Based on a 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 this bike is a rolling eulogy to 1970s composite creativity. During the ’60s and...
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.
Deus Ex Machina are continuing to expand their footprint by opening flagship stores around the globe. Since their first store...
Replacing the rear tail light on the W650 is probably one of the simplest modifications I have done so Far...
When I first met Ram Ram Januar at his home in Bandung, Indonesia he told me that he started his...
The 1974 Kawasaki KZ400 Cafe Racer underwent an extensive 500-hour build, featuring a powerful 400cc parallel twin engine with a...
It’s hard to imagine that any good could come from breaking your neck. Things could have gone very differently when...
There’s something strangely compelling about raw, handmade bodywork. To me it’s one of the finest demonstrations of skill and creativity....
I’ve been an invited guest at Kustomfest Indonesia for 5 years now. Thanks to the show I’ve made some great...
There are several amazing custom motorcycle shows happening in the United States right now that have made it onto my...
Not to be beaten by my lack of tools I came up with a solution to remove the Ventura rear...
All you need to do is remove the right side cover by unscrewing the 2 screws on the side and...
I’ve just finished fitting a polished top bridge/triple clamp to the W650 Cafe Racer. After fitting the clip on bars...
Deus ex Machina came on the scene around about the same time I set up Return of the Cafe Racers...
My favourite ongoing series of custom motorcycle builds has just added 2 new “Retrograde Engineered” beasts to their line up....
“I acquired this 1980 KZ440 in bits from a friend who had lost interest in the project.” recalls 26 year...
By definition, the Kawasaki ZRX1100 is a Universal Japanese Motorcycle, otherwise referred to as standard. But in our opinion, there...
As gaudy as the eighties were they certainly produced some cool motorcycles. Sharp angular styling, bold colour schemes and groundbreaking...
Since 1963 Kawasaki Motorcycle Co. has introduced a plethora of technological innovations which have gone on to become industry standards....
Le Gicleur Noire Black, black and more black. The Le Gicleur Noire which translates to “Always bet on black” is...
A modern day Road Warrior In typical Deus style, their custom Kawasaki Z900RS is as outlandish and it is unique....
The last time we spoke to Derek and Sven from Belgium’s Barn Built Bikes they’d just finished building their stunning...
Back in March I was lucky enough to pay a visit to the workshop of Studio Motor in Jakarta, Indonesia....
Motohangaris a custom motorcycle workshop based out of Vienna, Virginia. With services ranging from general maintenance through to specialised custom...
Looking over the photos it’s the smaller details that really make his bike special. The W650 features a spattering of...
“The Kwaka had stood still for at least 5 years and was running on only 3 cylinders. It puked fuel...
Throttle open, chin on the tank and your parallel twin rocketing you from point a to point z....
In the early eighties, a clever member of the Kawasaki marketing team thought it’d be a good idea to produce...
This post apocalyptic road warrior is Icon’s Kawasaki ZX-7 ‘Thunder Chunky’. It’s the latest addition to Icon’s series of custom...
Ever since seeing the “We R Winning” short documentary about Twinline Motorcycles I’ve been a huge fan of the Seattle...
Although Nazar (aka Gazzz) has been repairing, riding and restoring motorcycles for 15 years he’s fairly new to the custom...
At the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show last weekend the Japanese manufacturer wowed the motorcycling world once again with the all-new, retro-styled...
There are several reasons why you might want to install an aftermarket exhaust on your motorcycle. It could be that...
To remove the covers you can do 1 of 2 things, either remove the forks from the triple clamps slide...
My parents once gifted me an old Toyota. Mum was worried about me riding and thought that giving me a...
Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to test ride almost every new modern classic, retro sports and...
In 2021 Markus Pintzinger celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his Thailand-based aftermarket parts store, Omega Racer. To commemorate the milestone anniversary...
The Vulcan S ABS Café is Kawasaki’s “learner approved” cruiser. Its styling is typical of all cruisers that follow in...
From time to time, you see something that makes it hard to believe your eyes. They call it cognitive dissonance;...
After being less than impressed by the official promotional video for the 2011 Kawasaki W800 I took it upon myself to...
I was left disappointed after Kawasaki released the W800 back in 2011. The switch to EFI (damn emission laws!) and...
The “MK46” is the work of Samik Chatterjee, owner operator of MotoKraft Customs in New Delhi. After graduating from Art...
In my hometown of Melbourne, we’re lucky to have a great cafe racer community. Thanks to clubs like the “Melbourne...
The Mistress was commissioned by Mistress Gentlemens Motorcycle Club a motorcycle club based in Lisbon. The club allows members to...
Although the 1978 Z1 successor didn’t live up to Kawasaki’s expectations in showrooms, the Z1-R is an iconic motorcycle and...
Suzuki Katana. Honda Dominator. Kawasaki Ninja. These are all bike names that inspire visions of power and awesomeness. In some...
Anyone that’s been following this site since its launch knows it all started with the purchase of a Kawasaki W650....
Earlier this month the first series of the Essenza 1/8th mile sprint challenge was completed at the Glemseck festival in Leonberg,...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
A while back we were approached by Just Bikes in Australia and invited to enter their Just Auto Legends campaign....
Kawasaki’s ER6N first hit the streets in 2008 but the middleweight naked sports bike isn’t a motorcycle that often pops...
