BMW Cafe Racer
The German company BMW Motorrad built its first motorcycle, the R32, in 1923. Powered by a 494cc flat-twin boxer the R32’s horizontally opposed engine configuration became an iconic feature of BMW motorcycles throughout their history. In later years they also developed the flat-four engine used in models like the K100. This engine was coined the ‘flying brick’ due to its bulky appearance. Despite its unfortunate nickname the flat-four still the level of performance that earned BMW their well-respected reputation.
Older BMW “airhead” boxer twins and R series models are popular choices for BMW cafe racer projects. With some models featuring bolt-on subframes and others sporting aluminum fuel tanks, choosing a BMW as the donor for your project has its benefits. In more recent years BMW has embraced the custom scene by creating the R Nine T. The BMW R9T was designed and built specifically with customization in mind.
In our archives, you’ll find countless BMW cafe racer features that are a great source of inspiration and tips for anyone hoping to build their own.
Unless you’re buying a Harley-Davidson most dealerships don’t offer much in the way of customisation at the time of sale....
“A gentleman from Missouri contacted me through my H Garage website inquiring about a build using either a newer model...
BMW’s K100 Sports Tourer is a motorcycle that few people would consider when planning a custom build. Despite it’s 1000cc,...
The cafe racer in BMW’s R nineT heritage series won hearts with its sleek styling. However, motorcycle journalists brought a...
Early this year Hammer received an invitation to work on the project direct from BMW Motorrad and gladly took up...
Big thanks to Collin Christenbury for sending in these shots he took at the Vintage Motorcycle Races & Show in Elkhart Lake...
Why let a little Snow stop you from getting out on your motorcycle? Here’s Blitz motorcycles solution to your winter blues....
Adrián Campos and the team at Valencia’s Bolt Motor Co. are set to finish their 50th build sometime during 2021....
Nostalgia can be a powerful motivator. For Joe Loss of Fremantle, Western Australia it started in his teenage years when...
New York City is arguably the planets most influential style and culture mecca. Whatever you’re into you’re sure to find...
When he’s not fabricating parts for submarines (Yes, you read that right) David Manchester is building bespoke furniture or helping...
Tank Machine was established by Clement Molina back in 2015 following his 18 years of experience working in the motorcycle...
If you’re customising motorcycles in Bavaria it seems only right said motorcycles should be those built by BMW Motorrad. Ralf...
I recently became acquainted with Maximiliaan van Kuyk of Maverick motorcycles. Max and his brothers stumbled into the Cafe Racer...
Growing up in India the Sinroja brothers, Rahul and Birju, developed an out of the ordinary love for motorcycles. In...
Of all the bike reviews I’ve done, handing the keys back for the BMW R Nine T has been the...
There’s no denying that classic BMW motorcycles make great looking Cafe Racers, but if you’re looking to build a modern...
Hot on the heels of my recent post about Les Ateliers Ruby’s leather jackets UK based, custom workshop Kevil’s Speed Shop,...
Melbourne is arguably the creative hub of Australia. If you’re looking for great food or a cultural experience the city...
For more than a decade I’ve stayed true to this websites cafe racer theme. I can assure you this was...
Christian Boosen runs 86 Gear Motorcycles, a custom motorcycle shop in Warsaw, Poland. Growing up alongside the Dutch border in...
BMW Motorrad has just lifted the covers off their upcoming 2021 R nineT range. This is of course great news...
Years later I managed to scrape together enough to buy my first road bike, get my license sorted and I...
Every so often a custom motorcycle appears in my inbox that is so unique it stops me in my tracks....
Custom bikes often opt for a shock and awe approach to make an impact in this modern, social media-saturated world....
The year is 1973 and Bavarian Motor Works has just celebrated their 50th anniversary. In addition, they’ve also just completed...
Are you a dreamer or a doer? Prior to 2018 Marcel Galuszka would have labelled himself a dreamer. But when...
Building one-off projects for individual customers has its benefits, but it isn’t the most reliable income model for a custom...
The compact, muscular R1200R with it’s classic, flat twin engine and naked design was the perfect starting point, but it...
After just having the pleasure of pretending to own an R Nine T for the past few days (keep an...
The fine vólk at BMW Motorrad have a motorcycle for every occasion – just meander into a dealership and look...
Everyone has their favorite things in life but only a few of us get to enjoy a career working with them....
The owner of the BMW came to the OSE workshop in search of a cafe racer conversion for his 2016...
Jeffry Sol’s BMW R nineT has been somewhat of a social media sensation since it was unveiled at the Big...
The Eleven by Kevil’s Speed Shop in the UK. One of the latest BMW Cafe Racers to roll out of...
David explains that “Manuel is really good at rebuilding and customising frames and seats. Kurt is a genius with the...
Some people profess to being obsessed by a brand because they own 2 or 3 things said brand has made....
Tucked away in the southeastern forests of Bavaria is the small town of Viechtach. If you look it up on...
Remember in school when you had an exam and there was always that one kid who consistently finished before everyone...
Looking back over the last 11 years of running this website the thing I’ve enjoyed the most is seeing workshops...
Our friends over at Cognito Moto have been toiling away on their latest custom BMW R75 project. The project was...
There’s no denying that Guzzis and BWMs have the biggest, bulkiest looking engines of all the motorcycle manufacturers (not to...
The Digimoto project was a collaboration between industrial designer Christian Zanzotti, product development agency Greydev and BMW aftermarket experts Wunderlich....
Back in 2012 four like-minded friends decided enough was enough. Driven by their desire to build and ride custom bikes...
