“My main goal was performance and low-key style. Most of the modifications made decreased the Triumph’s weight and added to...
Triumph Cafe Racer
The origins of this famous British motorcycle marque go back to 1884, well before the first actual Triumph motorcycle appeared in 1902. By the 1920’s Triumph was building 30,000 cars and motorcycles a year. During the 50s many cafe racers were powered by Triumph engines due to their ability to reach the revered ‘ton’ or 100 miles per hour. Triumph is arguably one of the most popular motorcycle brands in the world and is arguably the leader in the “everything old is new again” retro bike wave.
I love those fairings. Really adds some speed to the look of the bike....
Prior to Hinckley releasing their acclaimed water-cooled Bonnevilles they’d had a great run with their air-cooled predecessors. Despite not offering...
Living in a big city can make it difficult for anyone wanting to customise their own bike. It was one...
Tim Kills BSA A65 Bobber On November 3rd & 4th I co-hosted a custom motorcycle exhibition in Melbourne named Oil...
The man who formulated the build was a Belgian by the name of Bernard. Bernard’s love for classic British motorcycles...
As efficient as automation is has been responsible for the death of many age-old skills. In the world of aftermarket...
The world’s biggest Triumph motorcycle focused event ‘Tridays’ celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. Spanning 3 days the Austrian based...
The Speedmaster: one of the most original custom conversions of a modern Triumph I have seen in some time. ...
Bosozoku biker gangs once ruled the streets of Japan, these days though they are more of a nuisance than anything...
A while back I posted a preview of Pier 18, a video that was in production featuring Hammerhead Industries much...
In 2020, Triumph released the most powerful model in the history of the Modern Classic range. The Thruxton RS offers...
We have to say readers rides have quickly become our favourite addition to the site in years. we’ve been overwhelmed...
To kick off our “Readers Rides week” we’ve got a bit of bling in the form of a gold leafed...
The damage to Mixy’s Triumph left it inoperable with the tank smashed, side covers badly gouged and the front end...
Earlier this year I ran a story on the “Big Chill”, an ’08 Triumph Bonneville Cafe Racer built by custom workshop Mean...
Story contributed by builder – Larry Maas This bike started its life around 1970 at Kosman Specialties, where I worked...
Looking back at the Renard Motorcycles build portfolio it’s easy to see why someone would want workshop owners Kaarel and Andres to...
Let’s face it – 2020 wasn’t the best year to be releasing a new motorcycle. Heck, it wasn’t a good...
“The build started by changing the headlight to something that was more classically styled.” says Michael. “Then I removed the...
Look at those…prices! Back when men were men and scantily clad women were every advertisers secret weapon (not much has...
Rickman Honda CR750 Brothers Derek and Don Rickman established Rickman motorcycles in 1960 from which they manufactured motorcycles up until...
When a group of people band together for the benefit of a charity amazing things happen and this Thruxton Cafe...
In life, the best advice you will get will comes from friends. After all, if you can’t trust your friends,...
I’m a sucker for retro fairings. I’m obsessed with Honda’s legendary CR750 and the TT race bikes of the seventies...
Jeff from Saint Motor Company has sent me through some new photos of his Triumph “Tesla” which he has been...
Not only do the Iron & Resin crew know how to design some pretty cool threads they also build slick...
‘Having the right tools for the job,’ is a fairly tired saying—but the basic idea behind it applies to a...
One of the trademarks of Tamarit Motorcycles is that their only constant is change. With a portfolio fast approaching 100...
There are plenty of custom motorcycles born of mixed parentage. Some should never have been conceived and yet others like...
En route to the tropical paradise that is Bali, the average Joe would be looking forward to lazing on the...
Triumph Motorcycles have been adding a myriad of updates and special editions to their 2022 Modern Classic lineup. We’ve seen...
I love the look of this bike. That screen is really interesting. Would be great to see one made. I’m...
Hedonic is a relatively new venture launched by Serge due to his love of cars, boats and of course, motorcycles....
I came across this eBay aution the other day and was amazed by how similar the T120R Bonneville looks to...
German father and son team, Michael and Allen Posenauer build bikes under the title of AMP Motorcycles. They don’t consider...
This week’s Sunday Screening was produced by French moto-apparel brand Age of Glory. ‘Escape the City Limits’ celebrates the companies...
Here’s a little something to get you through another night glued to the couch. Our latest instalment of the Sunday...
The Japanese custom automotive scene is bursting with unbound creativity and world-class craftsmanship. So for a photographer whose passion lies...
Psychologists have a theory that goes something like this: your brain’s synapses are set in your teen years and they...
Mr Martini (Nicola Martini) is a custom motorcycle builder based in Verona, Italy. His eye for design gaurantees that everything...
In Cafe Racer terms the Triton was the ride of choice for Rockers of the 60’s and 70’s. The combination...
The Glemseck 101 festival is on again this weekend in Germany and it’s geared up to be bigger than ever....
“I’m from Southern California and grew up surfing, skateboarding and dirt biking. I fell in love with Cafe Racers in...
As featured on Cafe Racer TV, The Crampton Classic. A production dream that ended as a single concept bike being...
The Crane project was a chance for Ton-up Garage to once again build a bike with off-road influences, like the Gold...
“We had a client from Perth in Australia contact us after he saw a picture of our Bronco Racer” recalls...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
One of the perks of running a custom motorcycle website like ‘Return of the Café Racers’ is being invited to...
