Honda CB750 “Cold bitch” More home built Cafe Racers sent in by our talented readers. Thanks for sharing your motorcycles...
Yamaha Cafe Racer
Yamaha’s first motorcycle appeared in 1955. The 125cc two-stroke YA-1 went straight to the racetrack and started winning titles. Yamaha has built on those race credentials over the years, winning at the IOM TT and the Paris Dakar. Yamaha continues to run a successful factory race team in Moto GP.
Yamaha’s contribution to the custom motorcycle world includes the highly successful and long loved SR400 and SR500 singles we see in so many café racer builds. Other Yamaha custom favourites include the seventies XS650 twins and more recently their XSR700 and XSR900 Sport Heritage range.
This post apocalyptic road warrior is Icon’s Kawasaki ZX-7 ‘Thunder Chunky’. It’s the latest addition to Icon’s series of custom...
British vs Japanese engineering. It’s a debate that I’ve often heard between motorcyclists. It’s easy to see why each party...
David Gonzalez from Ad Hoc is renowned for customizing Yamaha motorcycles. He gained international acclaim for his work on the...
In Osaka, Japan 28-year-old cafe racer enthusiast Yuya Ueda has been riding his SR400 for 8 years and it’s lead...
When I think about Bobbers my mind conjures up images of cruising along a winding coastal road, sitting comfortably atop...
Trevers father, John Scales, was a 2 stroke road racer during the 1970s. “I heard so many stories from my...
The Wrenchmonkees have just released details of the bike that represents a half-century of custom motorcycle builds from the Denmark based...
What you’ll also notice about this Yamaha XS850 Special is it’s a tad rough around the edges (which makes it even more appealing...
There are countless failures throughout automotive history. All of the big motorcycle manufacturers have at least one they’d prefer to...
Bernhard Naumann, aka Blechmann, grew up in Burgenland, a federal state of Austria in central Europe. Growing up in a...
My dog doesn’t care for the Yamaha XSR900. When I arrive home on any other motorcycle the small ball of...
Firstly a design was rendered in conjunction with Oberdan Bezzi Design which took styling cues from the Yamaha FZ750, a...
After one full day of owning the 1979 XS650 Special Giancarlo’s called it quits. Stranded on the side of the...
With a workshop name like “it roCKS!bikes” the Portugese builders Osvaldo Coutinho and Alexandre Santos have set the bar high...
With a name like “Vintage Addiction”, it’s odd to see the YZF sitting in their build portfolio, but when the...
The story of the TX750 is one that Yamaha would rather we all forgot. The bike, which was set to...
It wasn’t until I featured our first Yamaha TRX850 cafe racer back in 2013 that I learned of their existence....
The red ‘Monster’ which was built back in 2013 for the Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show and the blue...
Moto Nisto of Ypsilanti, Michigan, expertly transformed this 1980 Yamaha XS650 into a stunning Cafe Racer. The modifications done on...
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when building your own Cafe Racer, or any style of custom motorcycle for...
In motorsport, race teams are always looking for new ways to improve lap times. Back in the fifties when motorcycles...
I know I’m probably going to get a few frowns for this as it’s certainly not a Cafe Racer,...
Deus Bali appeared on the scene only a few short months ago and it seems they are already wheeling some...
This Cafe Racer thumper hails from the Japanese workshop Gull Craft. It’s an extensively modified Yamaha SR400 Cafe Racer complete...
Auto Fabrica has transformed this Yamaha XJ600 into a one-of-a-kind modern classic sports bike known as the “Type 24”. This...
The Yamaha XV920 ‘Double Shot’ is a prime example of Yamaha’s timeless cruising motorcycle, skillfully transformed and rebuilt in the...
Just got home after spending the day out with the guys from Fuel Tank TV and Christian from Modern Motorcycles....
Berry Bads Motorcycles are yet another Japanese custom tuner/builder who’s work has caught my attention. With a gallery full of Bobbers,...
