For anyone who enjoys tinkering with motorcycles, there will come a day when you’ll need to invest in some real...
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.
Small details. That’s what separates a good build from a great build. Of course there’s a whole heap of work...
This amazing piece of seventies motorcycle history has just popped up on eBay with a starting bid of $16,000AUD. It’s...
Craig Rodsmith’s ’84 Interceptor project began when a fellow builder offloaded it to him. As Craig put it “He gave...
This Honda GB400TT is a JDM-exclusive motorcycle that draws inspiration from the iconic British bikes that competed in the renowned...
The Honda CB400 Super Four is the embodiment of Universal Japanese Motorcycle Design. It’s a general-purpose standard motorcycle built to...
From his ‘Tannermatic’ workshop in Hull, Massachusetts, Matt Tanner restores and fabricates composite parts. An average day at Tannermatic consists...
Their name may conjure up images of a suspect automotive salesman, but rest assured Crooked Motorcycles is anything but dodgy....
Daryl Villanueva, the main man behind Bandit9 got in touch to tell us about this exclusive limited edition machine. “It’s...
Living with a classic bike is like being in a relationship. If you’re not prepared to make compromises it’ll never...
The DCC Four Hundred is based on a 1975 Honda CB400F and has been featured in season 2 of Cafe...
The motorcycle featured here began life as a standard 1984 Honda Gold Wing, but it no longer resembles the factory...
Thankfully the F2’s engine was its saving grace. Even though the bike used a detuned version of Honda’s air-cooled inline...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
Rob Chappell of Canada’s ‘Origin8or’ workshop is no stranger to customising Honda’s CB900F. A few years back he built one...
Honda’s CX500. The Japanese manufacturers only venture into the world of horizontally opposed twins. In many ways, the CX was...
A few months back I posted a video from Two Guys Garage showing the progress of their Honda CB500 Cafe Racer....
Located in Graz, Austria ‘Vagabund Moto’ is the brainchild of designer Paul Brauchart and mechanical engineer Philipp Rabl. “Both of...
It’s no walk in the park for a custom workshop to stay fresh and original. Constantly pushing boundaries, reinventing styles...
I love a good backstory. For many builders, it was the influence of a family member or friend that got...
When I launched this site all those years ago Cafe Racers were my focus, but I’ve always been into all...
Former world champion racer ‘Fast’ Freddie Spencer was a force to be reckoned. Spencer’s professional racing career started in 1978...
This 1974 Honda CB750 has a sleek Chalk Grey finish complemented by a black powder-coated frame. Its power comes from...
Since the onset of the pandemic, we’ve seen quite a few builds fast-tracked. While the general population was bingeing on...
“This Honda CB550K was an older gentleman’s highway cruiser with shield and bags when I found it. You could tell...
“For years, I had watched all the motorcycle builder shows on TV and had always wanted to build my own...
Having to endure cancer is something we all dread. Without having experienced it, it’s hard to imagine the physical and...
Alchemy Motorcycles is a tidy little shop that makes tidy little bikes. Based out of downtown San Diego, Michael Valle...
Up until he was 24 Pierluigi Intini’s experience on two wheels was limited to 50cc scooters. In 2007 he began...
A second attempt at anything in life usually results in a better outcome than the first. Whether it’s sitting for...
“It all started with my toy bikes as a child. I would cut off parts with my scissors and colour...
“As a teenager I always wanted to build a custom motorcycle and spent my time (when I wasn’t riding) drawing...
Shortly after moving to New Braunfels, Texas we became friends with Karly Kothmann and her husband Tanner. Blake and I...
This project centers on a 1980 Honda CX-500 that has been fully rebuilt into a cafe racer. The builder focused on...
In the winter of 2001 M3 Racing factory in Hawley, Minnesota hand built 4 replica Honda CR750 racers. Each of the...
“I’m Jim Alonze from Scarborough, North Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. I’ve been into bikes my whole life, from off...
This Honda CBX750 by X-Axis is a unique custom build created by former British MXGP champion, Billy MacKenzie. The bike...
Here’s the latest custom motorcycle to roll out of Moto Hangar’s workshop, a tidy ’76 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer. While...
Scales Studio is 2 man workshop that specialises in fabrication work and high-end paint. Based in Houston, Texas their list...
Vic World of World Motorcycles is one of the planet’s best Honda CB750 restorers. Based in San Fran, Vic has...
The project and the donor bike arrived at the Kerkus workshop via Singapore. After an artist from the Lion City...
Despite its modest performance and rudimentary design, the Honda Super Cub has remained in production since 1958. This is because...
In recent years we’ve seen a spate of new motorcycles inspired by classic bikes. Models like the Kawasaki Z900RS and...
Jeff’s story is one that might sound familiar. He found himself looking for a new source of income, and didn’t...
In Singapore, you can be sentenced to jail for selling chewing gum… imagine what they do to people whose exhaust...
Jas Babalija is a mechanical engineer and Automotive Vehicle Examiner in Melbourne, Australia. For years his work focused on the...
Eak Tanadit, the owner and lead designer at Bangkok’s K-Speed workshop, is arguably one of the best modifiers of small-capacity...
