I’m back on the W650 again! Got loads of time in the saddle this weekend, but it’s never enough!...
Kawasaki Cafe Racer
Kawasaki motorcycles have been in production since 1962. During the late sixties, the Japanese manufacturer established a foothold in the US market with their legendary H1 Mach III, a motorcycle that was both revered and feared for its straight-line speed and unpredictable handling. Today Kawasaki is one of the world’s most recognized motorcycle brands. From the iconic Z1000 of the seventies through to today’s supercharged, 330kmh+ H2 they continue to produce motorcycles that push the boundaries of performance. In recent years Kawasaki themselves have adopted the cafe racer style with their Z900RS series of motorcycles.
The success of the Studio Motor workshop has made Donny somewhat of a celebrity in the Indonesian custom scene. He’s...
Kawasaki’s ER6N first hit the streets in 2008 but the middleweight naked sports bike isn’t a motorcycle that often pops...
In 1986 girls swooned and guys headed to the nearest motorcycle dealership at the sight of Tom Cruise astride his Top...
This post apocalyptic road warrior is Icon’s Kawasaki ZX-7 ‘Thunder Chunky’. It’s the latest addition to Icon’s series of custom...
I finally had a chance to shoot some photos of my bike today, it’s a 2000 Kawasaki W650 Cafe Racer...
Motorcyclists like to moan about everything.
And the quickest way to start some premium groaning is to sell us a naked...
The Japanese custom motorcycle scene is overflowing with all manner of unexpected and tantalizing two-wheeled wonders. Located in Ibaraki Prefecture,...
Flexible back and knees are essential for successful Cafe Racer cornering techniques....
If Benelli’s TNT 1130 and Kawasaki’s 650 Ninja had a romantic interlude this could well be the result. Based on...
Well it’s been 7 months since I purchased my W650 and started the Cafe Racer conversion. It’s been a great...
In 1980 Vetter designed and built a very limited run of 10 Mystery Ship motorcycles based on Kawasaki’s KZ1000 MKII....
As someone who has a history of heart disease in their family, I know all too well how devastating it...
So you wanna buy a spanking new motorcycle to ride around town and make it without having to touch your...
A modern day Road Warrior In typical Deus style, their custom Kawasaki Z900RS is as outlandish and it is unique....
Winter has not been kind to my bike. I made the move to Melbourne in Jan and moved in to...
The Vulcan S ABS Café is Kawasaki’s “learner approved” cruiser. Its styling is typical of all cruisers that follow in...
I’m an advocate of recycling. I separate my paper and plastic rubbish and I buy recycled products, so when I...
Through a special collaboration with custom builder, ‘Mr Martini’ Kawasaki motorcycles Italy have released a limited edition Vulcan S. Only...
Launched in 2001 as the successor to the ZRX1100, the Kawasaki ZRX1200R was inspired by the KZ1000R ridden by legendary...
When we reviewed the Kawasaki Z900RS Z900RS cafe back in 2018 we noticed something familiar about its styling. Kawasaki stated the...
One of the jobs I didn’t forsee when I was fitting the clip on bars to the w650 was adjusting...
Suzuki Katana. Honda Dominator. Kawasaki Ninja. These are all bike names that inspire visions of power and awesomeness. In some...
The boys in Denmark have been very busy since they last graced the pages of this site. Their new workshop...
There’s something strangely compelling about raw, handmade bodywork. To me it’s one of the finest demonstrations of skill and creativity....
36-year-old Stefan Lantschner grew up on a farm in Italy where he developed an incurable fixation with motorcycles. His father...
Swapping the handlebars on any bike sounds like an easy job but your choice of handlebar can dramatically affect the...
Such is the iconic status of the 1970s Kawasaki Z900 that these days they are more commonly restored than customised....
Ever since seeing the “We R Winning” short documentary about Twinline Motorcycles I’ve been a huge fan of the Seattle...
Cafe Racer TV and Santiago Chopper’s will be auctioning off the KZ1000 Cafe Racer seen built during the TV series...
Deus Ex Machina are continuing to expand their footprint by opening flagship stores around the globe. Since their first store...
At the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show last weekend the Japanese manufacturer wowed the motorcycling world once again with the all-new, retro-styled...
From time to time, you see something that makes it hard to believe your eyes. They call it cognitive dissonance;...
It seems strange now, but Kawasaki actually beat Triumph to the punch when it came to retro-styled motorcycles. First released...
Anyone that’s been following this site since its launch knows it all started with the purchase of a Kawasaki W650....
Named ‘Gunpowder’ the 1999 Kawasaki ZRX1100 is the work of Benny Lombardo and Antonello Zonna of Seven Motors. After the owner explained...
“No Time. No Territory. Just an atitude inspired in the past and dressed to impress.” – Maria Motorcycles ...
If you’ve read my ride review of the 2018 Kawasaki Z900RS or its cafe racer counterpart, you’d know I‘m rather...
The last time we spoke to Derek and Sven from Belgium’s Barn Built Bikes they’d just finished building their stunning...
I’ve been toying with the idea of posting this custom ’76 Kawasaki KH100 for some time and decided today to...
The motorcycle above it’s a custom Kawasaki Ninja 250r from Donny in Jakarta, Indonesia. The time it takes to build...
While Rickman Motorcycles started out producing frames and body kits for British made motorcycles in the seventies they turned their...
In 2021 Markus Pintzinger celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his Thailand-based aftermarket parts store, Omega Racer. To commemorate the milestone anniversary...
My first visit to Jakarta in 2014 was arranged for the sole purpose of visiting custom motorcycle workshops. We’d been...
Honda CB750 “Cold bitch” More home built Cafe Racers sent in by our talented readers. Thanks for sharing your motorcycles...
