It’s been 4 years since the Kawasaki Z900RS went on sale. In the lead-up to its release, Kawasaki adopted a...
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.
My first foray into the world of custom motorcycles was with a 1978 Honda CX500. Along with all the prerequisite...
There’s virtually no limit to the extent that you can modify a motorcycle. This, of course, includes its performance and...
There are several reasons why you might want to install an aftermarket exhaust on your motorcycle. It could be that...
“Design truly governed by passion and a constant need for improvement.” – MessnerMoto Mirko Messner, aka MessnerMoto is a motorcycle...
Motorcycles are an addictive drug. Every rider remembers the first time they sat in the saddle and twisted the throttle....
Image above: BMW R nineT tail tidy by Daedalus As Sir Mix-a-lot indubitably pointed out, there are some people who...
Anyone privy to the world of custom motorcycles will have heard of Motogadget. The German aftermarket parts manufacturer made its...
The 1200CC Triumph Speed Twin is the newest addition to Hinkley’s Modern Classic range. So far we’ve seen very few...
If you’re up in the northern hemisphere old man winter will soon be knocking on your door. For some of...
Similar to motorcycle riding gear, workwear has seen an increase in demand for stylish apparel. But simply looking good isn’t...
Replacing handlebars on a motorcycle can dramatically change its look and feel. For better or worse, the handlebar affects a...
The crew at Return of the Cafe Racers have collectively been writing, riding and mulling over cafe racers for decades....
So, you want to build a cafe racer. How do you craft a stock motorcycle into a machine worthy of...
Royal Enfield has been making waves in the custom scene since the release of their 650 twins. They’ve collaborated with...
David Mucci is an Industrial Designer and Custom Motorcycle Builder working out of Portland, Oregon. Since his 17th birthday, David’s...
So, you rode your pride and joy to the last bike night of the summer, and after several enthusiasts mentioned...
Brazillian workshop Retrorides is the result of forty years of hard work by two generations of the Lourenço family. Nestled...
Producing aftermarket parts seems like a natural progression for any successful custom motorcycle builder. If people love your bikes there’s...
Our friends over at Cognito Moto have been toiling away on their latest custom BMW R75 project. The project was...
The name Motogadget appears a lot on these pages. The German company produces motorcycle parts and accessories which have become...
Over the years I’ve featured thousands of custom motorcycles built by talented folks from all over the world. Some have...
While most aspects of motorcycle design have come a long way since the 70s, there and several that haven’t. Take...
There are plenty of arguments for why you should build a cafe racer of your own rather than have it...
Anyone who works on motorcycles knows the importance of a good stand. Raising your motorcycle up off the floor gives...
That’s a wrap for another year of cafe racer coverage from around the globe. This year was Return of the...
Tom John, the man behind Purpose Built Moto, has 13 years of electrical contracting work up his sleeves. This is...
Our workshop series continues this week with an interview from ‘Cafe Racer Kits’ in the United Kingdom. Ian Saxcoburg is...
A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days with Matt at his Krank Engineering workshop. Matt had agreed...
In this third and final instalment on Blacktrack Motors BT02 Triumph ‘Thruxman’, we learn about the final build stage. Sacha Lakic...
When I set out to build my first cafe racer 12 years ago I had always planned for it to...
It’s fair to say that a hell of a lot of work goes into the custom motorcycles I feature. So...
The rise of the cafe racer scene has brought with it the desire to improve the performance of older motorcycles....
In this edition of our ‘Workshop Series’, we’ve teamed up with the crew at Revival Cycles to bring you this...
Swapping your old forks with a set of modern, better-performing upside-down forks sounds like a complex task, and it is....
But, dear reader, should you? Is it worth tracking down one of Yamaha’s cheerful little runabouts for your next custom...
For years the de facto choice when building a cafe racer was the air-cooled, 865cc Triumph Bonneville. With very few...
It seems strange now, but Kawasaki actually beat Triumph to the punch when it came to retro-styled motorcycles. First released...
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when building your own Cafe Racer, or any style of custom motorcycle for...
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Rob Chappell of ‘Origin8or Cycles’ in Ontario Canada. I work a 9-5...
Have you ever wanted to swap out the tired old telescopic forks on your retro ride for a pair of...
Let’s face it. We’re not all experienced mechanics, welders, fabricators or industrial designers. We don’t know how to model in...
So you’ve decided it’s time to build a cafe racer of your own. Although you may be planning on fabricating...
So you’ve decided you want to build a cafe racer. The most important and difficult choice you will have to...
Here are a couple of shots of the W650 Cafe Racer. At 90% complete I’m really happy with how the...
The seat is also of top quality. The inner shell is made from thick, hard plastic which looks very durable....
One of the jobs I didn’t forsee when I was fitting the clip on bars to the w650 was adjusting...
Now assuming you’ve takenin to account all the points I mentioned in part one of my handlebar swap posts you’re...
Swapping the handlebars on any bike sounds like an easy job but your choice of handlebar can dramatically affect the...
Replacing the rear tail light on the W650 is probably one of the simplest modifications I have done so Far...
Not to be beaten by my lack of tools I came up with a solution to remove the Ventura rear...
To remove the covers you can do 1 of 2 things, either remove the forks from the triple clamps slide...
First things first you’re gonna need a bike so where do you start? Well for me cost is an issue...
At the end of World War 2 many British motorcycle manufacturers were on the verge of closure or had already...
