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The Breitling Cafe Racer Raised $35,000.00 for the Curing Kids Cancer Foundation.
All proceeds from the sale of this Cafe Racer will be going to the Curing Kids Cancer Funds. If you would like to learn more about Curing Kids Cancer™ please visit their web site.

All Photos By: Eric Runyon - http://choppershotz.blogspot.com/2010/06/alan-bernards-cafe-racer-build.html


French born Georges Martin is a name that very few among you have ever heard. In the 70’s he was the man to go to if you wanted to turn your plain vanilla factory Japanese or English motorcycle into a horse bred Cafe Racer. Georges racing custom part offerings: gas tanks, handlebars, rear fender/reservoirs, wheels, brakes and a famous sturdy chrome rigid frame where all welds were brazed. I am not going to re-write the story of the Rockers and Cafe Racers movement (jump HERE if you were too young or need a refreshing course), but the Cafe Racer craze died at the end of the 70’s to be reborn, starting from Europe and just reaching our US shores, during these last 5 years.

One of Georges’ clients at the time was Alan Bernard now co-owner of Santiago Chopper out of Tampa. Street racing is still in Alan’s motorcycle genes and now being a being boomer he decided that it was time, before too late, to enjoy himself riding (too) fast all the very twisted roads he can find (his preferred ones being in the Carolinas & Tennessee.) So, he started to build a cafe Racer for himself and could not do it without using a Martin frame. After an investigative search in France he was able to locate both George Martin and one of his 70’s frames. For this type of bike and performance he was looking for, Alan chose a Kawasaki Z 1000, a 2007 Suzuki GSRX swingarm, front end and wheels (both 17″), a Benelli seat and of course a very characteristic shaped Martin gas tank. Exhaust is one-off, bended and welded by Aztech Welding.

And if you wonder about the Breitling Swiss Watch Maker logo, it’s because Alan previously built a bike for its owner, and anyway if you have to paint anything on a Cafe Racer what better choice than a watch company being internationally famous for its chronograph functions and other timing complications. If you want to see the bike being run, tune in (or ton up!) to the Cafe Racer Documentary Series produced by Mike Seate to start on October 1st , 2010 on the Discovery HD Theater Channel .




Negli anni '70 e '80, Georges Martin è stato uno dei costruttori di telai motociclistici e costruttore di componenti più prolifici d'Europa. Con sede a Les Sables-d'Olonne, pittoresca cittadina balneare nella Francia occidentale, ha costruito quasi 6.000 telai per moto custom e racing. E 'ancora una figura emblematica nel panorama continentale, e questa nuova café racer è un tributo alla sua abilità.

E 'stata costruita da Alan Bernard di Santiago Chopper per riaccendere la passione nelle vecchie moto da corsa...nelle Kawasaki in particolare. Il telaio è un originale anni '70; Le moto Martin erano solitamente spinte da propulsori Kawasaki, Honda o Suzuki, in questo caso è stato scelto da Bernard proprio un motore Kawasaki Z1000 dell'epoca. Frontale, forcellone e cerchi da 17 "sono stati trapiantati da una GSX-R Suzuki del 2007,mentre la sella è di casa Benelli. La moto replica lo squadrato serbatoio dal look imponente tipico degli originali Martin. L'aggiunta dei loghi Breitling è un tocco di classe del tutto personale di Bernard, che in passato ha costruito una special per il proprietario del noto marchio orologiaio svizzero.

Questa Cafe Racer dei nostri giorni è stata battuta all'asta. Il fortunato acquirente alla soddisfazione di portarsela a casa ha aggiunto quella di contribuire alla raccolta di fondi per iniziative inerenti la cura e la ricerca sul cancro dei bambini.