Thanks to their continued support of custom workshops, Yamaha Motorcycles have played an integral role in the growth of the...
While the idea of belting down a freeway at a ton and a half on a big bore Cafe Racer...
Despite its 43-year production run ending in 2021, the SR400 remains a hot favourite amongst riders in Japan. The SR400’s...
Deus ex Machina came on the scene around about the same time I set up Return of the Cafe Racers...
While Yamaha has previously focused on customising bikes from their Sports Heritage range during the Yardbuilt series, Faster Sons will...
The quick turnaround on this build was made possible when Pat acquired the Virago as an unfinished project. “The previous...
To transform the XV950 cruiser into a cafe racer styled machine Marcus began by dramatically modifying the bikes rear end....
It’s not often that I feature Bobbers on the site and even less often that I feature custom motorcycles from...
To start with can you tell us where the bikes name “Tramontana” comes from? Spartak: This is the bike’s name...
Nothing beats a hand me down, especially when it’s in the form of a motorcycle. When Christian was given his...
The Yamaha features the same Benelli 360 tank and custom seat combo that Greg used on the last Virago, but...
If you happen to be near The Dues Ex Machina store in Camperdown Sydney this week a quick visit is definitely in...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
There was always a motorcycle in our house when I was growing up, but my father’s real passion was collectible...
This Yamaha SRX600 has been meticulously transformed into a bespoke cafe racer with a sleek and unique style. It boasts...
After building his own bobber and plenty of customer bikes, James decided it was time to set himself a new...
Yamaha’s ‘Race Developed’ series of motorcycles from the early seventies left a lasting impression on the motorcycling world. The 1973...
In the early 1980s, Yamaha introduced a new family of four-stroke motorcycles, with the XJ550 being one of them. These...
During the early 1970s, Kenny Roberts shot to stardom as a rider in the American Yamaha racing team. In 1973...
Some people find it a real struggle to sit still. Take Stu Lloyd for example. It hasn’t even been 4...
The Yamaha Yardbuilt series has been running for an impressive 7 years now. Since then Yamaha has commissioned over 50...
Tower’s been messing about on bikes since he was a kid, but in 2008 a chance meeting with Ian Halcott...
Yamaha’s beloved SR400 may have ceased production back in 2021, but it remains a hot favorite amongst custom builders in...
Adrián Campos and the crew at Spain’s Bolt Motor Co. are back again with yet another impressive build. This time...
Rapid prototyping, CNC machining, 3d printing! Whatever happened to good old hammers, spanners, and the occasional grinder? I get a...
The Arcanum build began when I picked up a ‘78 Yamaha SR500 from a guy in Newcastle, it was an...
Back in 2006 one of the first motorcycles that really got me excited about the custom scene was a Yamaha...
Dressed all in black the Skullmonkee is easily recognisable as a Wrenchmonkees build. Tight proportions, clean lines, killer finishes...
After my recent purchase of a Yamaha TW200 I have rediscovered my love of “little” bikes. While I’m not about...
Brrr… Lars and Jorg of Motorradtke GbR in Germany traditionally build and maintain Superbikes for the race track. However after...
There’s two ways you can build a custom motorcycle. One way is to have a design idea that’s laid out...
Stu Lloyd grew up in the UK during the late ’70s and early ’80s. As a young boy, his leisure...
Vintage Steele of Brattleboro, Vermont, transformed this 1975 Yamaha XS650 into a café-racer. The bodywork, featuring the original four-gallon fuel...
After spying the Yamaha XJR400 cafe racer on their website we contacted C-Racer crew member Antonis Kapetanios who was kind...
In the early days of Yamaha’s venture into motorcycle production their YA-, affectionately known as the Akatombo or Red Dragonfly,...
“We want to challenge the trope of nostalgic and aesthetically led custom motorcycles by encouraging others to experiment with the...