In the Tamarit Motorcycle catalog of more than 180 bolt on parts, you’ll find everything from fenders to seat cowls. Developing said...
Happy new year! Well, that wraps up yet another year of cafe racer content. Like the previous year, 2021 was...
In 1953 Marlon Brando appeared on screen wearing black leathers and riding a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T. The movie was...
Icon 1000 has just unveiled their newest range of riding gear and with it comes a new website and more...
Two bikes in two days finished in beige and numbered 13…crazy! There’s two kinds of motorcycle entusiast who will never...
Medusa Fabrication is a small 3 man workshop run by two fabricators/blacksmiths (Chad & Theo) and a mechanic (Tyler). Out...
It’s not a Cafe Racer but this Triumph Bobber in my opinion is freakin awesome. Beautifully clean and simple. The...
If you saw my post recently about the Tidy Triumph Bobber I’m sure you’d like to see more about the...
Well, that wraps up yet another year of amazing cafe racer builds from custom workshops and backyard builders around the...
When it comes to building a cafe racer, no other marque is better suited than Triumph Motorcycles. This is of...
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when building your own Cafe Racer, or any style of custom motorcycle for...
To complete my coverage of the Tridays 12 & Tridays 12.2 custom Triumph Bonnevilles by Free Spirits Racing Components I...
This Trident Cafe Racer has been doing the rounds on all the custom bike blogs and for obvious reasons. It’s...
The Super Rat Trident Cafe Racer was recently shot by Chad De Rosa for Cafe Racer magazine. Have a drool...
You may remember this amazing Trident Cafe Racer from an old post I did on the site (or pretty much...
The donor for the project was Jean-Francois’ own 2008 Triumph 1050 Speed Triple. Although his plan was to add bodywork to the...
What better way to kick off a new year of cafe racers than with a classic? This Triton cafe racer...
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At the heart of the Triton is a special blend of Triumph engineering. A ’61 Pre Unit 650cc engine was...
Last week I posted a Triton and had a moan about how long it had been since I featured a...
Being a cruiser-style bike the Triumph Adventurers has somewhat of a laid back stance. To even out the bikes stance...
Here’s the latest custom motorcycle build from the new Deus ex Machina in Venice, USA. The modern Triumph Bonneville has...
Italian workshop Free Spirits are back again with another fantastic showcase of their work with modern Triumphs. This Bonneville ‘Evo’...
Like most of the motorcycle community I was left a little confused after the recent release of Belstaff’s ‘Outlaws’ short...
The 2008 EFI Triumph Bonneville “Soul Train” is the work of the crew at Ton Up Garage in Portugal, who...
“The Street Twin is our most contemporary, fun and accessible new Bonneville” – Triumph Motorcycles The Street Twin is the...
Looking back over the past decade of publishing this website I can’t think of a year that offered more exciting...
The Brighton is the result of a collaboration between Streetmaster of California and Richard Pollock, owner of Mule Motorcycles. The classically styled ‘Brighton’...
There are currently 4 models available in the Triumph classic range. The Boneville, Boneville T100, the Thruxton 900 and the...
Had to share this video as it’s not often we get such a good insight in to the work that...
Triumph seems to have created the ultimate Scrambler. They’ve gone a step further than everyone else and built a fully...
The Triumph Speed Triple rocked the motorcycling world when it came in to production in 1994. Powered by Triumph’s triple...
O, to be a motorcycle journalist in the 1970s. When men were hairy, and bikes were lairy. With their barely-there...
It’s been a while since I read the story of the Ugly Duckling, but I’m pretty sure this conversion of...
There’s something very interesting happening over at Saint Motorbikes. Bozi’s latest custom motorcycle build is taking shape and it’s going...
Anyone wanting to build a custom motorcycle and living in a home with limited space understands how frustrating it can....
In 1969 Triumph motorcycles took out first, second and third places in the Thruxton 500 mile endurance race. 35 years...
Custom motorcycle builders know all about the obstacles that can get in the way during a build. Unfortunately for Denver...
Cosmetic Specification: Handmade ‘Slippery Sam’ polished aluminium fuel tank. (Supplied by T A Baker Tanks, Wales.) Alloy Monza fuel cap....
Not only do the Tarantulas have the coolest branding in the custom motorcycle building world, they can also build a...
Triumph has well and truly hit the nail on the head with their new Modern Classics range. The British manufacturer...
No it doesn’t have a headlight. No it doesn’t have indicators, a rearview mirror or a stop light. No it’s...
Back in the early two thousands Steampunk was all the rage. Popularised by films like Sky Captain and the World...
Last time we heard from Dan he’d had an unfortunate accident that left him and the lovely Speed Merchant Thruxton...
An 8 hour round trip doesn’t sound like all that much if you’re on your way to buy your dream...
Great bikes should be ridden. Matt built his Triumph Trophy cafe racer as a tribute to a motorcycle once ridden...
Despite it’s torrid sales history the Trident was a magnificent motorcycle. Its engine performed incredibly, its frame provided track worthy...
Here’s a 3 part video series showing the original build process at Triumph Motorcyces. Triumph started in 1902 and even...
Here’s an excert from Triumph’s News page regarding the 2009 Bonnies… “Triumph’s Bonneville range has also been given a serious...