Courtesy of our friends FATclub in France comes this awesome Kwazaki Z900 Cafe Racer. “The FATclub is dedicated to special...
In 1979 the first Mad Max film was released in Australian cinemas. It depicted director George Miller’s vision of a...
Deus ex Machina came on the scene around about the same time I set up Return of the Cafe Racers...
The Kawasaki ZX-6, otherwise known as the ZZR600 in Europe, was the brand’s flagship middleweight sports bike of the nineties....
Bali’s AMS Garage is back with yet another incredible example of their metal shaping skills. In our last AMS feature,...
Motohangaris a custom motorcycle workshop based out of Vienna, Virginia. With services ranging from general maintenance through to specialised custom...
I’m always excited to feature a build from a country we haven’t previously visited here on the Return of the...
“They don’t make them like they used to!” When you hear those words uttered it is generally with disdain. A...
Now assuming you’ve takenin to account all the points I mentioned in part one of my handlebar swap posts you’re...
There’s nothing like a bit of competitive spirit to egg a build on and when it’s between 2 brothers you...
It’s been 4 years since the Kawasaki Z900RS went on sale. In the lead-up to its release, Kawasaki adopted a...
This Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja had been a faithful companion to its owner for years. During that time, the bike had...
Today the idea of building such a bike for the street sounds rather ridiculous, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t...
Someone had sacrilegiously painted the bike’s frame in a past life, hiding the trademark Rickman nickel plating, so it had...
Today’s quick update has been a long time in the making. As we’ve seen here before the Kawasaki KZ650 has...
According to Sven Decoux of Barn Built Motorcycles, the decision to customise a Kawasaki ZR7 was more ‘right place, right...
To Maurizio Carrero, founder of Imbarcadero 14 Venice in Italy, the Z1000 was more than an icon of motorcycle manufacturing.As...
The 1974 Kawasaki KZ400 Cafe Racer underwent an extensive 500-hour build, featuring a powerful 400cc parallel twin engine with a...
After owning a Kawasaki W650 for 5 years I can quite confidently say they are one of the best performing...
I dropped in at Deus Ex Machina in Sydney and picked up a new speedo for the W650. As the...
It may come as a surprise, but cafe racers aren’t the only style of custom motorcycle I admire. Back when...
By my definition an ‘attempt’ is usually when you try to do something and it doesn’t quite work out. I...
Here are a couple of shots of the W650 Cafe Racer. At 90% complete I’m really happy with how the...
To remove the covers you can do 1 of 2 things, either remove the forks from the triple clamps slide...
When I first met Ram Ram Januar at his home in Bandung, Indonesia he told me that he started his...
2012 marked the 40th anniversary of Kawasaki’s legendary Z series of motorcycles. To celebrate the Zeds 4 decades of manufacture...
Before I get into this feature let me first say hello to my Indonesian readers. I know you guys make...
What have I done! One job I have had to perform a few times during my W650 Cafe Racer project...
Valtoron in Valdetorres de Jarama, Spain, is the workshop of two brothers, Pablo and Carlos Delgado. Since 1995 the brothers...
With 30 years of custom motorcycle building under his belt, Wolfgang Batz isn’t about to be influenced by other people’s...
In my hometown of Melbourne, we’re lucky to have a great cafe racer community. Thanks to clubs like the “Melbourne...
Le Gicleur Noire Black, black and more black. The Le Gicleur Noire which translates to “Always bet on black” is...
What better inspiration could a man need when building his first custom bike than to be building it for his...
In the scheme of things, 10 years isn’t all that long. But for a small business launched by a pair...
A while back we were approached by Just Bikes in Australia and invited to enter their Just Auto Legends campaign....
The Z2 was an almost identical motorcycle to the Z1 aside from its engine. A modified bore and stroke, smaller carburettors...
I’ve been an invited guest at Kustomfest Indonesia for 5 years now. Thanks to the show I’ve made some great...
2022 is the 50th anniversary of Kawasaki’s Z series of motorcycles. To help mark the occasion we’re looking at the...
The “MK46” is the work of Samik Chatterjee, owner operator of MotoKraft Customs in New Delhi. After graduating from Art...
Although Nazar (aka Gazzz) has been repairing, riding and restoring motorcycles for 15 years he’s fairly new to the custom...
There’s virtually no limit to the extent that you can modify a motorcycle. This, of course, includes its performance and...
Earlier this month the first series of the Essenza 1/8th mile sprint challenge was completed at the Glemseck festival in Leonberg,...
Not to be beaten by my lack of tools I came up with a solution to remove the Ventura rear...
Just like the Boom Town Rats “I don’t like Mondays”. I do however like motorcycles…a lot! Here’s this weeks Monday...
Towards the end of 2017 when the Tokyo Motor and EICMA shows took place I got more than a little...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
Let’s take a closer look at them… Kawasaki Z900RS Café Kawasaki had already unveiled their stunning new Z900RS at the Tokyo...
It’s hard to imagine that any good could come from breaking your neck. Things could have gone very differently when...
After being less than impressed by the official promotional video for the 2011 Kawasaki W800 I took it upon myself to...
My favourite ongoing series of custom motorcycle builds has just added 2 new “Retrograde Engineered” beasts to their line up....
“I first met this bike and its owner at one of our cancer fundraisers in Dallas. The bike sounded like...
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Kawasaki’s Z series of motorcycles. The motorcycle that started it all, the 1972 Kawasaki...
Rat Bikes like their 4 wheeled cousins, Rat Rods are what some people would consider to be a “piece of...
Detlev Louis is a German motorcycle riding gear manufacturer with more than 8 decades of experience under its belt. Unsurprisingly...
While most aspects of motorcycle design have come a long way since the 70s, there and several that haven’t. Take...
