Mark Wilsmore, owner of Ace Cafe in London has partnered with custom bike builder Nick Gale and Ace Investor George...
Harley Davidson Cafe Racer
American manufacturer Harley Davidson was formed in 1903 when childhood friends William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson began building their first motorcycle. Surviving 2 world wars and great depression Harley has grown to become one of the world’s most recognized motorcycle brands.
Although these days many don’t consider Harleys as race machines the aptly named Sporsters were developed with racing in mind and for a period were the brand of choice for flat track racers. Harleys have always been associated with customization, most notably in the chopper scene.
Although a Harley Davidson cafe racer conversion is a challenging undertaking there’s no shortage of aftermarket parts available to help get it done.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Harleys. In school my mates all used to go crazy for them but...
The ‘JT26 Rascal’ is a unique custom build inspired by Warr’s Harley-Davidson’s second consecutive UK and Ireland championship-winning bike, the...
I know a guy who reviews beer. The best part about his gig is that he gets to drink every...
So you’re obsessed with two wheels? Well, we see no reason why that obsession can’t span beyond motorcycles to include...
“Last year I received a rather sheepish email asking if there was any way I would ever build a café...
The ‘Harton CR1200’ uses a traditional cafe racer design approach. A beefy engine transplanted into a top-performing frame. It is...
Another Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show has wrapped up and the web is starting to buzz with photos and videos...
Last year Joe Cooper of Cooper Smithing Company grabbed our attention with the raw steel, hand formed bodywork of his Yamaha...
Generally speaking, first-time bike builds are a practice run for future projects. So in most cases, they’re a little rough...
It’s not often I post articles about custom builds based on Harley Davidsons. Harleys tend not to be popular in...
It’s not often we see crossovers between the world of 4 and 2 wheeled vehicles. When it has happened in...
Cam from Stories of Bike paid the Kustom Kommue another visit a few weeks ago to film part 2 of...
“This bike started life as the “Meat Grinder” chopper Sportster we had built about 5 years ago, with a hardtail,...
Fancy owning a Wrenchmonkee motorcycle? The Gorilla Punch is going under the hammer along with Monkee #7. You can place...
Over the past few years Taiwanese workshop Rough Crafts have achieved amazing things in the world of custom motorcycles. Their...
The star of the 2022 Bangkok Hot Rod Custom Show was a heavily modified Sportster Forty-Eight Harley Davidson cafe racer,...
I spotted a photo of the bike online and managed to dig up these three images. It’s one of the...
The words Harley Davidson and Cafe Racer aren’t often muttered in the same sentence. Along with the challenges builders face...
Although they call each other allies the US and the UK never quite see eye to eye. One area where...
In 2014, Harley Davidson introduced the world to the Street 500. The water-cooled 500cc, US & Indian built, learner approved...
Roland Sands has created several custom motorcycles he has labeled as Cafe Racers and although purists would question if these...
Established by Dare Jennings, Rod Hunwick and Carby Tuckwell, Deus ex Machina in Camperdown, Sydney, produces motorcycles for the post-modern world. What the hell...
Liberty Harley-Davidson of Rahway, New Jersey, modified this 2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750 with a shark theme. The customization includes special...
Harley-Davidson is the indisputable king of cruisers. Sure they’ve dabbled with a few racing bikes in the past, but they...
Unfortunately, my Japanese isn’t great and details on the website are limited so here’s what I managed to translate...
The annual custom motorcycle craziness that is the AMD World Championship of bike building has been and gone again. This...
I just stumbled across this video interview with Roland Sands discussing his 2013 RSD line of apparel. In the video...
It seems to have become customary for motorcycle manufacturers to leverage the hype surrounding the custom scene to release their...
Luxembourg’s Blacktrack Motors have been steadily ramping things up since they started back in 2015. They kicked things off with...
The 9th annual Sturgis AMD World Championship of bike building (try saying that after a few pints!) has just wrapped...
Beautiful shots of beautiful motorbikes by Erik Runyon. I’m loving the colour of that tank. Maybe the colour...
Chicara Nagata of Chica custom motorcycles got a lot of attention for his liquid chrome series of custom motorcycles. The...
Shinya’s steam punk esque Harley at El Mirage 2011 speed trials chicomoto.blogspot.com chabottengineering.com...
David Zemla transformed this 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster into a scrambler for Burly Brand, featured prominently in advertisements and event displays....
The results are out and the winners have been announced but what bikes were our favourite custom motorcycles from the...
Dan from the Speed Merchant dropped me an email the other day to let me know about their awesome 39mm...
No matter how much purists proclaim that a Harley based Cafe Racer motorcycle is nonsense they are still going to...
The automotive industry has always been torrid, full of stories of receiverships and liquidations. Motorcycle manufacturing is no exception and...
The XLCR stands out as the ultimate factory café racer, epitomizing the essence of badness and blackness. The name, derived...
Tim Kills BSA A65 Bobber On November 3rd & 4th I co-hosted a custom motorcycle exhibition in Melbourne named Oil...
Brandon Holstein run a workshop called ‘Brawny Built’ in Signal Hills, California where he does everything from basic servicing through...
This custom Panhead, nicknamed “The Ace Of Burden,” was built by Deuce H Moto and Walker Smith Speed Shop to...
Based on a 2008 Harley Davidson Sportster Nightster (seen below…thanks MCNEWS) the Deus V Twin Cafe Racer is a breath...
