I don't like riding in groups. There are clubs in town; responsible, safe, skilled riders that organize rides and picnics, groups of rich high-school kids with big-bore sportbikes and no helmets, HOGs (Harley Owners Groups), and many others. If you have a bike, you can find somebody to ride with.

But I like it solo. I don't feel the need for companionship or competition while on the road.

The road up to Sandia Peak switchbacks up the back side of the mountain. It's too tight for some riders, but I really enjoy the challenge. Taking Interstate 40 at 7 AM up through Tijeras Canyon, I feel the hot air coming off the engine on my leg. It's running a bit warmer than it usually does; I'll have to check that later.

Exiting north off I-40 and riding up through the town of Cedar Crest, I see somebody refueling their motorcycle at the Chevron station, although I can't tell what the bike is.

Minutes later, I'm on the Crest Road when I see the headlight of another bike in the mirror. I don't look for more than a second, though; the road demands all of my attention. A few turns later, the bike passes me. It's a KTM Duke. For a moment, the harmony of the two engines, the v-twin of my Honda Hawk and the single cylinder of his Duke make beautiful music.

He's faster than me; I don't bother trying to keep up. Just keep it smooth, I know. I need new fork oil, I tell myself, as the forks compress a little too suddenly under braking for the next corner.

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The definition of a Cafe Racer is a road rider who is very skilled and very sane. If you go fast and crash, you are not a cafe racer. We ride with immaculate sanity, like Hunter S. Thompson says, and we do not feel the need to ride in groups. For me, the joy of riding comes from the personal challenge, the knowlege that I'm continuously getting better. I like a challenge, and I like risk. But I define what is a challenge, and I decide what is risky and what is stupid. This attitude toward road riding is what makes a cafe racer.

In terms of machinery, I would argue that one can be a cafe racer on anything, but some bikes are more oriented toward this type of riding. They are not full-on racers, because we don't compete with anybody else. They're light, quick, fun, fast. Like a Ducati 900SS, or a Ducati Monster, or a Honda VTR1000, maybe a Suzuki TL1000. A suitably modified Honda Hawk would make a great cafe racer. Old Nortons and Triumphs are the classic cafe racers.

The definition of cafe racer that I know is quite different. A cafe racer, from my knowledge, is a crotch rocket, one that's fast, but not a racing bike. They were called cafe racers because usually they were owned and ridden by yuppies, who used them simply to ride from one cafe to another, trying to acheive the image of a cool, dangerous streetbike rider. The bikes usually had full farings, as opposed to more open bikes, like Harley-Davidsons.