My parents once gifted me an old Toyota. Mum was worried about me riding and thought that giving me a...
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.
Winter has not been kind to my bike. I made the move to Melbourne in Jan and moved in to...
According to Sven Decoux of Barn Built Motorcycles, the decision to customise a Kawasaki ZR7 was more ‘right place, right...
So you wanna buy a spanking new motorcycle to ride around town and make it without having to touch your...
The boys in Denmark have been very busy since they last graced the pages of this site. Their new workshop...
Cafe Racer TV and Santiago Chopper’s will be auctioning off the KZ1000 Cafe Racer seen built during the TV series...
I could now list off the modifications and parts used in the construction of the Fiddler but seeing as Deus...
Through a special collaboration with custom builder, ‘Mr Martini’ Kawasaki motorcycles Italy have released a limited edition Vulcan S. Only...
I’ve been toying with the idea of posting this custom ’76 Kawasaki KH100 for some time and decided today to...
2012 marked the 40th anniversary of Kawasaki’s legendary Z series of motorcycles. To celebrate the Zeds 4 decades of manufacture...
Just like the Boom Town Rats “I don’t like Mondays”. I do however like motorcycles…a lot! Here’s this weeks Monday...
After being less than impressed by the official promotional video for the 2011 Kawasaki W800 I took it upon myself to...
If Benelli’s TNT 1130 and Kawasaki’s 650 Ninja had a romantic interlude this could well be the result. Based on...
To Maurizio Carrero, founder of Imbarcadero 14 Venice in Italy, the Z1000 was more than an icon of motorcycle manufacturing.As...
After owning a Kawasaki W650 for 5 years I can quite confidently say they are one of the best performing...
The “MK46” is the work of Samik Chatterjee, owner operator of MotoKraft Customs in New Delhi. After graduating from Art...
Back in March I was lucky enough to pay a visit to the workshop of Studio Motor in Jakarta, Indonesia....
While Rickman Motorcycles started out producing frames and body kits for British made motorcycles in the seventies they turned their...
With 30 years of custom motorcycle building under his belt, Wolfgang Batz isn’t about to be influenced by other people’s...
As someone who has a history of heart disease in their family, I know all too well how devastating it...
In 2021 Markus Pintzinger celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his Thailand-based aftermarket parts store, Omega Racer. To commemorate the milestone anniversary...
Deus Ex Machina are continuing to expand their footprint by opening flagship stores around the globe. Since their first store...
I dropped in at Deus Ex Machina in Sydney and picked up a new speedo for the W650. As the...
When we reviewed the Kawasaki Z900RS Z900RS cafe back in 2018 we noticed something familiar about its styling. Kawasaki stated the...
A modern day Road Warrior In typical Deus style, their custom Kawasaki Z900RS is as outlandish and it is unique....
When the hype of the Lotus C0-1 concept reached its climax everyone was talking about it. Every motorcycle blog and...
There’s nothing like a bit of competitive spirit to egg a build on and when it’s between 2 brothers you...
36-year-old Stefan Lantschner grew up on a farm in Italy where he developed an incurable fixation with motorcycles. His father...
Suzuki Katana. Honda Dominator. Kawasaki Ninja. These are all bike names that inspire visions of power and awesomeness. In some...
Just when we thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse one of our favourite motorcycle events on the planet got cancelled....
Before I get into this feature let me first say hello to my Indonesian readers. I know you guys make...
In my hometown of Melbourne, we’re lucky to have a great cafe racer community. Thanks to clubs like the “Melbourne...
Anyone that’s been following this site since its launch knows it all started with the purchase of a Kawasaki W650....
I’m a sucker for a W, so when the boys from Ton Up Garage in Portugal sent through their latest...
All you need to do is remove the right side cover by unscrewing the 2 screws on the side and...
Motorcyclists like to moan about everything.
And the quickest way to start some premium groaning is to sell us a naked...
There are several amazing custom motorcycle shows happening in the United States right now that have made it onto my...
Bali’s AMS Garage is back with yet another incredible example of their metal shaping skills. In our last AMS feature,...
In the early eighties, a clever member of the Kawasaki marketing team thought it’d be a good idea to produce...
Any guess at how much one of the beauties would set you back these days? “In 1978 S&S Performance bought...
I have to confess I tend to get a bit excited when a motorcycle manufacturer announces they are releasing a...
The motorcycle above it’s a custom Kawasaki Ninja 250r from Donny in Jakarta, Indonesia. The time it takes to build...
Green is most certainly the colour of envy. Gia Mi Racing are back again with another modern take on Cafe...
Swapping the handlebars on any bike sounds like an easy job but your choice of handlebar can dramatically affect the...
Although the 1978 Z1 successor didn’t live up to Kawasaki’s expectations in showrooms, the Z1-R is an iconic motorcycle and...
Another of my time wasting/research habits is trawling the internet for custom bike shops who build Cafe Racer style motorbikes...
The Japanese custom motorcycle scene is overflowing with all manner of unexpected and tantalizing two-wheeled wonders. Located in Ibaraki Prefecture,...
The Z2 was an almost identical motorcycle to the Z1 aside from its engine. A modified bore and stroke, smaller carburettors...
My favourite ongoing series of custom motorcycle builds has just added 2 new “Retrograde Engineered” beasts to their line up....
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Kawasaki’s Z series of motorcycles. The motorcycle that started it all, the 1972 Kawasaki...