It’s been a couple of years since I first featured one of Kevin Hills custom builds. Since then under his...
Stumbled across this 1961 BMW R69s Cafe Racer named “The Bull” today. It’s a strange combination of parts but it...
Last year I had the pleasure of attending the Mooneyes show in Japan. The builder that took out best of show...
This great video featuring musician/songwriter/producer Butch Walker was pulled together by Mann-made Pictures for Cafe Racer TV. Butch talks about...
“The most elaborate and beautiful K100 we have ever built” For this unique collaboration, VTR Customs ironically chose a...
Shiroh Nakajima is the custom motorcycle engineer and CEO behind Japanese workshop Ritmo Sereno. In this short film Shiroh explains...
There are few motorcycle engines as iconic as BMW Motorrad’s flat twin ‘Boxer’. Renowned for their bulletproof reliability the Boxer...
I’ve never had the urge to eat a motorcycle before but this latest build from Jerikan looks delicious. For some...
More and more motorcycle workshops are utilising advanced manufacturing technologies to realise their custom creations. 10 years ago three-dimensional computer-aided...
Not all custom builds have to completely transform a motorcycle to catch our attention. Fresh on the heels of BMW...
This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a BMW cafe racer that’s been put together by a BMW car enthusiast....
If there’s one thing every builder should strive to achieve when they customise a motorcycle it’s to improve upon its...
You may remember the somewhat controversial Buell Norton Manx I featured a couple of months ago? Well it’s back and it’s...
Last week we featured a very tidy BMW K1100 LT cafe racer by Anthony LoGalbo of New York based workshop...
The custom motorcycle world has been full of collaborations in the past few years. Manufacturers have recognised the influence custom...
We have a serious soft spot for BMW cafe racers but we’re also big fans of Scrambler styled Beemers. There’s...
The majority of the weight dropped from the Saline R9T can be attributed to the use of aluminium. Saline’s new tail,...
High in the northeastern reaches of Italy, you’ll find the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Bordered by Slovenia and Austria it’s...
In full dress, the BMW R1200RT tips the scales at hefty 259kg. This is by no means an ideal starting...
I bet the last thing Edgar Heinrich and the BMW Motorrad Design team ever expected to see was their behemoth...
The Johnnie Wash R Nine T series features 3 different models of which the Brown is the most extensively modified....
Well, that wraps up yet another year of amazing cafe racer builds from custom workshops and backyard builders around the...
Here’s a little something to get you through another night glued to the couch. Our latest instalment of the Sunday...
Sometimes it’s a single detail that defines a build. Just one modification or handmade part that takes a custom motorcycle...
Nitro Cycles are a relatively new workshop to the Spanish custom scene and this BMW K100 RS Cafe Racer represents...
Two motorcycle obsessed friends building bikes for a living. It sounds like the perfect life to be living. This is...
Could a motorcycle be any more beautiful? This is a fully restored 1934 BMW R7 and it’s the only one...
Customer requests and customer needs are two very different things. UK’s Sinroja Motorcycles are always happy to oblige with customer...
Established in 2002 the K-Speed business is spread over 12 stores around Thailand with its head quarters in Bangkok. Eak...
From building show cars to display at the hallowed halls of the Las Vegas Sema show to tinkering on Honda...
After a 70mph spill this BMW Boxer was in no state to be ridden. The bikes wheels, forks and engine...
Perth’s Kaylan Galloway is a guy who likes to do things the hard way. Probably because he can. A welder...
Trust is one of the biggest hurdles for any business. But once it is achieved, success will follow. After amassing...
Europe’s largest Cafe Racer event, the Glemseck 101, just took place in Stuttgart, Germany. Now in its 5th year, the...
“I thought to myself, if I can fix and maintain a 40 million dollar yacht, then I can build a...
This lovely BMW R 100 named the “Earl Grey” is currently up for sale through Urban Moto in Germany for...
“I had been looking to build a clean, minimalistic BMW cafe racer for a couple of years. The less on...
The Katze is finally out of the Tasche. BMW Motorrad has unveiled its highly anticipated R18 concept. As we all...
For many years the United States was the biggest source of inspiration for custom motorcycle builders around the world. Then...
I can confidently say this is the first time I’ve featured a custom motorcycle that was influenced by Keira Knightley. Jeremy at...
“This project kicked off with a stock 1982 BMW R45 that had laid dormant in our client’s garage for almost...
BMW’s stalwart R100 was offered in various guises from 1976 to 1996. The 980cc boxer twins made adequate power, had...
I once said that the 1934 BMW R7 was one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made, and I still...
Giorgio De Angelis of ‘De Angelis Elaborazioni’ prides himself in turning old BMWs into performance focused customs. Throughout his childhood,...
Another cool motorcycling video brought to you by The Selvedge Yard. If you can get past the Bourne Identity-esque erratic...
Last weekend we officially released issue 7 of Tank Moto. Packed with awesome motorcycle features from around the world this...
Hugo Eccles and the Untitled Motorcycles team are capable of building pretty much whatever they can dream up. Their custom...
Kyohey Sugimoto, owner of Berrybads Motorcycles works out of a modest space in Ōtsu, the capital of Japan’s Shiga Prefecture....
Sometimes techniques for overcoming adversity are found in unexpected places. Scott Campbell found the solution to his battling his demons...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is now available! Just...
I am Nigel Petrie from Engineered To Slide and I want to share with you my new BMW R Nine...
The BMW, which belongs to a friend of Weston, was originally introduced into the family by his ‘Uncle Lou’ and...
40 years later the bike is still running (see video below) and still features the original racing seal of the Italian...
