in Manga and Anime? What's "double" on an asymmetrical zipper jacket? Overlapping front? Ugh...

Buco referred to their cross-zips as “twin” styled...

 

[Mandarin]

The Langlitz catalog says "Offset" (diagonal) zipper.

 

[Monitor]

Buco referred to their cross-zips as “twin” styled...
View attachment 231348

Maybe they meant like the same style for men and women?

 

[handymike]

Here’s an ad with both styles...

Ruff-rider Leather Shirt & Twin...
Maybe twin refers to the collars- 2 collars.

 

[handymike]

Seems like the term “racing jacket” was a thing in the 70s.
Harley called it a “competition” jacket.
...and then, there’s the Willie G!

 

[navetsea]

maybe double rider is a short of Doublebreasted Rider

 

[Edward]

View attachment 230311

This one isn't from the period, this is from a shoot done with revivalists about ten or fifteen yearsago, from memory.

Those involved in the original scene around, most famously, the Ace Cafe (mostly because of its inclusion in The Leather Boys, and also with its restoration and reopening at the back end of the 90s), also the likes of the Busy Bee in Watford, self-identified as 'Rockers'. Rockers were a bunch of leather and denim clad bikers, and tended to be a slightly older crowd than the young, suited and booted mods (of which Ken Calder was one at the time - I'd love to see more of his recollections of that scene, as most of what I have absorbedabout the rockers was from "our own side" rather than the mods). 'Cafe Racer' as a term then was used as a dismissive perjorative, a reference to the Rockers' 'sport' of racing each other from one cafe to the next (in large part the inspiration for the introduction of national speed limits on British roads in 1968), or the infamous (though some would say 'urban legend') practice of racing the jukebox at the Ace - supposedly involving putting on a song of a set duration and trying to do a loop of a particular section of the North Circular Road and get back in before it ended.

The cafe-racer style of jacket, as we now know it, was worn by some Rockers - as too some of them wore Belstaffs and surplus Irvins. The archetypal Rocker jacket, however, was the straight, centre-zip model with the shirt-style collar. There were a number of names in the British leather game. THe biggest, hippest names for rockers were Lewis Leathers and Rivett's of Leytonstone (the latter badging their jackets of all styles as Highwayman). If you couldn't afford one of those, there were also Goldtop, Mascot, and a number of others. Some did wear a 'lancer front' style (the traditional, British name for a cross-zip), though it would almost never have been a Schott-style with a half-belt on the front (a more common style now, and often seen among Rocker revivalists who can't stretch to a coveted Lewis). When Lewis introduced the Bronx in 1956, they knew that the British way of riding a motorcycle made the front buckle of these half-belts problematic. Whereas the American bikers on their Harleys and such sat upright and back, the Brits were more likely to lean into a crouch over the top of the tank. Putting a buckle on that is asking for scratches. With the Bronx, Lewis tried to get round this by removing the pin and covering the buckle in leather. In 1958, when designing the Lightning, they instead used side-buckles, which remain a norm across the Lewis range (Bronx aside) to this day.

The original Rocker movement as was had its heyday in England from about 61 to 64; after that it started to peter out in various directions. Some of the hardcore drifted towards American-style patch Clubs that were arriving on the UK by the sixties (both American clubs setting up British chapeters - like the 81, which arrived in the UK in 1968 - or British clubs based on the same MC model - such as the Road Rats in London). The 59 Club suffered something of a split when they chose to refuse entry to bikers wearing MC colours. Others had families, bought cars, and mothballed or sold their bikes. By the late sixties it was possible for the average working man to be able to afford a car; cheaper cars, and increasing restrictions on motocycles, led to fewer younger people taking up motorcycling, and so on. The 'Rocker' scene as had been largely disappeared until the revival scene built around the Rockers Revival meetings from about 1994, which eventually saw the rebirth of the Ace itself.

While there were still many options, into the late Seventies and really up til the 90s the quintessential British motorcycle jacket became the lancer front with a mandarin collar, as most famously produced by Lewis as, first, the Monza and later the Super Monza. This basic look has been popular ever since. I'd say this is the point where the Mandarin collar (the earliest versions I've seen on leathers being German, zip-front half-belt styles slightly before the Lewis Universal Racer) became something of a norm on British, or British worn, bike jacket.

