After just having the pleasure of pretending to own an R Nine T for the past few days (keep an...
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.
The Eleven by Kevil’s Speed Shop in the UK. One of the latest BMW Cafe Racers to roll out of...
Big thanks to Collin Christenbury for sending in these shots he took at the Vintage Motorcycle Races & Show in Elkhart Lake...
Experiences from our youth can have a profound effect on what we do later in life. For Jean-Pierre, it was...
Building custom motorcycles is all about solving problems. This could be working around a modern electrical system, extracting additional horsepower...
“A gentleman from Missouri contacted me through my H Garage website inquiring about a build using either a newer model...
When it comes to customising older BMW motorcycles the R series airheads are the most popular weapon of choice. Fuss-free...
Nostalgia can be a powerful motivator. For Joe Loss of Fremantle, Western Australia it started in his teenage years when...
Looking back over the last 11 years of running this website the thing I’ve enjoyed the most is seeing workshops...
The Digimoto project was a collaboration between industrial designer Christian Zanzotti, product development agency Greydev and BMW aftermarket experts Wunderlich....
I bet the last thing Edgar Heinrich and the BMW Motorrad Design team ever expected to see was their behemoth...
Early this year Hammer received an invitation to work on the project direct from BMW Motorrad and gladly took up...
When it comes to building custom bikes, taking the path less travelled is never the easy option. Sure, cafe racers...
Of all the boxers the BMW R75/5 models with the “toaster” tank are a firm favourite. They are less angular...
“The Diva project was inspired by BMW motorcycles of twenties, taking their class and elegance and blending it with modern...
“A Scottish businessman reached out to us after seeing our bikes. He asked us to customise his own brand new...
I’ve seen enough BMW cafe racer builds to last a lifetime. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to see any...
On the dawn of a new year there’s plenty to get excited about. You’ve got another year of riding adventures...
As Mark Twain so eloquently put it “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work...
Kyohey Sugimoto, owner of Berrybads Motorcycles works out of a modest space in Ōtsu, the capital of Japan’s Shiga Prefecture....
Jeffry Sol’s BMW R nineT has been somewhat of a social media sensation since it was unveiled at the Big...
Not all custom builds have to completely transform a motorcycle to catch our attention. Fresh on the heels of BMW...
I recently became acquainted with Maximiliaan van Kuyk of Maverick motorcycles. Max and his brothers stumbled into the Cafe Racer...
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...
One of the hardest parts of a custom bike build is deciding when it’s done. This same problem applies to...
The Johnnie Wash R Nine T series features 3 different models of which the Brown is the most extensively modified....
Established in 2002 the K-Speed business is spread over 12 stores around Thailand with its head quarters in Bangkok. Eak...
Hugo Eccles and the Untitled Motorcycles team are capable of building pretty much whatever they can dream up. Their custom...
From building show cars to display at the hallowed halls of the Las Vegas Sema show to tinkering on Honda...
New York City is arguably the planets most influential style and culture mecca. Whatever you’re into you’re sure to find...
When a builder chooses to convert a tourer into a cafe racer it’s always a bit of a surprise to...
Years later I managed to scrape together enough to buy my first road bike, get my license sorted and I...
When it debuted, the BMW K1 was Marmite for motorcyclists. They either loved it or hated it. The radical sports...
Giorgio De Angelis of ‘De Angelis Elaborazioni’ prides himself in turning old BMWs into performance focused customs. Throughout his childhood,...
Back in 2012 four like-minded friends decided enough was enough. Driven by their desire to build and ride custom bikes...
Are you a dreamer or a doer? Prior to 2018 Marcel Galuszka would have labelled himself a dreamer. But when...
BMW’s stalwart R100 was offered in various guises from 1976 to 1996. The 980cc boxer twins made adequate power, had...
If you’re into custom motorcycles (which I will assume you are since you’re here) the name Kaichiroh Kurosu and his...
The Diamond Atelier Mark II has been the brand’s most successful series model. First developed in collaboration with Julian Weber,...
Two motorcycle obsessed friends building bikes for a living. It sounds like the perfect life to be living. This is...
It’s the start of yet another working week. What better way to get through the day than by drooling over...
BMW’s K100 Sports Tourer is a motorcycle that few people would consider when planning a custom build. Despite it’s 1000cc,...
Jérémie, the owner of the French workshop Jerem-Motorcycles, has only been building motorcycles for 3 years part-time. Still, he somehow...
The owner of the BMW came to the OSE workshop in search of a cafe racer conversion for his 2016...
“As the story goes my first word was ‘car’ rather than ‘mummy’. I’m not so sure whether this is the...
Nitro Cycles are a relatively new workshop to the Spanish custom scene and this BMW K100 RS Cafe Racer represents...
If you’re considering attempting to turn any kind of tourer into a cafe racer you’re going to have your work...
Building 50 custom motorcycles is no mean feat. Adrián Campos and the crew at the Valencia workshop of Bolt Motor...
High in the northeastern reaches of Italy, you’ll find the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Bordered by Slovenia and Austria it’s...
