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Building a Cafe Racer

Are you looking for advice on how to build a Cafe Racer? You’ve come to the right place!

Whether you’re bolting a few parts onto your motorcycle or transforming it into a bonafide 1950s styled cafe racer, the stories you’ll find here will help you get it done. You’ll find everything from how-to guides to aftermarket parts features, and even some motorcycle reviews designed to help you choose the right donor for your cafe racer project.

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Building a Cafe RacerTriumph

Concept Solitude – Rennstall Triumph Speed Twin Bodykit

The 1200CC Triumph Speed Twin is the newest addition to Hinkley’s Modern Classic range. So far we’ve seen very few...
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Building a Cafe RacerParts

10 DIY Motorcycle Maintenance & Modification Tasks

If you’re up in the northern hemisphere old man winter will soon be knocking on your door. For some of...
PinEarnest Quality Workwear
Building a Cafe RacerJeans

Earnest Tasker Pants and Squire Apron

Similar to motorcycle riding gear, workwear has seen an increase in demand for stylish apparel. But simply looking good isn’t...
PinDIY Replacing handlebars
Building a Cafe Racer

Workshop Series: Replacing Handlebars on a Motorcycle

Replacing handlebars on a motorcycle can dramatically change its look and feel. For better or worse, the handlebar affects a...
Pin10 cafe racer mistakes to avoid
Building a Cafe Racer

10 Mistakes When Building a Cafe Racer

The crew at Return of the Cafe Racers have collectively been writing, riding and mulling over cafe racers for decades....
PinBuilding a cafe racer
Building a Cafe Racer

How to Build a Cafe Racer – 10 Key Ingredients

So, you want to build a cafe racer. How do you craft a stock motorcycle into a machine worthy of...
PinAutologue Royal Enfield GT650
Building a Cafe RacerRoyal Enfield

Autologue GT 650 Cafe Racer Kit

Royal Enfield has been making waves in the custom scene since the release of their 650 twins. They’ve collaborated with...
PinMoto Mucci Interview
Building a Cafe RacerLifestyle Stories

I Draw Motos – Moto Mucci Interview

David Mucci is an Industrial Designer and Custom Motorcycle Builder working out of Portland, Oregon. Since his 17th birthday, David’s...
PinHow to polish aluminum
Building a Cafe Racer

Workshop Series – How to polish aluminum parts

So, you rode your pride and joy to the last bike night of the summer, and after several enthusiasts mentioned...
PinRetrorides BMW K100
BikesBMWBuilding a Cafe Racer

RetroRides K100 Cafe Racer

Brazillian workshop Retrorides is the result of forty years of hard work by two generations of the Lourenço family. Nestled...
PinMessnerMoto cafe racer parts
Building a Cafe RacerParts

Building a Cafe Racer – MessnerMoto Parts

Producing aftermarket parts seems like a natural progression for any successful custom motorcycle builder. If people love your bikes there’s...
PinBMW R75 Cognito Moto
BikesBMWBuilding a Cafe RacerMotorcycle Videos

Sunday Screening – Cognito BMW R75 Build

Our friends over at Cognito Moto have been toiling away on their latest custom BMW R75 project. The project was...
PinMotogadget M Unit
Building a Cafe RacerParts

Building a Cafe Racer – Motogadget mo.unit

The name Motogadget appears a lot on these pages. The German company produces motorcycle parts and accessories which have become...
PinCustom motorcycle workshop map
Building a Cafe Racer

Locate a builder – Custom Workshop Map

Over the years I’ve featured thousands of custom motorcycles built by talented folks from all over the world. Some have...
PinRizoma z900rs cafe parts
Building a Cafe RacerKawasakiParts

Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe by Rizoma

While most aspects of motorcycle design have come a long way since the 70s, there and several that haven’t. Take...
Pinbuilding a cafe racer with krank engineering
Building a Cafe Racer

Learn how to build a Cafe Racer

There are plenty of arguments for why you should build a cafe racer of your own rather than have it...
PinDIY motorcycle Stand
Building a Cafe Racer

Workshop series – DIY motorcycle stand

Anyone who works on motorcycles knows the importance of a good stand. Raising your motorcycle up off the floor gives...
PinTop 10 Cafe Racers 2018
Building a Cafe Racer

Top 10 Cafe Racers of 2018 – Editor’s Choice

That’s a wrap for another year of cafe racer coverage from around the globe. This year was Return of the...
Pin5 common motorcycle wiring mistakes
Building a Cafe Racer

5 motorcycle wiring mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Tom John, the man behind Purpose Built Moto, has 13 years of electrical contracting work up his sleeves. This is...
Pincafe racer kits
Building a Cafe Racer

Workshop Series – Cafe Racer Kits

Our workshop series continues this week with an interview from ‘Cafe Racer Kits’ in the United Kingdom. Ian Saxcoburg is...
Pininstall rear set footpegs
Building a Cafe Racer

Workshop Series – Installing Rear Set Footpegs

A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days with Matt at his Krank Engineering workshop. Matt had agreed...
PinBlacktrack motors Triumph Thruxman
Building a Cafe RacerTriumph

Building a Café Racer – Blacktrack BT02 Shakedown

In this third and final instalment on Blacktrack Motors BT02 Triumph ‘Thruxman’, we learn about the final build stage. Sacha Lakic...
Pincafe racer fairing install
Building a Cafe Racer

