PAUL D’ORLÉANS

I’ve been dug-in the past few months, trying to finish a book about the history of café racers, their long bloodline in the industry, and the subcultures that have sprung up surrounding them. Their genotype of brash, peculiarly dressed speed freaks goes far back in time, past the origin of motorcycles themselves, with kindred spirits popping up in literature reaching back centuries.

Obviously, a fast horse was the preferred mount before the ‘Noughts, with unsanctioned 19th century riding and illegal carriage racing clubs looking very Fast