I came across this eBay auction the other day and was amazed by how similar the T120R Bonneville looks to...
Through a special collaboration with custom builder, ‘Mr Martini’ Kawasaki motorcycles Italy have released a limited edition Vulcan S. Only...
So you wanna buy a spanking new motorcycle to ride around town and make it without having to touch your...
They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. By now, with all the copycat builds it has inspired,...
After owning a Kawasaki W650 for 5 years I can quite confidently say they are one of the best performing...
If Benelli’s TNT 1130 and Kawasaki’s 650 Ninja had a romantic interlude this could well be the result. Based on...
The success of the Studio Motor workshop has made Donny somewhat of a celebrity in the Indonesian custom scene. He’s...
In 1979 the first Mad Max film was released in Australian cinemas. It depicted director George Miller’s vision of a...
I’m back on the W650 again! Got loads of time in the saddle this weekend, but it’s never enough!...
While most aspects of motorcycle design have come a long way since the 70s, there and several that haven’t. Take...
Some will call it sacrilege but I have a soft spot for resto-mods. The thinking behind a resto-mod is simple....
The motorcycle above it’s a custom Kawasaki Ninja 250r from Donny in Jakarta, Indonesia. The time it takes to build...
Any guess at how much one of the beauties would set you back these days? “In 1978 S&S Performance bought...
When the hype of the Lotus C0-1 concept reached its climax everyone was talking about it. Every motorcycle blog and...
There’s virtually no limit to the extent that you can modify a motorcycle. This, of course, includes its performance and...
“No Time. No Territory. Just an atitude inspired in the past and dressed to impress.” – Maria Motorcycles ...
Such is the iconic status of the 1970s Kawasaki Z900 that these days they are more commonly restored than customised....
Cafe Racer TV and Santiago Chopper’s will be auctioning off the KZ1000 Cafe Racer seen built during the TV series...
Just like the Boom Town Rats “I don’t like Mondays”. I do however like motorcycles…a lot! Here’s this weeks Monday...
I don’t know know why green is a popular colour for these little Cafe Racers but I have to say...
Honda CB750 “Cold bitch” More home built Cafe Racers sent in by our talented readers. Thanks for sharing your motorcycles...
This exquisite custom bike, crafted by Deus Customs, is a unique creation based on a 2004 Kawasaki W650 (EJ650). With...
When we reviewed the Kawasaki Z900RS Z900RS cafe back in 2018 we noticed something familiar about its styling. Kawasaki stated the...
Valtoron in Valdetorres de Jarama, Spain, is the workshop of two brothers, Pablo and Carlos Delgado. Since 1995 the brothers...
Named ‘Gunpowder’ the 1999 Kawasaki ZRX1100 is the work of Benny Lombardo and Antonello Zonna of Seven Motors. After the owner explained...
While Rickman Motorcycles started out producing frames and body kits for British made motorcycles in the seventies they turned their...
If you’ve read my ride review of the 2018 Kawasaki Z900RS or its cafe racer counterpart, you’d know I‘m rather...
Towards the end of 2017 when the Tokyo Motor and EICMA shows took place I got more than a little...
As someone who has a history of heart disease in their family, I know all too well how devastating it...
My first visit to Jakarta in 2014 was arranged for the sole purpose of visiting custom motorcycle workshops. We’d been...
I dropped in at Deus Ex Machina in Sydney and picked up a new speedo for the W650. As the...
The Z2 was an almost identical motorcycle to the Z1 aside from its engine. A modified bore and stroke, smaller carburettors...
Before I get into this feature let me first say hello to my Indonesian readers. I know you guys make...
In 1980 Vetter designed and built a very limited run of 10 Mystery Ship motorcycles based on Kawasaki’s KZ1000 MKII....
36-year-old Stefan Lantschner grew up on a farm in Italy where he developed an incurable fixation with motorcycles. His father...
I have to confess I tend to get a bit excited when a motorcycle manufacturer announces they are releasing a...
I finally had a chance to shoot some photos of my bike today, it’s a 2000 Kawasaki W650 Cafe Racer...
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Kawasaki’s Z series of motorcycles. The motorcycle that started it all, the 1972 Kawasaki...
In 1986 girls swooned and guys headed to the nearest motorcycle dealership at the sight of Tom Cruise astride his Top...
Now assuming you’ve takenin to account all the points I mentioned in part one of my handlebar swap posts you’re...
It seems strange now, but Kawasaki actually beat Triumph to the punch when it came to retro-styled motorcycles. First released...
“My background has nothing to do with either mechanics nor handcrafting vehicles,” confesses Jordi. “When I decided to make my...
Green is most certainly the colour of envy. Gia Mi Racing are back again with another modern take on Cafe...
Flexible back and knees are essential for successful Cafe Racer cornering techniques....
“Simple but sweet” is one way to sum up La Corona’s portfolio of custom motorcycles. To think that recreating this...
Well it’s been 7 months since I purchased my W650 and started the Cafe Racer conversion. It’s been a great...
This Kawasaki KZ550 is the work of Jaka Martinuč who works in the financial sector, about as far removed from...
The seat is also of top quality. The inner shell is made from thick, hard plastic which looks very durable....
Just when we thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse one of our favourite motorcycle events on the planet got cancelled....
Detlev Louis is a German motorcycle riding gear manufacturer with more than 8 decades of experience under its belt. Unsurprisingly...