I'd certainly defer to Ken's knowledge, though I tend to agree with him that based on everything I've ever read, the term 'cafe racer' is a much later term, possibly popularised having been stumbled across out of context, missing its original intent as an insult. Which would make even more sense if it had come from the Japanese side of things - easy for stuff to get lost in translation.

I think the oldest branded cafe racer style jacket i can think off is the Lewis Universal Racer mk1.
That came out in 1926 and had all the characteristics of a modern cafe racer jacket:

https://www.lewisleathers.com/productinfo.html?code=UVR1-jak

Like you i have never understood why that style is called a cafe racer, it seems it was never really worn by the people actually doing the cafe racing. It seems in that period the mandarin collar wasn't that fashionable in the UK.
To me the 50s Buco racing shirt is a very American style, at that time people in the UK mostly wore cross zips or Dominator style jackets.
It would be great to figure out exactly when and where the "Cafe racer jacket" designation started.

Agreed on all points.

Peter Fonda obviously wore it but he rode chopper

While on the subject, I'd also like to know why do people call these "double rider" and "single rider" jackets? Didn't this originate from the Japanese having no grasp on the language whatsoever and slapping words together they think sound cool - like they often do in Manga and Anime? What's "double" on an asymmetrical zipper jacket? Overlapping front? Ugh...

It seems to be rooted in the notion of single-breasted and double-breasted jackets, even if in the English language we don't tend to apply that terminology to zip-fastening jackets the same way we do to those with buttons. Logical, if you think about it, but yes they are peculiarly Janglish terms.

 

[handymike]

On further reading, it seems the “twin” or “double” collar might have originally referred to the detachable mouton collar. The style often came with both collars.
I think the modern blanket-term to describe all cross-zips is probably based on the Japanese use (slightly Lost in Translation from one of these vintage ads) and the rest of the world following along.
For the racer style, I noticed the collar was called a “cadet” collar back in the 60s and 70s when Asian references wouldn’t have been popular in America. Can you imagine how unpopular a “Mandarin” collar would be during the Korean or Vietnam wars?
Likewise the term Cafe wouldn’t have had any traction until the late 80s or 90s when we started first seeing little coffee bars opening up.
Can anyone remember When it was Sanka instead of Decaf?

 

[lina]

^^ All good updates. BTW, Himel suggested I contact Derek Harris of Lewis Leathers to see what he thinks about the question, but I haven't worked out how to contact him directly. Gonna send a note through the generic contact email from the shop and see what happens..

 

[Edward]

Goodp oint re Mandarin collars.... I hadn't given it any thought as to that being a problematic term, potentially, in the US til relatively recently, but it would make a lot of sense. For similar reasons, for almost all of the twentieth century, and still habitually today, here in the UK a German Shepard is typically referred to as an Alsatian.

^^ All good updates. BTW, Himel suggested I contact Derek Harris of Lewis Leathers to see what he thinks about the question, but I haven't worked out how to contact him directly. Gonna send a note through the generic contact email from the shop and see what happens..

I exchanged a couple of messages with Derek a few yearsago via Lewis' official facebook account; could be a good way to go, I think Derek mostly oversees that himself.

 

[Carlos840]

On further reading, it seems the “twin” or “double” collar might have originally referred to the detachable mouton collar. The style often came with both collars.
I think the modern blanket-term to describe all cross-zips is probably based on the Japanese use (slightly Lost in Translation from one of these vintage ads) and the rest of the world following along.
For the racer style, I noticed the collar was called a “cadet” collar back in the 60s and 70s when Asian references wouldn’t have been popular in America. Can you imagine how unpopular a “Mandarin” collar would be during the Korean or Vietnam wars?
Likewise the term Cafe wouldn’t have had any traction until the late 80s or 90s when we started first seeing little coffee bars opening up.
Can anyone remember When it was Sanka instead of Decaf?

Don't you think the "twin"/"double" could refer to the fact that a cross zip collar has two points (lapel + collar forming a W) whereas a center zip only has the single point of the collar?

