Cafe racer with two seats
Café racers are known for being sleek, lightweight, and showing off a minimalistic design. They’re attractive motorcycles that draw the attention of many. So, what happens when your bike draws the attention of a potential passenger?
Café racers don’t come readily equipped to fit two people due to their style. They are generally built for the solo rider. There are motorcycles like the Thruxton and Ducati that get inspiration from café racers but add more adjustable features.
But you don’t have to get a new bike if you already have a café racer to make it suitable for two people. You can make a few modifications to make it easier to accommodate a passenger.
Café Racer Seats
Café racer seats tend to come with a cowl attached to the back. To be able to carry a lovely passenger on the back of the bike, you’ll need to swap out the entire seat to make extra room.
Swapping out an average café racer seat for a brat seat may possibly be your best option. They are long and can comfortably fit two people.
Switching to a Brat Seat
Brat seats are easily recognizable by their flat nature. This provides a huge benefit for adding another rider to your journey. One downside about having a brat seat for your café racer is you might not have as much lower back support as you’re used to.
If you plan on riding for a long distance, it may not be ideal, especially with a passenger. However, this can also be avoided by making an extra modification, which we’ll discuss later.
Brat seats can be incredibly flexible. Some seats allow you to slide the front of the seat underneath your bike’s tank. This can add an even more unique flair to your bike.
If you’re contemplating what to look for or where to start looking, here are two brat seats that you can check out!
Top Two Brat Seats on Amazon for Honda/Yamaha
These brat seats are made explicitly for Honda/Yamaha motorcycles, but you can definitely find specific ones for your brand of bike. ]
Just be sure to double-check all the specs before purchasing. You need to make sure the inches are suitable for your bike as well as sufficient to seat a passenger.
Café Racer Universal Motorcycle Brat Seat #1
This seat keeps that vintage feel while being able to finish off almost any look. The best part about this brat seat is that it is suitable for any weather conditions and is waterproof.
You can thank the high-quality leatherette for that. This type of material also makes it incredibly durable.
Don’t let the durability fool you into thinking the seat isn’t comfortable. It’s very soft and makes it perfect for accommodating an extra rider. It’ll add on to how long you can comfortably drive around with them.
Although this is a universal seat, you may have to modify it to fit your bike’s frame. It’s also worth it to note that some of these seats come with silver-colored lines. But these wash off with warm soap and water, so don’t worry. They won’t mess up your aesthetic.
Café Racer Universal Motorcycle Brat Seat #2
This brat seat is also made out of leatherette material, making it highly durable, waterproof, and amazingly soft. It’s also pretty thick to give you and your rider some extra cushion.
This creates ideal conditions for transporting passengers, especially for longer rides.
PEDA’s vintage brat seat also offers a thick black ABS seat pan that is apparently universal. But just expect to have to modify the seat anyway because universal seats are not always one size fits all.
Installing a Removable Cowl
You may be wondering why you would deconstruct your seat just to built it back up exactly to the way it was before.
Well, if you’re missing that classic café racer look, you may have to do this. Adding on a removable cowl can also offer some back support for when you’re riding solo.
Don’t look at it as backtracking. It’s simply redesigning your seat to make it more customizable and to allow for that passenger that’s been scoping out your bike!
Removable cowls are typically made from durable plastic and are usually unpainted. You want a cowl that is unpainted so you can match it to your café racer and add your own special touch.
It’s a possibility that you may also need to trim it down a little to fit your café racer snuggly. The modifications you need to do to the removable cowl are usually listed by the manufacturer.
Café Racer Removal Cowl Kit
This kit comes with a removable cowl as well as a seat. The cowl is made from ABS plastic, requires trimming, and comes unpainted. So you’ll be able to fully customize this piece of your bike.
The seat comes in three different sizes to give you some versatility. This is especially important for your passengers. And if you have a consistent passenger who always rides with you, then choosing a size can be even easier.
The café seat is made from vinyl, coming in 8 different color choices. It’s important to note that although vinyl is durable, it definitely isn’t as durable as leather. The wide range of color choices is nice though.
With this product, you also get to choose from four different stitching styles. This can be incredibly helpful if your café racer has a specific aesthetic that you want to withhold.
Conclusion
Café racers are not built to carry more than one person. They are built for speed and minimalism. However, with the necessary modifications, you can accommodate an extra passenger all without sacrificing the style of your bike.
Just remember that most modifications will need to be further modified to fit your café racer. This does add on extra labor, however, it also allows you to customize your bike even more and bring out your sense of style.
Here is the link to the german version -> Zweisitzer Cafe Racer
