I love the cafe racer style, I like the fact that it takes a stereotypical sport and gives it a whole different twist and culture. There's not a whole lot of racers running around here, we get quite a few looks as we're going down the road, but that just makes it that much more cool!
I'm not so much interested in the wrenching part, but I love the culture. Tyler and I took a trip to London last fall and we did a "pilgrimage" to the Ace Cafe, and I loved the culture and atmosphere that surrounded it. Instead of a bar, it is an honest to goodness cafe with a rough side to it, very unexpected, but neat.
I also love the fact that it makes Tyler happy to see me happy on my bike. It's great being able to spend time with him while doing a hobby that he and I love to do. The weather's been nice enough to ride "Isadora" off and on for the last month here, and he has been a great teacher. He was careful about the bike he got and made sure it wasn't too much for me to comfortably handle the first time I put her into motion. This put me in control of the situation instead of the bike in charge.
The other thing he's been great about is being VERY patient. I've never driven a bike before, and it has taken lots of time for me to pick up just the basics of go and stop. It also hasn't hurt that I have a smoking bike!
Any pointers on cafe racer style?