An interpretation of the Coffee Knight of the Classic British Locomotive Tide

Black jacket and white army cap, no helmet, drop a coin in the jukebox, Ace Caf é set off, arrive at the scheduled place and turn back at a speed of 160km / h, finishing the race in one song. This is the most classic scene of the legendary Caf é Racer (pronounced caff, not Kaifei) knights in the 1960s. The crazy generation described by the media and criminals in the eyes of the police. Today, the classic style in the retro trend of the motorcycle circle.

From a cultural point of view, France leads the world's women, Britain leads the world's men, and motorcycles are no exception. So how did the coffee shop on the British highway become the center of Motoria culture? Why do these places that only serve light meals become a gathering place for rock youths and their female companions? where did the name Caf é Racer come from? In order to answer these questions, there are two things that need to be explained: Britain's road system and youth culture.

First of all, we would like to look back at Britain after the first World War, when the war ended and everything recovered. At this time, there was already a stream of cars and motorcycles on the roads in England. the pages of carriages and "bicycles with engines" in the novel had been turned over, and cars and motorcycles stood in a necessary position between people's work and life. England's road system needs to be expanded to adapt to the new traffic.

With the recovery of industry across the country, the road transport industry naturally grows rapidly with the construction of highways, so it is very simple that roadside cafes, gas stations and rest areas for truck drivers and motorcyclists are everywhere in an instant. Overnight, an industry has been formed, a special feeding ground for travelers.

The new road allows goods from big cities to be transported to the small town by Class A highway, but the road connecting the small town is not as well paved as the modern road, with no sharp bend warning, narrow road warning and no indication of where farmers' herds will cross, so the traffic here is very slow, with most trucks no more than 50 kilometers per hour. Stop-and-go is the most common thing, but every time you stop, you can find a place to drink coffee.

For years, these cafes and restaurants opened only during the day to provide Lawton travelers with a meal of hot food or drink, and they occasionally extended their closing time by an hour or two to receive more customers, but never became a social center or gathering place. it's just a simple roadside rest.

In the 1930s, just before the second World War, when Britain came out of the Great Depression, young people began to return to work, money was plentiful, and the post-war reserves of cheap motorcycles were easy to imagine. The young man began to head for the road. Enjoy the sunshine and enjoy life? It is so old that the only purpose for them to drive their motorcycles far away is to vent their youth which has nowhere to be released. Speeding on the unpaved roads of early England, it was like an adventure to travel on a motorcycle.

Industrial recovery has driven the development of the motorcycle industry, there are rich brands and a variety of models in the market, motorcycle racing is also popular at the same time. TT on the Isle of Man was the most exciting motorcycle race at the time, with fascinating speed, and motorcycles were obviously more accessible than cars, not to mention its sense of free driving. The danger was obvious, but the young knights of England could not love the sport more, and they began to worship and imitate. The postwar generation did not grow up listening to the piano. They preferred exciting things, which is a prominent feature of the era known as Jet Age.

But it all came to an abrupt end when the British government took control of the motorcycle industry during World War II, and young people had to put away their leather jackets and change into military uniforms. After the war, it took Britain seven or eight years to get back on track.