An X taped over a motorcycle headlight harkens back to the time of café riders in England. It protected the fragile glass from shattering and causing injury.
Seasoned motorcyclists sometimes do things that are far beyond our understanding, like riding close to the yellow line or wearing too much leather. Similarly, if you’ve ever spotted a motorcycle with an X taped over its headlight, it might just be taken as a nice design preference. In reality, this little headlight mod actually has roots that go back decades, when it was not taken as a style trend, but something born out of necessity. It had everything to do with safety and racing within the biker culture.
Let’s go back to the 1970s, when café racers, a group of riders known for speed and stripped-down bikes, began taping an X over their headlights for safety. At the time, headlight glass was fragile and could shatter into dangerous, razor-sharp pieces during a crash. The tape helped keep the broken glass in place, reducing the risk of injury to the rider and others on the road.
