One of the many amazing bikes on display at this year’s Handbuilt show in Austin was Dustin Kott’s BMW R80....
BMW Cafe Racer
The German company BMW Motorrad built its first motorcycle, the R32, in 1923. Powered by a 494cc flat-twin boxer the R32’s horizontally opposed engine configuration became an iconic feature of BMW motorcycles throughout their history. In later years they also developed the flat-four engine used in models like the K100. This engine was coined the ‘flying brick’ due to its bulky appearance. Despite its unfortunate nickname the flat-four still the level of performance that earned BMW their well-respected reputation.
Older BMW “airhead” boxer twins and R series models are popular choices for BMW cafe racer projects. With some models featuring bolt-on subframes and others sporting aluminum fuel tanks, choosing a BMW as the donor for your project has its benefits. In more recent years BMW has embraced the custom scene by creating the R Nine T. The BMW R9T was designed and built specifically with customization in mind.
In our archives, you’ll find countless BMW cafe racer features that are a great source of inspiration and tips for anyone hoping to build their own.
When a builder chooses to convert a tourer into a cafe racer it’s always a bit of a surprise to...
Our friends over at Cognito Moto have been toiling away on their latest custom BMW R75 project. The project was...
We have a serious soft spot for BMW cafe racers but we’re also big fans of Scrambler styled Beemers. There’s...
Back in 2017, French builder Ortolani Customs wowed us with his metalworking prowess. His polished Ducati 1199 S earned him...
Europe’s largest Cafe Racer event, the Glemseck 101, just took place in Stuttgart, Germany. Now in its 5th year, the...
Hot on the heels of my recent post about Les Ateliers Ruby’s leather jackets UK based, custom workshop Kevil’s Speed Shop,...
Remember in school when you had an exam and there was always that one kid who consistently finished before everyone...
Established in 2002 the K-Speed business is spread over 12 stores around Thailand with its head quarters in Bangkok. Eak...
Shiroh Nakajima is the custom motorcycle engineer and CEO behind Japanese workshop Ritmo Sereno. In this short film Shiroh explains...
Custom bikes often opt for a shock and awe approach to make an impact in this modern, social media-saturated world....
Customer requests and customer needs are two very different things. UK’s Sinroja Motorcycles are always happy to oblige with customer...
Even in the motorcycle world, trends, like all things in life, come and go. The cafe racer scene has seen...
Nitro Cycles are a relatively new workshop to the Spanish custom scene and this BMW K100 RS Cafe Racer represents...
It’s been less than 6 months since we featured the Le Bouterollier BMW R60/7 and Jean-Pierre is back with yet...
After just having the pleasure of pretending to own an R Nine T for the past few days (keep an...
It’s not every day you find yourself handing out an award at one of the world’s most prestigious custom automotive...
This great video featuring musician/songwriter/producer Butch Walker was pulled together by Mann-made Pictures for Cafe Racer TV. Butch talks about...
Big thanks to Collin Christenbury for sending in these shots he took at the Vintage Motorcycle Races & Show in Elkhart Lake...
This lovely BMW R 100 named the “Earl Grey” is currently up for sale through Urban Moto in Germany for...
I once said that the 1934 BMW R7 was one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made, and I still...
Mentioning Grand Tourer and cafe racer in the same sentence isn’t something you’ll see me do often. That’s because bikes...
Why let a little Snow stop you from getting out on your motorcycle? Here’s Blitz motorcycles solution to your winter blues....
I’ve never had the urge to eat a motorcycle before but this latest build from Jerikan looks delicious. For some...
Giorgio De Angelis of ‘De Angelis Elaborazioni’ prides himself in turning old BMWs into performance focused customs. Throughout his childhood,...
37-year-old Degano developed an interest in BMWs from a young age. His father was a member of the French police...
Last month Deus Ex Machina in Camperdown, Sydney unveiled their stunning R Nine T Cafe Racer, the ‘Henirich Maneuver’. Unfortunately...
Not all custom builds have to completely transform a motorcycle to catch our attention. Fresh on the heels of BMW...
Twin Shock Division (TSD) Motorcycles is a tiny shop located in the Ukranian capital of Kiev. Headed by the talented...
As BMW Motorrad put it, the R9T Racer is “Style in the fast lane.” It’s a fitting statement for this...
A few years ago, James would hear his neighbor start up his old BMW, and after numerous conversations, he was...
Could a motorcycle be any more beautiful? This is a fully restored 1934 BMW R7 and it’s the only one...
There are few motorcycle engines as iconic as BMW Motorrad’s flat twin ‘Boxer’. Renowned for their bulletproof reliability the Boxer...
It’s been a couple of years since I first featured one of Kevin Hills custom builds. Since then under his...
There’s no denying that Guzzis and BWMs have the biggest, bulkiest looking engines of all the motorcycle manufacturers (not to...
After a 70mph spill this BMW Boxer was in no state to be ridden. The bikes wheels, forks and engine...
Jeffry Sol’s BMW R nineT has been somewhat of a social media sensation since it was unveiled at the Big...
I am Nigel Petrie from Engineered To Slide and I want to share with you my new BMW R Nine...
Of all the bike reviews I’ve done, handing the keys back for the BMW R Nine T has been the...
In our opinion there’s nothing better than when a talented photographer turns his camera’s attention to classic motorbikes. These shots...
I bet the last thing Edgar Heinrich and the BMW Motorrad Design team ever expected to see was their behemoth...
I’ve always loved the use of wood in cars. When I was young a neighbor converted an old ’30s Chevy into...
The cafe racer in BMW’s R nineT heritage series won hearts with its sleek styling. However, motorcycle journalists brought a...