Even in the motorcycle world, trends, like all things in life, come and go. The cafe racer scene has seen...
Building a custom motorcycle means owning a one-of-a-kind machine. A unique, personal expression that merges your individual style with performance...
As BMW Motorrad put it, the R9T Racer is “Style in the fast lane.” It’s a fitting statement for this...
Every so often a custom motorcycle appears in my inbox that is so unique it stops me in my tracks....
BMW Boxers have been all the rage in the custom motorcycle scene for years. Renowned for their bulletproof reliability and...
Adrián Campos and the team at Valencia’s Bolt Motor Co. are set to finish their 50th build sometime during 2021....
Growing up in India the Sinroja brothers, Rahul and Birju, developed an out of the ordinary love for motorcycles. In...
I once said that the 1934 BMW R7 was one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made, and I still...
The Interceptor may be an unexpected development from Radical Ducati, but it certainly isn’t a disappointment. They’ve created a high...
Unless you’re buying a Harley-Davidson most dealerships don’t offer much in the way of customisation at the time of sale....
The quality of the home built Cafe Racers being submitted by our readers continues to astound us. This exceptional bike...
We have a serious soft spot for BMW cafe racers but we’re also big fans of Scrambler styled Beemers. There’s...
Tank Machine was established by Clement Molina back in 2015 following his 18 years of experience working in the motorcycle...
Brazillian workshop Retrorides is the result of forty years of hard work by two generations of the Lourenço family. Nestled...
More and more motorcycle workshops are utilising advanced manufacturing technologies to realise their custom creations. 10 years ago three-dimensional computer-aided...
Shiroh Nakajima is the custom motorcycle engineer and CEO behind Japanese workshop Ritmo Sereno. In this short film Shiroh explains...
Sometimes techniques for overcoming adversity are found in unexpected places. Scott Campbell found the solution to his battling his demons...
If there’s one thing every builder should strive to achieve when they customise a motorcycle it’s to improve upon its...
Back in 2017, French builder Ortolani Customs wowed us with his metalworking prowess. His polished Ducati 1199 S earned him...
I’ve written articles about thousands of custom motorcycles, but every so often a bike crosses my radar that’s unlike anything...
For more than a decade I’ve stayed true to this websites cafe racer theme. I can assure you this was...
Repeat customers are the bread and butter of every business. Unfortunately, for some businesses, such as custom motorcycle builders, most...
The custom motorcycle world has been full of collaborations in the past few years. Manufacturers have recognised the influence custom...
We’ve all had a gut full of 2020 and I’m sure most people would agree they’ll be glad to see...
The bar has definitely been raised in the custom motorcycle scene. If you’re planning on impressing anyone a bolt-on seat,...
Trust is one of the biggest hurdles for any business. But once it is achieved, success will follow. After amassing...
Another cool motorcycling video brought to you by The Selvedge Yard. If you can get past the Bourne Identity-esque erratic...
During its impressive 20-year run, there were 81 different model variations of the BMW R100. The iconic boxer has been...
Don’t get me wrong, the BMW thumper is a great utilitarian machine. The reliability of the simple 650cc Rotax engine...
Tucked away in the southeastern forests of Bavaria is the small town of Viechtach. If you look it up on...
We’re big fans of the work of Californian motorcycle builder Samuel Kao and his workshop JSK Moto Co. JSK motorcycles...
The year is 1973 and Bavarian Motor Works has just celebrated their 50th anniversary. In addition, they’ve also just completed...
Europe’s largest Cafe Racer event, the Glemseck 101, just took place in Stuttgart, Germany. Now in its 5th year, the...
If you’re customising motorcycles in Bavaria it seems only right said motorcycles should be those built by BMW Motorrad. Ralf...
BMW Motorrad has just lifted the covers off their upcoming 2021 R nineT range. This is of course great news...
Our friends over at Cognito Moto have been toiling away on their latest custom BMW R75 project. The project was...
Here’s a little something to get you through another night glued to the couch. Our latest instalment of the Sunday...
The cafe racer in BMW’s R nineT heritage series won hearts with its sleek styling. However, motorcycle journalists brought a...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
Last weekend we officially released issue 7 of Tank Moto. Packed with awesome motorcycle features from around the world this...
After a 70mph spill this BMW Boxer was in no state to be ridden. The bikes wheels, forks and engine...
There’s no denying that Guzzis and BWMs have the biggest, bulkiest looking engines of all the motorcycle manufacturers (not to...
BMW struck a chord in the custom motorcycle scene when they released the R Nine T. Powered by a bulletproof...
Located in New York City, The Suited Racer considers himself a ‘living piece of conceptual art’. The multidisciplinary artist creates...
The latest instalment of the Batman movie series directed by Matt Reeves is due to hit US cinema screens in...
Austria’s NCT Motorcycles are this week’s ‘talk of the town’ with 3 of their awesome builds appearing on custom motorcycle...
“I wanted to create an aggressive cafe racer with a design that separates it from the usual and a line...
