The Honda CB400 Super Four is the embodiment of Universal Japanese Motorcycle Design. It’s a general-purpose standard motorcycle built to...
Honda Cafe Racer
Honda is currently the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Japan. In the 1960s they became a household name in the USA thanks to their “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” advertising campaign. By the 1980s, they produced upwards of 3 million bikes a year. The Honda CB750 has been credited with being the world’s first superbike and has become the poster child of the modern cafe racer scene.
Todd McLellan is a Canadian still and motion photographer whose work includes this outstanding series of restored and customised vintage...
Let’s face it. We don’t all possess the ability to rebuild an engine, to hand form steel or to even...
The Honda Cafe Racer which started out as a rather sad looking scrapyard find, underwent a ground up custom rebuild...
In the early eighties, I had a series of t-shirts that featured vinyl, metal flake prints. They varied in subject...
Hey Daryl, It’s been a while since we last spoke. What’s been happening at Bandit9? “There’s only one way to...
Let’s take a closer look at them… Kawasaki Z900RS Café Kawasaki had already unveiled their stunning new Z900RS at the Tokyo...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
The late seventies Honda CB650 is commonly referred to as being a ‘standard motorcycle’. We doubt anyone would be using...
After spying these new shots of the Cafe CB750 by Whitehouse and Motorimoda on the Bikeexif facebook page, I thought I’d share...
“This was my first ever build, a ’76 Honda CB550 F1 Super Sport that I picked up from my mate...
After careful design and build considerations, Tony decided that an alloy tank was the way to go. It would become...
The weekend following the rider class, I bought my first bike. I was hooked. I picked up a 2009 Vulcan...
This project began last September. I had just sold my ‘79 Honda CB750 named ‘smooth sailing’ to a famous NFL...
“For years, I had watched all the motorcycle builder shows on TV and had always wanted to build my own...
Krzysztof Rogalinski, aka KrisBiker, is a Polish bike enthusiast who documents his two-wheeled exploits on Youtube. The self-taught mechanic and...
Deus ex Machina came on the scene around about the same time I set up Return of the Cafe Racers...
Some motorcycles lend themselves very well to customisation, but I wouldn’t consider the Honda Goldwing to be one of them....
I love Fridays. As beer o’clock draws closer (4pm) my concentration disintegrates and I begin my weekly ritual of trawling...
Honda’s evergreen Hornet has been sold in the tens of thousands since its release in ’98. As a result, there...
These days the chance of anyone having the privilege of owning or riding an RC166 are slim to none, but...
“This Honda CB550K was an older gentleman’s highway cruiser with shield and bags when I found it. You could tell...
The ‘Super CB750 Cafe Racer’ is Dario’s demonstration of what can be done to solve the rider size conundrum. “I...
Much like the ASK Motorcycles 2014 Yamaha SR125 ‘Material Woman’, Rad has continued his “very skinny, low and long” theme...
The act of swinging a leg over a mates bike and actually riding it are two completely different experiences. This...
Today’s feature is about a different breed of Z. It’s a totally revised and, for lack of a better term,...
Swedish builder Fredrik Persson of Paal Motorcycles has been a busy man. The last time we spoke he’d just wrapped...
A while ago I posted this photo and a few people requested more so here’s what I found. ...
A surefire way to look really goddamn cool is to be seen stretched out over a long, low fuel tank,...
The Wrenchmonkees have just won themselves a trophy without even trying! The boys took one of their newest builds, a...
It’s no secret that Honda’s CX series from the late 70’s has gone through a resurgence in the last five...
Shortly after moving to New Braunfels, Texas we became friends with Karly Kothmann and her husband Tanner. Blake and I...
Rob Chappell of Canada’s ‘Origin8or’ workshop is no stranger to customising Honda’s CB900F. A few years back he built one...
Since moving to the States from Japan Kiyo has played an important part in the Californian custom scene working on...
The team at Honda Indonesia have been watching the scene closely and for 2017 have launched a new initiative to...
“This thing (“Bowie” the Honda CB125s) was an impulse buy and was in pretty bad shape the day I took...
When I launched this site all those years ago Cafe Racers were my focus, but I’ve always been into all...
If Sir Mixalot was here right now his Anaconda would be bitterly disappointed. This is Rewheeled #1, a Honda CB750...
“The bike was originally an ’81 Honda CM400. I purchased it the day after my previous build was stolen. At...
I’ve had a rather unhealthy obsession with Honda’s CR750 for as long as I can recall. I think it stems...
Established in 2006 the 7Seven Custom workshop in Slovenia is all too familiar with the late model CB750’s. Back...
Back in the early nineties Jim was customising Yamaha SR’s and British bikes under the influence of the Japanese custom...
“They don’t make them like they used to!” When you hear those words uttered it is generally with disdain. A...
The Honda CB750 is often referred to as the original Universal Japanese Motorcycle. This is shortened to UJM, as most...
At first glance you may not think that the Wabi Sabi philosophy has been applied to this slick Honda CB750...
Dual Sport motorcycles have very different proportions to your average cafe racer, so Isidore set about salvaging and retro-fitting the...
Over the last few years, I’ve seen some amazing things happen in the world of custom motorcycle building, but the...
Is there such a thing as a factory built cafe racer? If you ask a purist they’ll tell you no...
Back in April when I featured E3 motorcycles Honda CB550 Cafe Racer it created a clear divide of lovers and...
