By the early 2000s Honda had diluted its once iconic CB series so much that any connection to the original...
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.
Being in Australia when the One Motorcycle Show is happening over in Portland USA is like not getting any presents...
Over the last few years, I’ve seen some amazing things happen in the world of custom motorcycle building, but the...
Located in Graz, Austria ‘Vagabund Moto’ is the brainchild of designer Paul Brauchart and mechanical engineer Philipp Rabl. “Both of...
“And now for something completely different” Just when I thought I’d seen every type of custom motorcycle there is,...
Pour yourself a stiff drink and sit down. I’ve got news for you. This neo cafe racer by Turin’s Officine...
The project and the donor bike arrived at the Kerkus workshop via Singapore. After an artist from the Lion City...
Since the onset of the pandemic, we’ve seen quite a few builds fast-tracked. While the general population was bingeing on...
A few years back in New York, in a 4th floor city apartment E3 Motorcycles was born. In May...
As you can imagine I spend a lot of time staring at photos of custom motorcycles. I don’t know if...
Chris, the owner of this Honda CX500 Cafe Racer built the bike after deciding it was time to have...
This 1974 Honda CB750 was customized as a brat-style cafe racer. The frame and wheels were painted black, and the...
At the end of World War 2 many British motorcycle manufacturers were on the verge of closure or had already...
In the early eighties, I had a series of t-shirts that featured vinyl, metal flake prints. They varied in subject...
Well, that wraps up yet another year of amazing cafe racer builds from custom workshops and backyard builders around the...
One of Edi’s latest achievements is this 1981 Honda CB900 cafe racer. It’s one of two new builds to roll...
It’s been almost a year since I featured Andy Mergerle’s Honda CB750 cafe racer project. It’s not often I publish...
“It is a Honda XLR250R that has been in the works for about 3 years now,” says Rad. “I have...
After receiving a tip off from a friend the boys got their hands on a well priced, running 1975...
It’s true. Sometimes the simple things in life are often the best. Take for example this super clean CB750 build...
Former world champion racer ‘Fast’ Freddie Spencer was a force to be reckoned. Spencer’s professional racing career started in 1978...
Based in the heart of Lisboa, Portugal, Unik Edition Motorcycles have a passion for the nostalgic feel of a carbureted...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
Tanadit Sarawek’s ‘House of Custom Design’, otherwise known as K-Speed, is Thailand’s most prolific custom motorcycle workshop. As part of...
Custom motorcycles straight out of the seventies by Bodyline Customs. Long, Low and full of style. ...
After 2 years of running his business after hours, Wido managed to turn Wimoto into his full-time career and now, 2.5...
The motorcycle above it’s a custom Kawasaki Ninja 250r from Donny in Jakarta, Indonesia. The time it takes to build...
Ten years after Honda turned the motorcycling world on its head with the release of the CB750, they decided it...
The annual custom motorcycle craziness that is the AMD World Championship of bike building has been and gone again. This...
Back in 2012, I was contacted by Vaughan in Sydney who had just finished hammering out the bodywork on his...
When Honda finally joined the new wave modern retro movement with the CB1000R Neo Sports Cafe we knew it was...
When I started pulling this list together I was expecting to get a fairly balanced bunch of bikes. By this,...
Marco, a tattooist from Toulouse France well aware of the risks when buying a secondhand motorcycle. Since his teenage years...
I was really surprised to see that Icon chose the Honda VRF1000R as the base for the Magnificent Bastard. In...
It’s clear looking at his work that Rad prefers a sportier aesthetic. He applies a healthy dose of café racer...
Here’s the latest custom motorcycle to roll out of Moto Hangar’s workshop, a tidy ’76 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer. While...
Antonio Lupiañez and Salvador Alasino of Vida Bandida motorcycles are two Argentinian Industrial Designers who devote their spare time to...
Cream Motorcycles have released their ninth build, a 1980 Honda CB 750 named “Brownie” and it’s sweeeeet. The build took...
If you’ve been following Return of the Cafe Racers on Instagram or Facebook you’ll have seen that I recently attended Kustomfest in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The show...
I never get tired of seeing Honda CB750‘s converted into Cafe Racers. Not only is the CB750 a magnificent base...
It’s Monday and the motorbikes parked out the front feeling neglected. All I want to do is ride....
Andy who is an Architectural Draftsperson by trade, built Express Post to compete in an annual event organised by a group of...
I’m back on the W650 again! Got loads of time in the saddle this weekend, but it’s never enough!...
Our first build was Zeke’s “Lucky” Honda CB200 cafe racer. He tells me he’s done the ton on it, but...
Custom motorcycle builds usually start out as an idea, but more often than not ideas change. While these changes usually...
To launch the new workshop Gregorio got his hands on a stock ’92 Honda CB750. A reliable, well designed and...
Family heirlooms come in many forms; from jewellery to antique furniture or even a motorcycle. Taking ownership of something that...
“It all started with my toy bikes as a child. I would cut off parts with my scissors and colour...
It’s not uncommon to hear people referring to a motorcycle as being bulletproof, but it’s not that often that it...
The following is an excerpt from Tank Moto Issue 1 “As Close As It Gets” Replica Honda CR750 article –...
These Honda CB 750 Cafe Racers were built by Garage Company. I’m not sold on the rainbow paint on the...
