In Cafe Racer magazine’s latest issue, our stalwart reporter Gary Hallobeck unearths the burgeoning cafe racer scene in the faraway Asian nation of Indonesia. The country’s many small islands are populated by a youthful demographic who love two-wheelers, with a passion for quick, retro-flavored machines.
Western riders accustomed to big bore, powerful retro machines would be stunned by the sheer numbers of sub-250cc cafe racers buzzing through the streets of densely populated urban centers like Jakarta and Surabaya. The cafe racer clubs share garage spaces and ideas on making their rides faster, louder and, naturally, cooler, often dropping the handlebars, installing rearsets and humpback seats. Replica 1950s racing fairings are common, as are wild, hot rod inspired paint jobs involving intricate pinstriping.
It’s a scream to see how much time, effort and money is invested in small-displacement Asian-market-only machines like the Yamaha XSR 155, Royal Enfield 350 Bullet and Honda Tiger Revo, a sleek, 200cc four-stroke single capable of 90 MPH-plus speeds. Yamaha’s Scorpio Z is another must-have donor bike for customization due its easy handling and 18 horsepower, air-cooled single-cylinder engine. Royal Enfield’s Continental GT is another favored mount for the Asian Rockers, but the 650cc engine places the Indian machine out of reach for most youthful riders who are unable to afford the Enfield’s asking price and “big bike” licensing requirements. With the popularity of middleweight and small-displacement streetbikes growing here in the US, we wonder if customizing these pint-sized cafes might soon catch on here as well.
The country’s biggest cafe racer tribe, the Nervous Rockers, were founded in 2021 and members hold weekly ride-outs numbering in the dozens. With the average age of club members less than 30 – quite a different demographic than seen here in the US. With temperatures frequently hovering around the 90 degree mark with tropical humidity, it’s amazing to see riders wearing black leather jackets and jeans, revealing a serious dedication to classic cafe racer style- and safety.
The fashion, custom trends and close-knit riding groups here remind us of the retro rockers we’ve met and interviewed in other distant locales where riders, both male and female, have found a genuine sense of camaraderie and belonging by delving into motorcycle history for inspiration.
And as with groups of hard-riding cafe enthusiasts everywhere, the Indonesian Rocker clubs enjoy a brisk burn-up with their mates, the shared experience of riding from cafe to cafe and customizing their machines. Read more in Cafe Racer’s latest issue, on sale now at www.caferacermag.com