When he’s not fabricating parts for submarines (Yes, you read that right) David Manchester is building bespoke furniture or helping...
I can confidently say this is the first time I’ve featured a custom motorcycle that was influenced by Keira Knightley. Jeremy at...
Brazillian workshop Retrorides is the result of forty years of hard work by two generations of the Lourenço family. Nestled...
BMW Motorrad has just lifted the covers off their upcoming 2021 R nineT range. This is of course great news...
“I thought to myself, if I can fix and maintain a 40 million dollar yacht, then I can build a...
Tank Machine was established by Clement Molina back in 2015 following his 18 years of experience working in the motorcycle...
The majority of the weight dropped from the Saline R9T can be attributed to the use of aluminium. Saline’s new tail,...
Here’s a little something to get you through another night glued to the couch. Our latest instalment of the Sunday...
Last week we featured a very tidy BMW K1100 LT cafe racer by Anthony LoGalbo of New York based workshop...
Who can resist the beauty of BMW’s boxer engine? Their unorthodox horizontal head configuration and shaft drive has always intrigued...
The latest instalment of the Batman movie series directed by Matt Reeves is due to hit US cinema screens in...
Trust is one of the biggest hurdles for any business. But once it is achieved, success will follow. After amassing...
The 2012 Bonneville Speed Week is wrapping up for another year. Thankfully it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot...
“We are first and foremost designers, we don’t consider ourselves as ‘builders’ or mechanics. We customize and have enough contacts...
Unless you’re buying a Harley-Davidson most dealerships don’t offer much in the way of customisation at the time of sale....
In full dress, the BMW R1200RT tips the scales at hefty 259kg. This is by no means an ideal starting...
Adrián Campos and the team at Valencia’s Bolt Motor Co. are set to finish their 50th build sometime during 2021....
Building 2 identical motorcycles probably wouldn’t sound all that appealing to most builders. But for Antoine Meister who runs the...
Repeat customers are the bread and butter of every business. Unfortunately, for some businesses, such as custom motorcycle builders, most...
Is there such a thing as a factory built cafe racer? If you ask a purist they’ll tell you no...
Years later I managed to scrape together enough to buy my first road bike, get my license sorted and I...
For many years the United States was the biggest source of inspiration for custom motorcycle builders around the world. Then...
From building show cars to display at the hallowed halls of the Las Vegas Sema show to tinkering on Honda...
There’s no denying that classic BMW motorcycles make great looking Cafe Racers, but if you’re looking to build a modern...
The Interceptor may be an unexpected development from Radical Ducati, but it certainly isn’t a disappointment. They’ve created a high...
Melbourne is arguably the creative hub of Australia. If you’re looking for great food or a cultural experience the city...
For more than a decade I’ve stayed true to this websites cafe racer theme. I can assure you this was...
Everyone has their favorite things in life but only a few of us get to enjoy a career working with them....
Well, that wraps up yet another year of amazing cafe racer builds from custom workshops and backyard builders around the...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is now available! Just...
What better way to celebrate a motorcycle workshop’s 10 year anniversary than with a build that showcases everything they’re capable...
Building custom motorcycles is all about solving problems. This could be working around a modern electrical system, extracting additional horsepower...
More and more motorcycle workshops are utilising advanced manufacturing technologies to realise their custom creations. 10 years ago three-dimensional computer-aided...
“The most elaborate and beautiful K100 we have ever built” For this unique collaboration, VTR Customs ironically chose a...
“As the story goes my first word was ‘car’ rather than ‘mummy’. I’m not so sure whether this is the...
This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a BMW cafe racer that’s been put together by a BMW car enthusiast....
The fine vólk at BMW Motorrad have a motorcycle for every occasion – just meander into a dealership and look...
Early this year Hammer received an invitation to work on the project direct from BMW Motorrad and gladly took up...
Building one-off projects for individual customers has its benefits, but it isn’t the most reliable income model for a custom...
Growing up in India the Sinroja brothers, Rahul and Birju, developed an out of the ordinary love for motorcycles. In...
We’ve all had a gut full of 2020 and I’m sure most people would agree they’ll be glad to see...
“The Diva project was inspired by BMW motorcycles of twenties, taking their class and elegance and blending it with modern...
It all began when Hieronymus spotted an MC club member’s BMW boxer parked on a sidewalk in Paris. Sitting in...
We’re big fans of the work of Californian motorcycle builder Samuel Kao and his workshop JSK Moto Co. JSK motorcycles...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
“A gentleman from Missouri contacted me through my H Garage website inquiring about a build using either a newer model...
You may remember the somewhat controversial Buell Norton Manx I featured a couple of months ago? Well it’s back and it’s...
Sometimes techniques for overcoming adversity are found in unexpected places. Scott Campbell found the solution to his battling his demons...
Back in 2013 BMW Motorrad celebrated the 40th anniversary of the legendary BMW R 90 S with the unveiling of...
BMW’s stalwart R100 was offered in various guises from 1976 to 1996. The 980cc boxer twins made adequate power, had...
Imagine this scenario: A bike magazine hands you a box-fresh 1978 BMW R100RS and the concept rendering for a fantastic,...
Hugo Eccles and the Untitled Motorcycles team are capable of building pretty much whatever they can dream up. Their custom...
New York City is arguably the planets most influential style and culture mecca. Whatever you’re into you’re sure to find...
Perth’s Kaylan Galloway is a guy who likes to do things the hard way. Probably because he can. A welder...
This happens when one of the world’s most creative custom workshops decides that they need to customise their shop bike....