The 2012 Fast Dates Calendar Motorcycle Show took place over the weekend. This years event organisers invited legendary custom builder,...
This story first appeared in Tank Moto issue 12. This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a build by Japan’s...
“Modern Retro”. That’s how Taiwan born, LA based Samuel Kao of JSK Custom Design describes his ‘Ivory Comet’ Cafe Racer....
If ever there was a person destined to become a metal fabricator it would have to be Jay Donovan. Jay...
Harley Davidson based Cafe Racers always receive mixed emotions. The large V-Twin engine and cruiser dimensions prove difficult to balance...
An American heart with a British soul....
“As an artist, I love beautiful things. I also love making things. When I get passionate about something, it’s only...
Photo by Brandon LaJoie ‘Cafe Racers of Instagram’. The name alone strikes fear and awe into the hearts of anyone...
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when building your own Cafe Racer, or any style of custom motorcycle for...
“We ran across this Aermacchi as we were sifting through piles of crashed bikes looking for a suitable donor bike...
It may not be identical to its Italian brother, but the second “Twisted Twin” from Stile Italiano is just as...
I think it’s fair to say that outside of the US one of the biggest markets for custom-built Harleys would...
Sweatpants Media have released a video of the Technics Harley Sportster Cafe Racer I featured a few weeks back. Built...
It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since Harley Davidson unveiled their Livewire electric motorcycle concept. A lot has...
The 2005 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200R Roadster epitomizes the café racer aesthetic, featuring a potent 1,200cc V-twin engine paired with a...
The FXRX-Wedge is a custom motorcycle built in 2010 by Dougz Custom Paint & Fabrication in collaboration with S&S Cycle...
Another Harley? Yep that’s right two Harley’s is less than one week and both involved California based Chopper workshop, Brawny...
Greg Hageman’s tasteful Sportster custom is both visually appetizing and technically masterful. Despite being renowned for customizing Yamahas, Hageman, a...
Studies have shown that hardiness is the reason why certain people thrive in the face of adversity. When presented with...
Happy new year! Well, that wraps up yet another year of cafe racer content. Like the previous year, 2021 was...
If you don’t already have Le Container in your bookmarks or on your Blog roll you soon will. This is...
With the increasing popularity of the custom motorcycle scene, we’re starting to see some interesting and sometimes unlikely pairings between...
It’s the start of yet another working week. What better way to get through the day than by drooling over...
Two things we don’t feature on this website all that often are Harley Davidsons and Scramblers. Well, today we’re bucking...
More shots of the Harley Sportster 883 Cafe Racer by Passion 4 Custom I posted earlier today from photographer Simone Flash Benedetti. Simone...
“If you want something done, do it yourself”. Try following that mantra when it comes to building a custom motorcycle....
I’ve always been in two minds about the custom motorcycles built by Fred Krugger but this time round although the...
The 2012 Bonneville Speed Week is wrapping up for another year. Thankfully it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot...
Check out this great video of some guys in Germany on their Board Tracker style vintage Harleys burning around a...
Nothing grabs the headlines quite like an enormous selling price at auction. We’ve seen motorcycles sell for phenomenal money over...
I know a lot of people (including myself) probably wouldn’t choose a Harley as a base for their next Cafe...
Harley’s continue to be the underdog in the Cafe Racer scene. Although I’ve featured plenty of Harley Davidson Cafe Racers...
As more and more workshops produce their own version of a Cafe Racer it’s only natural that we are going...
Being unconventional takes guts. It means having the confidence to buck trends, do the unexpected and disregard what neigh sayers...
With many of the major car manufacturers now developing electric vehicles it was only a matter of time before motorcycle...
Before the Wrenchmonkees customised Harley XL was shipped off to it’s owner in Dakar the guys threw together this nice...
Got a soft spot for the rumble of a Harley V-twin and Cafe Racer styling? Hogbitz speedshop in the UK are...
Harley-Davidson’s race legacy was rooted in its dirt-track racers. To stay competitive for the number one plate, they introduced the...
The Brawler GT, created by Dar Holdsworth and Darwin Motorcycles, embodies their vision of an all-American motorcycle that can be...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
What do you get when you cross a Laverda with a Harley and a Ducati? You get a Ducati 860...
Restaurant, hotel and casino chain Hard Rock Cafe are set to open their latest hotel venture on the Spanish island...
Meet the extraordinary custom Harley-Davidson from the renowned Corbin Collection. Starting with a 1987 FXR, only the fuel tank and...
In 2008, the renowned SPS (Special Parts Supply) company from the Netherlands crafted an exceptional custom motorcycle in the style...
The build of the K1 was undertaken by a talented group of individuals who donated their time and skills to...
Taking the red pill. As the story goes back in 2007 Keanu had a custom Harley Davidson built by Gard Hollinger....
After designing and manufacturing his own performance parts for years Danmoto owner Wei Liya decided it was time to build...
Motorcycles and coffee are two items that appear on my list of things that I can’t live without, which is...
The XLCR is the ultimate factory café racer, distinguished by its intimidating black appearance. It was the brainchild of Willie...
If you’re looking to modify a Harley Davidson Sportster there’s no shortage of aftermarket parts suppliers. You can purchase bolt-on...
Bosozoku biker gangs once ruled the streets of Japan, these days though they are more of a nuisance than anything...
It’s been some time since I featured a custom build from Italy’s South Garage. That doesn’t mean that Enzo and...
The ICON 1000 crew don’t pull any punches – from the wild graphics they emblazon on their riding gear to...
