The Real Deal: Radical Guzzi’s 130 hp cafe racer

The meaning of ‘cafe racer’ has changed over the years. Back in the 1960s, it was mostly about performance. Today, half a century later, critics will say it’s more about style. Definitions change over time, so we don’t lose much sleep over that. But if you hold fast to the original concept of a stripped down, hot-rodded bike, this is what you call a modern-day cafe racer. It’s the Radical Guzzi ‘Ristretto,’ a highly tuned Tonti-framed Guzzi. The builder is Stefan Bronold of Schwarzenfeld, a small town in Bavaria near the Czech border. The price is steep at €45,000 ($50,000),...