Workshop Series – Cafe Racer Fairing Install

When I set out to build my first cafe racer 12 years ago I had always planned for it to...
PinBuilding a Cafe Racer with Blacktrack Motors part 2
Building a Cafe RacerTriumph

Building A Cafe Racer – Blacktrack BT02 Build

PinTriumph Thruxton R Manx cafe racer
Building a Cafe RacerTriumph

Building a Cafe Racer – Blacktrack BT02 design

It’s fair to say that a hell of a lot of work goes into the custom motorcycles I feature. So...
PinMotorcycle suspension upgrade how to
Building a Cafe Racer

Choosing the right motorcycle suspension

The rise of the cafe racer scene has brought with it the desire to improve the performance of older motorcycles....
PinMotogadget Motoscope Mini install
Building a Cafe Racer

Workshop Series – Motogadget Motoscope Mini

In this edition of our ‘Workshop Series’, we’ve teamed up with the crew at Revival Cycles to bring you this...
PinCafe Racer Motorcycle front end conversion
Building a Cafe Racer

Workshop Series – Fork conversion with Cognito Moto

Swapping your old forks with a set of modern, better-performing upside-down forks sounds like a complex task, and it is....
PinYamaha SR400 Cafe Racer build
Building a Cafe RacerMotorcycle ReviewsYamaha

Cafe Contenders – Yamaha SR400 and SR500

But, dear reader, should you? Is it worth tracking down one of Yamaha’s cheerful little runabouts for your next custom...
PinTriumph Bonneville cafe racer project
Building a Cafe RacerMotorcycle ReviewsTriumph

Café Contenders – 2001 to 2016 Triumph Bonneville range

But what are they actually like to own and work on? Are they a legitimately good bike, or do they...
PinKawasaki W650 building a cafe racer
Building a Cafe RacerKawasakiMotorcycle Reviews

Café Contenders – The Kawasaki W650

Shortly after the release of the Kawasaki W650 in America Triumph launched their retro classic line. Sales gravitated to the...
PinTop 5 modern motorcycles for cafe racer
BikesBMWBuilding a Cafe RacerHarley DavidsonTriumphYamaha

Top 5 modern motorcycles to customise

Cherry’s Company Highway Fighter BMW R9T Before we start looking at the individual bikes I thought I’d explain my decisions...
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Building a Cafe Racer

8 Ways to Avoid Builder Burn Out

1. Set a schedule I’ve found that the best way to achieve a goal is to set a deadline. If...
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Building a Cafe RacerParts

Cafe Racer Parts – Cognito Moto Fork Swap Kits

Depending on your desired outcome (and budget) Cognito Moto offer a variety of services and parts to make the whole...
Pin
Building a Cafe RacerSuzuki

DIY Delight – Moto8ight cafe racer kit

Well, you’ll be glad to know that your current skills, or lack thereof, is all you need. You can soon...
PinWhere to buy cafe racer parts
Building a Cafe RacerPartsRiding Gear

Cafe Racer Parts – The Best Places to Buy

So you’ve decided it’s time to build a cafe racer of your own. Although you may be planning on fabricating...
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Building a Cafe Racer

Building a Cafe Racer: Choosing a motorcycle

So where do you start? Well, there are 3 main questions you need to ask yourself. Each person who decides...
Pin
Building a Cafe RacerKawasaki

W650 Cafe Racer hits the streets

Here are a couple of shots of the W650 Cafe Racer. At 90% complete I’m really happy with how the...
Pinbuilding a cafe racer Kawasaki W650
Building a Cafe RacerKawasaki

Vive la France – Custom tank and seat arrive.

The seat is also of top quality. The inner shell is made from thick, hard plastic which looks very durable....
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Building a Cafe RacerKawasaki

W650 Cafe Racer – Rewiring the front end

One of the jobs I didn’t forsee when I was fitting the clip on bars to the w650 was adjusting...
Pin
Building a Cafe RacerKawasaki

W650 Cafe Racer – Changing the handlebars (Part 2)

Now assuming you’ve takenin to account all the points I mentioned in part one of my handlebar swap posts you’re...
Pin
Building a Cafe RacerKawasaki

W650 Cafe Racer – Changing the handlebars (Part 1)

Swapping the handlebars on any bike sounds like an easy job but your choice of handlebar can dramatically affect the...
Pin
Building a Cafe RacerKawasaki

W650 Cafe Racer – Brake light install

Replacing the rear tail light on the W650 is probably one of the simplest modifications I have done so Far...
Pin
Building a Cafe RacerKawasaki

W650 Cafe Racer – Rear blinkers (and removing your rear springs)

Not to be beaten by my lack of tools I came up with a solution to remove the Ventura rear...
Pin
Building a Cafe RacerKawasaki

W650 Cafe Racer – Front fork/shock covers

To remove the covers you can do 1 of 2 things, either remove the forks from the triple clamps slide...
Pin
Building a Cafe RacerParts

Building your Cafe Racer – Sourcing parts online

First things first you’re gonna need a bike so where do you start? Well for me cost is an issue...
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Building a Cafe RacerHondaYamaha

Japanese Racers – Clones or stand alones

At the end of World War 2 many British motorcycle manufacturers were on the verge of closure or had already...
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Est. 2006 Return of the Cafe Racers is the world's premier cafe racer focused website. We publish regular features on custom motorcycle builds, riding gear reviews, how to guides and event coverage from around the globe. If you're a fan of cafe racer motorcycles and style then you've come to the right place!

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