When I first met Ram Ram Januar at his home in Bandung, Indonesia he told me that he started his...
It may come as a surprise, but cafe racers aren’t the only style of custom motorcycle I admire. Back when...
It’s been 4 years since the Kawasaki Z900RS went on sale. In the lead-up to its release, Kawasaki adopted a...
While most aspects of motorcycle design have come a long way since the 70s, there and several that haven’t. Take...
Today’s quick update has been a long time in the making. As we’ve seen here before the Kawasaki KZ650 has...
The Vulcan S ABS Café is Kawasaki’s “learner approved” cruiser. Its styling is typical of all cruisers that follow in...
To remove the covers you can do 1 of 2 things, either remove the forks from the triple clamps slide...
Well it’s been 7 months since I purchased my W650 and started the Cafe Racer conversion. It’s been a great...
If you’ve read my ride review of the 2018 Kawasaki Z900RS or its cafe racer counterpart, you’d know I‘m rather...
Kawasaki’s ER6N first hit the streets in 2008 but the middleweight naked sports bike isn’t a motorcycle that often pops...
Named ‘Gunpowder’ the 1999 Kawasaki ZRX1100 is the work of Benny Lombardo and Antonello Zonna of Seven Motors. After the owner explained...
It seems strange now, but Kawasaki actually beat Triumph to the punch when it came to retro-styled motorcycles. First released...
After literally killing his Kawasaki KLR650 Fort Nine’s “tell it like it is” vlogger Ryan Kluftinger has resurrected the bike in...
It’s hard to imagine that any good could come from breaking your neck. Things could have gone very differently when...
Deus ex Machina came on the scene around about the same time I set up Return of the Cafe Racers...
“I first met this bike and its owner at one of our cancer fundraisers in Dallas. The bike sounded like...
This Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja had been a faithful companion to its owner for years. During that time, the bike had...
I don’t know know why green is a popular colour for these little Cafe Racers but I have to say...
The art of coachbuilding and metal shaping is a dying art form. Finding skilled individuals who can take a flat...
The 1974 Kawasaki KZ400 Cafe Racer underwent an extensive 500-hour build, featuring a powerful 400cc parallel twin engine with a...
There’s something strangely compelling about raw, handmade bodywork. To me it’s one of the finest demonstrations of skill and creativity....
There’s virtually no limit to the extent that you can modify a motorcycle. This, of course, includes its performance and...
I’m an advocate of recycling. I separate my paper and plastic rubbish and I buy recycled products, so when I...
I’ve just finished fitting a polished top bridge/triple clamp to the W650 Cafe Racer. After fitting the clip on bars...
Earlier this month the first series of the Essenza 1/8th mile sprint challenge was completed at the Glemseck festival in Leonberg,...
As gaudy as the eighties were they certainly produced some cool motorcycles. Sharp angular styling, bold colour schemes and groundbreaking...
Someone had sacrilegiously painted the bike’s frame in a past life, hiding the trademark Rickman nickel plating, so it had...
The success of the Studio Motor workshop has made Donny somewhat of a celebrity in the Indonesian custom scene. He’s...
Honda CB750 “Cold bitch” More home built Cafe Racers sent in by our talented readers. Thanks for sharing your motorcycles...
I’ve been an invited guest at Kustomfest Indonesia for 5 years now. Thanks to the show I’ve made some great...
Ever since seeing the “We R Winning” short documentary about Twinline Motorcycles I’ve been a huge fan of the Seattle...
This post apocalyptic road warrior is Icon’s Kawasaki ZX-7 ‘Thunder Chunky’. It’s the latest addition to Icon’s series of custom...
This exquisite custom bike, crafted by Deus Customs, is a unique creation based on a 2004 Kawasaki W650 (EJ650). With...
One of the jobs I didn’t forsee when I was fitting the clip on bars to the w650 was adjusting...
From time to time, you see something that makes it hard to believe your eyes. They call it cognitive dissonance;...
Now assuming you’ve takenin to account all the points I mentioned in part one of my handlebar swap posts you’re...
Today we have added a new feature to the site allowing you to submit your own Cafe Racer project. Return...
Detlev Louis is a German motorcycle riding gear manufacturer with more than 8 decades of experience under its belt. Unsurprisingly...
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Kawasaki’s Z series of motorcycles. The motorcycle that started it all, the 1972 Kawasaki...
Replacing the rear tail light on the W650 is probably one of the simplest modifications I have done so Far...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
It’s been 2 years since Bimota released sketches of their Kawasaki powered retro sports bike concept. At this year’s EICMA...
In 1979 the first Mad Max film was released in Australian cinemas. It depicted director George Miller’s vision of a...
I’m always excited to feature a build from a country we haven’t previously visited here on the Return of the...
The Mistress was commissioned by Mistress Gentlemens Motorcycle Club a motorcycle club based in Lisbon. The club allows members to...
In 1980 Vetter designed and built a very limited run of 10 Mystery Ship motorcycles based on Kawasaki’s KZ1000 MKII....
By my definition an ‘attempt’ is usually when you try to do something and it doesn’t quite work out. I...
So I purchased a set of Posh Faith polished alloy indicators from Deus ex Machina in Sydney for $99 a pair (sounds...
Towards the end of 2017 when the Tokyo Motor and EICMA shows took place I got more than a little...
The Kawasaki 500-cc Mach III (a.k.a. H1) earned a place in history as a legendary two-stroke triple. The H1 was...