Yamaha produced the mighty TZ 250 from 1973 all the way through to 2004. When the model was first released...
Nothing makes me happier than featuring custom motorcycles that have been built in my hometown. Today’s café racer is the...
“Yamaha and Abarth have created the XSR900 Abarth – a lightweight high-performance retro special whose authentic café racer design reflects...
Jesse attributes his interest in building bikes to a 1971 Honda CB175 he restored with his father at the age...
During the mid-70s, the Yamaha RD400 was the ultimate middleweight sport bike. Known for its explosive power and lightweight frame...
The Modern Motorcycle Company is a custom workshop based in Melbourne, Victoria. Owned and run by Christian Condo the workshop...
Japanese workshop AN-BU Customs has developed an instantly recognisable style of their own. Their recipe involves mixing tight proportions, with...
This 1975 Yamaha RD350 underwent a café racer conversion in 2014. The changes encompassed an orange repaint over a black...
It’s getting easier and easier to build a cafe racer. It used to be that you’d either have to pay...
For the Yardbuilt 2017 XSR700 project, Yamaha selected 7 workshops from different European locations to take part in the event. Representatives from Italy,...
The Eau Rouge Yamaha XJR1300 features a plethora of custom fabricated components made in house by the Deus Italian workshop....
I spent the weekend in Sydney celebrating a mates Birthday (which I am still recovering from!) and while I was...
Review Summary: The 2022 Yamaha XSR900 Retro Triple is a much meaner and more powerful bike than its sibling, the...
There are a handful of motorcycles that became the poster children of the “new wave” cafe racer scene at the...
Cafe Racer SSpirit, located in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, is a motorcycle customization workshop founded in late 2014 by a family...
Back in 2016, Yamaha bit itself off a decent-sized chunk of the modern retro market with the release of the...
This 1981 Yamaha XV750 Virago has been transformed into a cafe racer, featuring a metallic gray finish with gold accents....
Mark Bliss is a man of many talents, but it’s his work with motorcycles he’s most proud of. Both of...
The XJR1300 was delivered to the Denmark workshop of the Wrenchmonkees with the basic brief of “make it even better”....
“Years ago I rode a ’72 Yamaha XS650 from California to Sturgis. I was wearing a Walmart rain suit in...
Despite its huge success, the Yamaha XSR700 is, in my opinion, one of the least classic-looking modern-retro motorcycles on the...
All hail Yamaha. As part of their Yard Built series they’ve been sponsoring some of the wildest, genre-pushing builds we’ve...
Neo-retro cafe racers have certainly become “a thing”. Merging retro styling with modern engineering is a very appealing proposition for...
I met Michael Capraro some years ago at a communal motorcycle workshop I was involved in. His enthusiasm for bikes...
“I guess, it’s a modern take on a Cafe Racer, but I was born around 20 years too late to...
These days you don’t get much of a bike for 300 quid. Every now and then though you hear about...
Over in the UK Shaun & Carl of custom workshop ‘Down and Out’ Cafe Racers usually play with parallel twins, but...
After more than 35 years of production, the Yamaha SR400 has had little in the way of design modifications. The...
Unless you’re living in one of those rule-free American states where they let tipsy 13-year-olds ride drag bikes on public...
Theo’s Frankenstein bike started out as a ‘96 Yamaha TRX but very few TRX components remain. The new engine hails...
Yet another outstanding issue of Fuel Magazine is just about to hit the shelves. Grab a copy to see my...
Yamaha’s Yardbuilt series is the brainchild of the companies visionary project manager, Shun Miyazawa. The series kicked off back in...
Is it just me or does this look like insanely good fun? There’s no denying that Yamaha’s legendary SR400 is...
No sooner had the doors of the 2015 One Motorcycle Show closed for another year, than the brothers Busch and...
I hate to say it but there is a downside to riding a classic British cafe racer. Sure you’ll revel...