I wasn’t able to make it along to the event last weekend at Deus Ex Machina in Camperdown, Sydney and...
“My very first motorcycle was a 50cc Honda Cub. It was more of a scooter but it didn’t matter. My...
When an expert in form works with a master of function the results can be breathtaking. After being blown away...
“The idea we discussed was to make a simple, beastly motorcycle,” Fre recalls. “A clean and pure machine that was all...
We knew that this Honda project would be a challenge for us. When we received the motorcycle it was almost completely disassembled....
Tom Gilroy and his Purpose Built Moto workshop on Australia’s Gold Coast have risen through the ranks to become one...
Close the blast doors!… Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors! – Despite the fact that they were rooting for...
Despite Honda’s categorisation, we think the CB1000R Neo-Sports Cafe is anything but standard. With 143bhp on tap and radical neo-retro...
It’s not often I hear of custom workshops offering 3-year warranties. However, new Bulgarian workshop Thracian bikes are doing just...
Moto Lanna are a parts fabricator based in Chang Mai, Thailand. They recently got in touch regarding a link swap...
In 2021 Stu Lloyd became somewhat of a regular on these pages. We featured not 1 but 2 incredible custom...
For the US release of David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, actress Rooney Mara has done away with...
The 2018 Bike Shed show has been and gone. For those who were lucky enough to attend the London based...
Bali, Indonesia. Beautiful beaches, lush tropical forests, killer surf, cheap shopping and Bintang beer. Bali also happens to be a...
Kristy Nadine is a busy lady. When she’s not hunched over a customer tattooing their skin you’ll find her sketching...
These days the chance of anyone having the privilege of owning or riding an RC166 are slim to none, but...
Honda’s evergreen Hornet has been sold in the tens of thousands since its release in ’98. As a result, there...
The Wrenchmonkees have just won themselves a trophy without even trying! The boys took one of their newest builds, a...
Back in 2012 Raider custom built the GB and labelled it their SLS (Salt Lake Sickle). It was created as...
This Honda CB750, Dick Mann replica has been built by a chap by the name of Mick in Sydney. Mick has...
Take two Honda 360’s. Rebuild motor, brakes, forks, carbs, swingarm with combination of parts from two said bikes. Custom...
October! What the hell happened to September!? More amazing home built Cafe Racers from our readers. This time round it’s...
As the world’s largest producer of motorcycles, it comes as no surprise that Honda cafe racer builds are commonplace here...
In the early eighties, I had a series of t-shirts that featured vinyl, metal flake prints. They varied in subject...
Once the bike was dismantled the 600cc inline four received a complete overhaul with specific attention being paid to the...
Right now Australia’s most prolific custom builder would have to be Tom John of the Gold Coast based workshop, Purpose...
Honda is continuing to expand their modern-retro segment, or as they call it ‘Neo-Sports”, with the addition of the 2022...
Let’s face it. We don’t all possess the ability to rebuild an engine, to hand form steel or to even...
A few years back I met Cliff Overton, a fellow cafe racer enthusiast, and backyard builder. When Cliff completed his...
We’ve always found video to be one of the most inspiring forms of media. Over the years we’ve seen some...
The Tarantulas are a collection of motorcycle loving friends in Portland, USA. They are riders and builders of Cafe...
I love a good collaboration. When one brand recognises the benefits of joining forces with another amazing things can happen....
When he’s not designing race-winning catamarans, French-Canadian professor in electronics, Sylvain Carignan likes to turn his hand to custom motorcycle...
Many of 2020s most significant motorcycle shows have been cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Amongst them was the...
As Sofi explains it… “This Honda CB450 was brought to us earlier this year after an interesting encounter. A couple...
Last year the Cafe Racer scene was buzzing with the news that Dime City Cycles were building a custom motorcycle...
Honda CB750 “Cold bitch” More home built Cafe Racers sent in by our talented readers. Thanks for sharing your motorcycles...
German riding gear manufacturer Loius was founded in 1938 by motorcycle mechanic Detlev Louis. Today the company is Europe’s largest...
Someone once said, “It’s more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow“. Not everyone is...
As far as timeframes go David says the Ad Hoc CB750 has been a hard one to wrap up. “Due...
Is there such a thing as a factory built cafe racer? If you ask a purist they’ll tell you no...
The results are out and the winners have been announced but what bikes were our favourite custom motorcycles from the...
The Honda Cafe Racer which started out as a rather sad looking scrapyard find, underwent a ground up custom rebuild...
Back in the early nineties Jim was customising Yamaha SR’s and British bikes under the influence of the Japanese custom...
This Honda 1971 CB450 Cafe Racer titled Bonita recently appeared on Cafe Racer and custom motorcycle Blog, Pipeburn. After getting...
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. I have no doubt Mr. Da Vinci would be repeating those words if he was...
I wonder if it goes as hard as it sounds?...
Antonio Lupiañez and Salvador Alasino of Vida Bandida motorcycles are two Argentinian Industrial Designers who devote their spare time to...
Dual Sport motorcycles have very different proportions to your average cafe racer, so Isidore set about salvaging and retro-fitting the...