Named ‘Gunpowder’ the 1999 Kawasaki ZRX1100 is the work of Benny Lombardo and Antonello Zonna of Seven Motors. After the owner explained...
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.
Not to be beaten by my lack of tools I came up with a solution to remove the Ventura rear...
If you’ve read my ride review of the 2018 Kawasaki Z900RS or its cafe racer counterpart, you’d know I‘m rather...
Just when we thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse one of our favourite motorcycle events on the planet got cancelled....
It’s been 4 years since the Kawasaki Z900RS went on sale. In the lead-up to its release, Kawasaki adopted a...
If Benelli’s TNT 1130 and Kawasaki’s 650 Ninja had a romantic interlude this could well be the result. Based on...
The Mistress was commissioned by Mistress Gentlemens Motorcycle Club a motorcycle club based in Lisbon. The club allows members to...
I’m an advocate of recycling. I separate my paper and plastic rubbish and I buy recycled products, so when I...
“I first met this bike and its owner at one of our cancer fundraisers in Dallas. The bike sounded like...
Throttle open, chin on the tank and your parallel twin rocketing you from point a to point z....
Kawasaki’s ER6N first hit the streets in 2008 but the middleweight naked sports bike isn’t a motorcycle that often pops...
It’s hard to imagine that any good could come from breaking your neck. Things could have gone very differently when...
Today’s project focuses on making important changes to a Vulcan build. Early in the process, the team found an issue...
When the hype of the Lotus C0-1 concept reached its climax everyone was talking about it. Every motorcycle blog and...
Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to test ride almost every new modern classic, retro sports and...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
Replacing the rear tail light on the W650 is probably one of the simplest modifications I have done so Far...
Deus ex Machina came on the scene around about the same time I set up Return of the Cafe Racers...
Any guess at how much one of the beauties would set you back these days? “In 1978 S&S Performance bought...
Winter has not been kind to my bike. I made the move to Melbourne in Jan and moved in to...
I’ve just finished fitting a polished top bridge/triple clamp to the W650 Cafe Racer. After fitting the clip on bars...
“My background has nothing to do with either mechanics nor handcrafting vehicles,” confesses Jordi. “When I decided to make my...
The boys in Denmark have been very busy since they last graced the pages of this site. Their new workshop...
I finally had a chance to shoot some photos of my bike today, it’s a 2000 Kawasaki W650 Cafe Racer...
As gaudy as the eighties were they certainly produced some cool motorcycles. Sharp angular styling, bold colour schemes and groundbreaking...
This Kawasaki KZ550 is the work of Jaka Martinuč who works in the financial sector, about as far removed from...
When opportunity beckons what do you do? … let it pass you by or seize it? Whilst the decision for...
This Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja had been a faithful companion to its owner for years. During that time, the bike had...
It may come as a surprise, but cafe racers aren’t the only style of custom motorcycle I admire. Back when...
In my hometown of Melbourne, we’re lucky to have a great cafe racer community. Thanks to clubs like the “Melbourne...
I’m always excited to feature a build from a country we haven’t previously visited here on the Return of the...
Another of my time wasting/research habits is trawling the internet for custom bike shops who build Cafe Racer style motorbikes...
The seat is also of top quality. The inner shell is made from thick, hard plastic which looks very durable....
Before I get into this feature let me first say hello to my Indonesian readers. I know you guys make...
Looking over the photos it’s the smaller details that really make his bike special. The W650 features a spattering of...
Flexible back and knees are essential for successful Cafe Racer cornering techniques....
There’s nothing like a bit of competitive spirit to egg a build on and when it’s between 2 brothers you...
What have I done! One job I have had to perform a few times during my W650 Cafe Racer project...
Deus Ex Machina are continuing to expand their footprint by opening flagship stores around the globe. Since their first store...
Honda CB750 “Cold bitch” More home built Cafe Racers sent in by our talented readers. Thanks for sharing your motorcycles...
I’m back on the W650 again! Got loads of time in the saddle this weekend, but it’s never enough!...
So you wanna buy a spanking new motorcycle to ride around town and make it without having to touch your...
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Kawasaki’s Z series of motorcycles. The motorcycle that started it all, the 1972 Kawasaki...
Green is most certainly the colour of envy. Gia Mi Racing are back again with another modern take on Cafe...
All hail the late 70’s; when men were men and motorcycles were deadly – really deadly. During the ’70s engine...
It’s been 2 years since Bimota released sketches of their Kawasaki powered retro sports bike concept. At this year’s EICMA...
All you need to do is remove the right side cover by unscrewing the 2 screws on the side and...
Towards the end of 2017 when the Tokyo Motor and EICMA shows took place I got more than a little...
Someone had sacrilegiously painted the bike’s frame in a past life, hiding the trademark Rickman nickel plating, so it had...
Courtesy of our friends FATclub in France comes this awesome Kwazaki Z900 Cafe Racer. “The FATclub is dedicated to special...
My first visit to Jakarta in 2014 was arranged for the sole purpose of visiting custom motorcycle workshops. We’d been...
The 1974 Kawasaki KZ400 Cafe Racer underwent an extensive 500-hour build, featuring a powerful 400cc parallel twin engine with a...
What better inspiration could a man need when building his first custom bike than to be building it for his...
