The motorcycle industry as a whole has, in comparison to its four-wheeled counterparts, always been known for regularly creating new markets and genres. Some of the inspiration for this has come from the motorcyclists themselves, who have taken the manufactured product and created something better suited to their needs. In this country, the most obvious example is the cafe racer of the fifties and early sixties, a fad which materialised when rock and roll culture hit the UK from the US and riders started hanging out in cafes listening to the jukebox. From this came informal races trying to cover a certain distance prior to the record finishing. The home built specials often mated the better handling chassis of one manufacturer with the perceived more potent motor from another. To go with this was a more a more sporty riding position, created by clip-ons and rear-sets stretched out over a long aluminium petrol tank emulating proper racing machines.
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