“I’m a carpenter by trade and have always worked with my hands. I started riding a motorbike in March 2014...
Ahh Slovenia, home of the oldest vine in the world, the first ever musical instrument, birth place of the first...
So how did KickMoto get started? Jeff: We all met through a mutual friend and hit it off because of...
Earning a customer’s trust is worth more to a custom workshop than simply getting customers in the door. Without trust,...
Cream Motorcycles have released their ninth build, a 1980 Honda CB 750 named “Brownie” and it’s sweeeeet. The build took...
This popped up on the Biltwell facebook page and I felt compelled to share. It’s a heavily customised ’84 Harley Davison...
Anyone that’s had a go at building a Cafe Racer or custom motorcycle knows how addictive it can become. I’m...
Flat Track racing is nothing new. In fact, variations of the sport have been around since the 1920s. Typically a...
In 1988 the Japanese feature-length film Akira took the world by storm. For this, it is often credited with popularising...
No more riding for me until the new year! (no this isn’t my bike…I wish!) My two wheel fix will...
Since the onset of the pandemic, we’ve seen quite a few builds fast-tracked. While the general population was bingeing on...
Earlier this month I ventured to Indonesia with Luke from Fuel Tank. This was our 5th year attending the Kustomfest...
I never get tired of seeing Honda CB750‘s converted into Cafe Racers. Not only is the CB750 a magnificent base...
We just received this great set of photos from Chin on the Tank. They feature Nina keeping it real on...
A few years back I met Cliff Overton, a fellow cafe racer enthusiast, and backyard builder. When Cliff completed his...
Automotive manufacturers have been using wood in their cars for more than a century. In the twenties, entire car bodies...
“The ’73 CB350F came to the workshop as a reasonably well-done cafe racer with a quite tidy tail section and...
Dave Skogerson is a nostalgist. He believes that the motorcycles made by today’s manufacturers have numbed the experience of riding,...
This custom Honda CBX400F race bike from 09RACING Japan is a far cry from how Honda released it. What was...
Bike Exif has just posted a shot of the a 1968 CB450 Cafe Racer. This particular Cafe Racer is the...
Our first build was Zeke’s “Lucky” Honda CB200 cafe racer. He tells me he’s done the ton on it, but...
Take two Honda 360’s. Rebuild motor, brakes, forks, carbs, swingarm with combination of parts from two said bikes. Custom...
When an expert in form works with a master of function the results can be breathtaking. After being blown away...
In 2015 Italian restauranteur Alessandro Dell’unto rented a small workshop space 500m from his restaurant. Why? Because when he’s not...
I’ve been following the Stories of Bike video series since it began and had the pleasure of meeting its creator Cam Elkins...
Spain’s Dragon’s Motorcycles created a massive stir with just one build. Their debut creation, a glorious six-cylinder BMW KL1100LT trimmed...
My name is Ryan Despres, I’m 31 years old and live in Alberta, Canada. I work as a Helicopter pilot...
Right now Australia’s most prolific custom builder would have to be Tom John of the Gold Coast based workshop, Purpose...
“Our goal here at Bandit9 is to deliver a unique product that’s drastically different from the last. We don’t...
I stuck with motorcycles mainly because they take up less space than cars, and are generally cheaper. I got into...
The base for the Electric Juice Cafe Racer was a 1979 Honda CB750, a motorcycle that many modern Cafe Racer...
Back in 2012, I was contacted by Vaughan in Sydney who had just finished hammering out the bodywork on his...
What the hell is that thing!? It’s another apocalyptic custom from the Icon 1000 crew, but unlike the other bikes...
I’m back on the W650 again! Got loads of time in the saddle this weekend, but it’s never enough!...
Big thanks to Collin Christenbury for sending in these shots he took at the Vintage Motorcycle Races & Show in Elkhart Lake...
Located in Graz, Austria ‘Vagabund Moto’ is the brainchild of designer Paul Brauchart and mechanical engineer Philipp Rabl. “Both of...
If you’re looking for the ultimate toy for your motorcycle obsessed kid or something ultra-cool to sit on your office...
We’ve all seen the listings on eBay. “Perfect project bike”, “Needs some attention”, “It’s all there, just requires reassembling!”. The...
“I have a habit of going cheap at the start of a project and then blowing it out of proportion.”...
At first glance you could mistakably name this bikes donor as a CX500, which is wrong, but not far off....
“My bike is a 1976 Honda CB750K6. I have been working on it on and off for about a year...
Since I recently paid a visit to Deus Ex Machina in Sydney I thought it pertinent to feature one of...
If you’ve been following Return of the Cafe Racers for a while you’ll have figured out I’m a fan of...
“The Natural” built by Portland based workshop The Tarantulas. It’s a bike that’s had plenty of mentions around here but...
What is it about Benjie’s Cafe Racer parts that make every bike their fitted to look stunning? These two Honda...
During the sports bike boom of the 1980s Japanese motorcycle manufacturers were in their prime. In 1982 Honda released a...
The Yamaha XS-V1 Sakura (Prototype ie coming soon!) oozes Cafe Racer style and should pck plenty of punch based on...
50cc’s! Hmm doesn’t sound that cool to me you say. Well check out the pics… and not only does the...
Their name may conjure up images of a suspect automotive salesman, but rest assured Crooked Motorcycles is anything but dodgy....
At only 7 months old Cafe Racer SSpirit is one of the new kids on the block in Spain’s custom...
