Readers Rides

NYC unrefined Bonneville

Living in a big city can make it difficult for anyone wanting to customise their own bike. It was one of the main reasons we set up the Kustom Kommune communal motorcycle workshop in Melbourne. Without garage space you’re limited to dragging your bike indoors or working on the side of the…

Cafe Racers from our readers

For years now I’ve been receiving photos and stories from Return of the Cafe Racers readers showcasing their own custom motorcycle builds. As amazing as they all are the reality is I simply don’t have the time to feature every one I receive on the site…until now! Thanks to Pinterest I have…

Harris Bonneville T140 Cafe Racer

When John Bloor purchased the Triumph Motorcycles Meriden factory site in 1983 he purchased the land, buildings and all the materials still on the production lines. When Triumph went in to receivership the workers just stopped the machines, turned off the lights and left, locking the doors behind them. To keep Triumph…

Seeing double

Those of you on our mailing list may notice a repeat of some of the readers rides bikes from last week. This is because I decided to split each bike in to its own post to give them the glory they deserve…sorry for the double up!

Readers Rides

Readers Rides: Yamaha RD350 Cafe Racer

In the two stroke scene the Yamaha RD350 is somewhat of a legend. Known best for it’s cheeky ad campaigns featuring the headline “Don’t feel bad. You’re not the first 750 rider to get blown off by a Yamaha 350” they were quick, light and fun as hell to ride. This RD350 Cafe…

Readers Rides

Readers Rides: La Haduc Cafe Racer

What do you get when you cross a Laverda with a Harley and a Ducati? You get a Ducati 860 GT framed, Harley XL 1200R powered custom Cafe Racer rolling on a set of Laverda 750 SF wheels named “La Haduc”. – – No motorcycles were harmed in the making of this…

Readers Rides: 9HUNGE Yamaha XJ900

Melbourne based builder Carlo converted his ’86 Yamaha XJ900 in to this 100hp Cafe Racer last year. Carlo sent me the story of how the “9Hunge” came to be which you can enjoy below. “The Yamaha 86 XJ 900 is in many ways like your typical Aussie man. Simple, unfussy and gets…

Readers Rides

Readers Rides: Honda CG125 resurrection

I will be the first to say that this isn’t going to be a top performing vehicle. This 1986 Honda CG125 is a 4 stroke, overhead cam “commuter” that is good for around 65mph. That however doesn’t mean it can be a fun ride and that exactly what this bike was built to…

Readers Rides: Bultaco TSS Race Replica

This 1977 370 two-stroke engined Bultaco TSS street legal race replica built around a 1972 Astro frame by Nathan from Tennessee. Rather than fill in the blanks myself with this one I will let Nathan tell the bikes story. “I purchased the Bultaco in 2011 from local Bultaco guru, Jeff Younger. The motorcycle…

Readers Rides: tight golden Triumph

To kick off our “Readers Rides week” we’ve got a bit of bling in the form of a gold leafed ’07 Triumph Bonneville Cafe Racer. The 24 karat gold leaf covering this ’07 Triumph Bonneville Cafe Racer is enough to turn anyone’s head, but looks aside this Bonnie’s got plenty more going for…

Readers Rides: Honda CX500 Cafe Racer

Chris, the owner of this Honda CX500 Cafe Racer built the bike after deciding it was time to have a ride that was a little different to everything else. He found the Honda neglected and decaying in the shed of it’s previous owner and had come up with a direction for the…