Also Bates called their collar "mandarin" in the 60s.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Great info from Ken Calder and David Himel - thanks for following up, lina.

Here in my city there used to be a long stretch of road featuring motorbike shops and leather jacket makers and dealers. What's left of it remains. I used to hang out there in the 1980's and talk leather jackets with the dealers and makers.

Racing shirts and mandarin collar bike jackets, as they were known, were available and worn mainly by serious riders, and rarely as street wear. They were often worn in bright racing colors - red, blue, green. Cross zips (usually called a Brando and always black) were common street wear and had a huge mainstream following from around 1983 to 1990. They were often called American bike jackets. There were also a range of Highwayman and Lewis Dominator style jackets known as English bike jackets.

I think I first noticed the term cafe racer on the internet around 15-16 years ago.

 

[Agent Black]

I'm sure I never heard that style of jacket described as a cafe racer until I started following this site. However even in the 90's if some had said to me "Do you know so and so he always wears a leather cafe racer jacket", I think I'd have instinctively understood what that style looked like. Also I'm sure when I first heard the term applied to tuned up bikes I imagined the riders wearing that type of jacket rather than a "Rockier" lancer style or Perfecto style jacket. So this suggests the term was already in use for that type of jacket and I subconsciously absorbed it.
Incidentally did they become popular in the 70s from the ground up or because the manufacturers liked making them? Many one piece race leathers of the era had external pockets as well as mandarin collars and a waist seam so that type of jacket was essentially already half a one piece suit. Production simplification, less patterns and presumably an option to convert one into the other if they had overstock. Also they use less leather than a lancer or cross zip jacket and less again than a flip collar one.

 

[navetsea]

If a rider need a lunging position over the tank would then center vertical zip more prone to bubble out especially if the pattern is not skin tight and the zipper is made of chunky metal and the jacket is long as typical cafe/ board/ moto racer jacket?I think cross zip sans belt buckle is a more logical to bend over fuel tank both for the zip not scratching the tank and it is much easier to make it bent smoothly and not making bubble on the stomach or chest if the zipper is diagonal.

Of course 1 piece racing suit is center zip, but they are skin tight and the zipper teeth is probably designed for extra flexibility different from the usual metal zipper we have.

 

[handymike]

Bates called their collar "mandarin" in the 60s.

You are correct...

In 1968 it looks like the "competition jacket" had a Mandarin collar.
I grew up with the style being called a "Nehru" collar.

 

[navetsea]

wow, that jacket A, with stripes number 3 would be the coolest for me

mind boggling things the 2 guys hold on their hand, why don't they pose to show the double zipper advertised.

now I see, the left is with a very white bucket style helmet with visor, still doesn't understand how the guy on the center hold half sunglasses coming out of his crotch.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Very informative thread here! I don't have much history to add however I do recall walking into a Schott store in the mid 1990's in the Chicago area and the store clerk asked if I was intrested in a Cafe Racer jacket, which was the first time I recall hearing that exact term.

Noticed something intersting and it is telling as to why many of the jackets from the 40's - 60's would barely fit someone my size or taller these days in HandyMike's post toward the top of this page:

Appears this would have been true no matter which even chest size you ordered. 23.5" length - best hike up those trousers!

 

[AeroFan_07]

wow, that jacket A, with stripes number 3 would be the coolest for me

mind boggling things the 2 guys hold on their hand, what are those thing, why do they pose like that? the guy on the left with a bucket hat? and the guy in the center with a half of sunglasses? why don't they pose to show the double zipper advertised.

Good questions on the hat - not quite sure what that would be, but some type of white and brimmed hat for sure. The sunglasses appear like a folding style?

 

[navetsea]

probably folding style but you don't see anything from the translucent lens over his hand, it doesn't even have arm/ temple to hang on his ear... seems like early "Photoshopping" effort to hide something.

 

[Carlos840]

Good questions on the hat - not quite sure what that would be, but some type of white and brimmed hat for sure. The sunglasses appear like a folding style?

To me the glasses look like goggles with that weird dome shape they used to do in these days, similar to this helmet:

I assume they just have some sort of elastic strap to hold them in place.

The other dude looks like he is holding a vintage open face motocross helmet.