The motorcycle above it’s a custom Kawasaki Ninja 250r from Donny in Jakarta, Indonesia. The time it takes to build...
Valtoron in Valdetorres de Jarama, Spain, is the workshop of two brothers, Pablo and Carlos Delgado. Since 1995 the brothers...
In the early eighties, a clever member of the Kawasaki marketing team thought it’d be a good idea to produce...
My parents once gifted me an old Toyota. Mum was worried about me riding and thought that giving me a...
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Kawasaki’s Z series of motorcycles. The motorcycle that started it all, the 1972 Kawasaki...
In 2021 Markus Pintzinger celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his Thailand-based aftermarket parts store, Omega Racer. To commemorate the milestone anniversary...
After being less than impressed by the official promotional video for the 2011 Kawasaki W800 I took it upon myself to...
I came across this eBay auction the other day and was amazed by how similar the T120R Bonneville looks to...
Let’s take a closer look at them… Kawasaki Z900RS Café Kawasaki had already unveiled their stunning new Z900RS at the Tokyo...
As someone who has a history of heart disease in their family, I know all too well how devastating it...
There’s virtually no limit to the extent that you can modify a motorcycle. This, of course, includes its performance and...
I’ve been toying with the idea of posting this custom ’76 Kawasaki KH100 for some time and decided today to...
“Simple but sweet” is one way to sum up La Corona’s portfolio of custom motorcycles. To think that recreating this...
Some will call it sacrilege but I have a soft spot for resto-mods. The thinking behind a resto-mod is simple....
So I purchased a set of Posh Faith polished alloy indicators from Deus ex Machina in Sydney for $99 a pair (sounds...
A while back we were approached by Just Bikes in Australia and invited to enter their Just Auto Legends campaign....
Although the 1978 Z1 successor didn’t live up to Kawasaki’s expectations in showrooms, the Z1-R is an iconic motorcycle and...
Le Gicleur Noire Black, black and more black. The Le Gicleur Noire which translates to “Always bet on black” is...
The Kawasaki 500-cc Mach III (a.k.a. H1) earned a place in history as a legendary two-stroke triple. The H1 was...
One of the jobs I didn’t forsee when I was fitting the clip on bars to the w650 was adjusting...
By definition, the Kawasaki ZRX1100 is a Universal Japanese Motorcycle, otherwise referred to as standard. But in our opinion, there...
Today’s quick update has been a long time in the making. As we’ve seen here before the Kawasaki KZ650 has...
The Z2 was an almost identical motorcycle to the Z1 aside from its engine. A modified bore and stroke, smaller carburettors...
Such is the iconic status of the 1970s Kawasaki Z900 that these days they are more commonly restored than customised....
This exquisite custom bike, crafted by Deus Customs, is a unique creation based on a 2004 Kawasaki W650 (EJ650). With...
Through a special collaboration with custom builder, ‘Mr Martini’ Kawasaki motorcycles Italy have released a limited edition Vulcan S. Only...
Swapping the handlebars on any bike sounds like an easy job but your choice of handlebar can dramatically affect the...
The last time we spoke to Derek and Sven from Belgium’s Barn Built Bikes they’d just finished building their stunning...
When I first met Ram Ram Januar at his home in Bandung, Indonesia he told me that he started his...
Although Nazar (aka Gazzz) has been repairing, riding and restoring motorcycles for 15 years he’s fairly new to the custom...
Back in March I was lucky enough to pay a visit to the workshop of Studio Motor in Jakarta, Indonesia....
Well it’s been 7 months since I purchased my W650 and started the Cafe Racer conversion. It’s been a great...
I was left disappointed after Kawasaki released the W800 back in 2011. The switch to EFI (damn emission laws!) and...
Earlier this month the first series of the Essenza 1/8th mile sprint challenge was completed at the Glemseck festival in Leonberg,...
I could now list off the modifications and parts used in the construction of the Fiddler but seeing as Deus...
In the scheme of things, 10 years isn’t all that long. But for a small business launched by a pair...
There are several reasons why you might want to install an aftermarket exhaust on your motorcycle. It could be that...
Motorcyclists like to moan about everything.
And the quickest way to start some premium groaning is to sell us a naked...
According to Sven Decoux of Barn Built Motorcycles, the decision to customise a Kawasaki ZR7 was more ‘right place, right...
The Japanese custom motorcycle scene is overflowing with all manner of unexpected and tantalizing two-wheeled wonders. Located in Ibaraki Prefecture,...
Detlev Louis is a German motorcycle riding gear manufacturer with more than 8 decades of experience under its belt. Unsurprisingly...
I’ve been an invited guest at Kustomfest Indonesia for 5 years now. Thanks to the show I’ve made some great...
I’m a sucker for a W, so when the boys from Ton Up Garage in Portugal sent through their latest...
Just like the Boom Town Rats “I don’t like Mondays”. I do however like motorcycles…a lot! Here’s this weeks Monday...
Bali’s AMS Garage is back with yet another incredible example of their metal shaping skills. In our last AMS feature,...
The Kawasaki ZX-6, otherwise known as the ZZR600 in Europe, was the brand’s flagship middleweight sports bike of the nineties....
The success of the Studio Motor workshop has made Donny somewhat of a celebrity in the Indonesian custom scene. He’s...