…and all of a sudden you’re hooked. The RC166 won an amazing 10 out of 10 1966 World Championship series...
One builder who perfectly blends race track styling into his road-going motorcycles it’s Pepo Rosell of XTR Pepo. However, to...
This modified 1981 Honda CM400T features a light blue finish adorned with Gulf livery over an orange frame. Powering the...
Vic World of World Motorcycles is one of the planet’s best Honda CB750 restorers. Based in San Fran, Vic has...
The results are out and the winners have been announced but what bikes were our favourite custom motorcycles from the...
For the US release of David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, actress Rooney Mara has done away with...
I’ve had a rather unhealthy obsession with Honda’s CR750 for as long as I can recall. I think it stems...
Spain’s Dragon’s Motorcycles created a massive stir with just one build. Their debut creation, a glorious six-cylinder BMW KL1100LT trimmed...
This Cafe Racer built by Hardcore Svenmeister Customs is named simply Number 8. Number 8 is based on a 1980...
As Sofi explains it… “This Honda CB450 was brought to us earlier this year after an interesting encounter. A couple...
This 1978 Honda CB750 has been transformed into a cafe racer using custom components like a handcrafted aluminum fuel tank...
Everyone needs a hobby. German-born Holger Breuer found his back in 2004 when he built his first custom motorcycle. Since...
Three years ago I featured a very special build built by Steven Wilson of BC, Canada. The bike, a CB750...
Many of 2020s most significant motorcycle shows have been cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Amongst them was the...
As far as weird-looking motorcycles go, this one is pretty wild. It’s a unique four-cylinder hot rod-inspired café racer with an impressive...
The Honda CB400 Super Four is a run of the mill naked UJM which first hit the streets back in...
Years ago I saw some pictures of a very low, very mean blue CB750 cafe racer and it was a...
Living with a classic bike is like being in a relationship. If you’re not prepared to make compromises it’ll never...
“I studied industrial design in university where I developed my own design aesthetic” explains Spencer. “During my studies I also...
The Death Machines of London (aka DMOL) never do things by halves. Their workshop has produced some of the most...
The 1982 Honda CB900F underwent a café racer-inspired modification, featuring various enhancements. These include a solo bump seat, clip-on handlebars,...
“My wife and mother-in-law used to call it the “Peter & Steven Show” whenever we would get together because we’d...
If there was one thing I learnt at art school that has always stood true it’s that colour is king....
Fred Krugger (not to be mistaken with the wrinkly chapfrom the Nightmare on Elm Street movies) builds some fairly “out...
Building one of the only Cafe Racers in your country is no mean feat, especially when you live in a...
The decision whether to customize a pre-eighties Honda CB750 or not is becoming a tough one to make. There was...
This 1978 Honda CB750K was modified with an aluminum fuel tank, side panels, front fender, and a cafe-style tailpiece. Noteworthy...
We’ve all experienced a time when our best-laid plans fell in a heap. But if that plan was to fail...
The CB360, a successor to Honda’s renowned CB350, boasted a slightly larger engine and was equipped with a 6-speed transmission....
At 1.3 million people the country of Estonia isn’t exactly bursting at the seams. On the Estonian tourism website their...
Starting life as a 1989 Honda CG125, the “De Palma 05” is the latest machine to roll out of their...
Rex built the Citrus Cafe Racers frame using his own design which features a mono shock rear suspension system. The...
Place your bids!! This incredibly tidy Honda CB400 Cafe Racer is up for auction on Ebay right now. Read the...
This insectoid-looking CB750F Turbo is easily one of the most unusual Honda cafe racers featured here. It’s the work of...
“We wanted a fully customized bike with modern cafe racer styling and bulletproof reliability,” says Iñaki. “Because of that, we...
Eak Tanadit, the owner and lead designer at Bangkok’s K-Speed workshop, is arguably one of the best modifiers of small-capacity...
Earlier this month I ventured to Indonesia with Luke from Fuel Tank. This was our 5th year attending the Kustomfest...
Nothing grabs the headlines quite like an enormous selling price at auction. We’ve seen motorcycles sell for phenomenal money over...
Back in April when I featured E3 motorcycles Honda CB550 Cafe Racer it created a clear divide of lovers and...
Some of the best stories have the most humble and unexpected beginnings. Little did Zane, Adam and Jake English of...
My hometown of Perth, Western Australia offers some of the best year-round riding weather on the planet. Unsurprisingly motorcycles are...
While ground up builds that push the boundaries of design and engineering are great, its the less ostentatious projects that...
Brisbane based industrial designers, mechanics and tinkerers Steve Barry and Leo Yip are the driving force behind Ellaspede custom motorcycles...
A few years back I met Cliff Overton, a fellow cafe racer enthusiast, and backyard builder. When Cliff completed his...
“Derek Despain has never been one to settle down. A week of knowing Despain can somewhat be related to the...
The Honda CBX1000 needs no introduction. It is one of only a handful of 6 cylinder production motorcycles ever made...
Good mates building bikes together. That’s essentially what you’ll find at Bold Motorcycles HQ, which happens to be a home...
Big thanks to Collin Christenbury for sending in these shots he took at the Vintage Motorcycle Races & Show in Elkhart Lake...
