Opened way back in 1938 on the handily named Ace Corner as a greasy spoon diner to serve London's truck driving multitudes, the famous Ace Cafe was dramatically closed a year later when it was flattened by the Luftwaffe during a bombing raid on the nearby railway yards. In order to keep the cholesterol count of London's truckers sufficiently high, a temporary diner was opened close to the original site in Stonebridge soon after, and the Ace Cafe as we know it today was eventually rebuilt in '49 on the original pre-war site.
The '50s saw the emergence of rock-n-roll and the Ace soon became a haven for a postwar generation of motorcyclists who found the many late-night roadside diners lining London's highway system a convenient venue to hang out and listen to the evocative new music from America. The postwar youth, however, had more than just the wild music to enjoy. Thanks to the prosperity of the late '50s, they had money in their pockets, and thanks to the then-thriving British motorcycle industry, they had powerful new motorcycles to roar around on, too.
During this time period, the Japanese were still sweeping radioactive spiders out of their cellars, so the likes of BSA, Triumph, Norton and others had virtually no competition and the British motorcycle industry was riding the crest of an oily wave. A new generation of post-war OHV twins had replaced the old singles and flatheads from an earlier era and British bikes in the '50s were the fastest, the loudest and the most exciting motorcycles that money could buy-and the Ace Cafe was the place to show up on your new ride to see and be seen. And right here, right now, halfway through the first decade of the 21st century, it seems like not much has changed as the latest generation of tarmac terrorists still gather at the recently rejuvenated Ace Cafe to show off their rides and hang out at the coolest joint in town.
Just as it was host to the cafe racers in the '50s, the latest legion of performance-modified motorcycles can be found at the Ace on Streetfighters Sunday, presented by Streetfighters magazine. Worthy successors to the stripped and tuned Nortons, Triumphs and BSAs of the original black leather highway hooligans, the modern lean-and-mean streetfighters with their nitrous oxide-injected or turboed engines and GP-derived chassis are contemporary versions of the original race track-inspired cafe racers. Both genres were composed of bikes stripped of all unnecessary paraphernalia and fitted with the most powerful engines and the best brakes, suspension and tires their creators could afford. If you come to the Ace on Streetfighters Sunday looking for pretty paint, shiny chrome, huge rear tires and flashing neon lights, you're going to be disappointed. Streetfighters Sunday at the Ace is all about max performance-a non-stop rev fest of the best streetfightin' motorcycles, the highest wheelies, the longest stoppies and the smokiest burnouts. In other words, Streetfighters Sunday is exactly the sort of antisocial, hooligan-friendly motorcycle throwdown that made the Ace such a legendary gathering spot in the first place. Long live streetfighters, and long live the Ace Caf!
Word : Montez Stewart
The only African-American racer in the AMA paddock tells us all about his street-racer roots in Chicago, his friendship with Michael Jordan and his transition from one of the best club racers in the nation to a struggling AMA pro on the high-profile Jordan Motorsports racing team
Super Streetbike: How did you get started riding motorcycles?
Montez Stewart: I first got into motorcycles when I was a kid, growing up in East St. Louis. My uncles were riding old Kawasaki H2 two-strokes and stuff. One day one of my uncles came home drunk and let me take his H2 out. I didn't know how to ride-I was just 11 years old-but I had watched what he did, so I took off and rode it. It was a death trap, but it was bad as hell to me! I was hooked.