A few years back in New York, in a 4th floor city apartment E3 Motorcycles was born. In May...
Honda Cafe Racer
Honda is currently the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Japan. In the 1960s they became a household name in the USA thanks to their “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” advertising campaign. By the 1980s, they produced upwards of 3 million bikes a year. The Honda CB750 has been credited with being the world’s first superbike and has become the poster child of the modern cafe racer scene.
The Honda CX500 has been a hot fave in the custom scene for quite some time. But for some reason,...
Remember the first time you swung a leg over a bike? Mathias Wiese does. At the tender age of eight,...
What once was old is new again. Rather than looking for new materials to shape the bodywork of...
When I launched this site all those years ago Cafe Racers were my focus, but I’ve always been into all...
The Yamaha XS-V1 Sakura (Prototype ie coming soon!) oozes Cafe Racer style and should pck plenty of punch based on...
“We have been so consumed with customer work that we haven’t been able to build a shop bike since we...
Bandit films and Fuel Tank TV have released the full version of their profiler video showcasing the work of custom...
I wonder if it goes as hard as it sounds?...
I’ve seen plenty of personal builds that have been inspired by professional ones. It’s not often they stack up to...
Dave Skogerson is a nostalgist. He believes that the motorcycles made by today’s manufacturers have numbed the experience of riding,...
Skateboarding and motorcycles go hand in hand in the United States. Many pro-skaters like Caballero ride motorcycles and some, including...
Earning a customer’s trust is worth more to a custom workshop than simply getting customers in the door. Without trust,...
The late seventies Honda CB650 is commonly referred to as being a ‘standard motorcycle’. We doubt anyone would be using...
Honda proved that the Japanese could build capable v-twin cruisers with motorcycles like their VT series. Compared to US-built alternatives...
A few years back I met Cliff Overton, a fellow cafe racer enthusiast, and backyard builder. When Cliff completed his...
Krzysztof Rogalinski, aka KrisBiker, is a Polish bike enthusiast who documents his two-wheeled exploits on Youtube. The self-taught mechanic and...
Much like their Honda CB550 “SL” cafe racer the CB350 has undergone a comprehensive rebuild. “Marek rebuilt the engine completely”...
“Two years ago, after looking at some cool bikes on the internet I decided to build one for me and...
This 1976 Honda CB400F Super Sport underwent a cafe racer transformation, showcasing a sleek makeover. It boasts a fiberglass tail...
Good mates building bikes together. That’s essentially what you’ll find at Bold Motorcycles HQ, which happens to be a home...
It’s no walk in the park for a custom workshop to stay fresh and original. Constantly pushing boundaries, reinventing styles...
This custom Honda CBX400F race bike from 09RACING Japan is a far cry from how Honda released it. What was...
I’ve had a rather unhealthy obsession with Honda’s CR750 for as long as I can recall. I think it stems...
This little beauty of a bike from Simon and Singapore. He built the bike in the car park outside his...
As far as weird-looking motorcycles go, this one is pretty wild. It’s a unique four-cylinder hot rod-inspired café racer with an impressive...
Their name may conjure up images of a suspect automotive salesman, but rest assured Crooked Motorcycles is anything but dodgy....
Honda’s CX500. The Japanese manufacturers only venture into the world of horizontally opposed twins. In many ways, the CX was...
German riding gear manufacturer Loius was founded in 1938 by motorcycle mechanic Detlev Louis. Today the company is Europe’s largest...
“The bike was originally an ’81 Honda CM400. I purchased it the day after my previous build was stolen. At...
“Lex was very specific about his wishes.” says Bran. “As the owner of an advertisement company, he had a very...
Obviously Honda’s little 400 four isn’t the biggest bike around. So the plan was to make it larger while retaining...
I love a good backstory. For many builders, it was the influence of a family member or friend that got...
Remember that time you went to see your friend perform in ‘that show’. You went along willingly but their performance...
Many of 2020s most significant motorcycle shows have been cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Amongst them was the...
No more riding for me until the new year! (no this isn’t my bike…I wish!) My two wheel fix will...
The Tarantulas are a collection of motorcycle loving friends in Portland, USA. They are riders and builders of Cafe...
Eak Tanadit, the owner and lead designer at Bangkok’s K-Speed workshop, is arguably one of the best modifiers of small-capacity...
As Sofi explains it… “This Honda CB450 was brought to us earlier this year after an interesting encounter. A couple...
“In the fall of 2012 my good friend Brandon built a CB360. I saw the bike come together and I...
If you happen to be passing through Nampa, Idaho and you spot this century old milking do yourself a favour...
Despite its modest performance and rudimentary design, the Honda Super Cub has remained in production since 1958. This is because...
Just when I thought I’d see as many custom Honda CX500’s as I could stomach, along comes a build so...
In the world of modern-retro motorcycles, there’s a new player who is somewhat of a black sheep. That’s mainly due...
The Honda CB750 is often referred to as the original Universal Japanese Motorcycle. This is shortened to UJM, as most...
What’s the difference between a Street Fighter and a Cafe Racer? Well you wouldn’t be wrong if you were to...
“We find insurmountable joy in taking a bike that has long since past its last mile and reviving it to...
At 1.3 million people the country of Estonia isn’t exactly bursting at the seams. On the Estonian tourism website their...
Bike Exif has just posted a shot of the a 1968 CB450 Cafe Racer. This particular Cafe Racer is the...
Alchemy Motorcycles is a tidy little shop that makes tidy little bikes. Based out of downtown San Diego, Michael Valle...
Honda’s groundbreaking CB750 Four not only demonstrated Japan’s ability to produce sophisticated large-displacement motorcycles but also sparked a thriving aftermarket...
Three years ago I featured a very special build built by Steven Wilson of BC, Canada. The bike, a CB750...
Scales Studio is 2 man workshop that specialises in fabrication work and high-end paint. Based in Houston, Texas their list...
The Honda CBX1000 needs no introduction. It is one of only a handful of 6 cylinder production motorcycles ever made...
It’s clear looking at his work that Rad prefers a sportier aesthetic. He applies a healthy dose of café racer...
Since the onset of the pandemic, we’ve seen quite a few builds fast-tracked. While the general population was bingeing on...
The 2018 Bike Shed show has been and gone. For those who were lucky enough to attend the London based...
If you’ve been following Return of the Cafe Racers for a while you’ll have figured out I’m a fan of...
For the US release of David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, actress Rooney Mara has done away with...
When an expert in form works with a master of function the results can be breathtaking. After being blown away...
Michele and his brother Marco launched their workshop, Fabbris Moto, in 2007. The pair share a passion for both race...
This 1978 Honda CB750K has been expertly transformed into a cafe racer, boasting a range of custom modifications. These include...
Former world champion racer ‘Fast’ Freddie Spencer was a force to be reckoned. Spencer’s professional racing career started in 1978...
Since I recently paid a visit to Deus Ex Machina in Sydney I thought it pertinent to feature one of...
“This thing (“Bowie” the Honda CB125s) was an impulse buy and was in pretty bad shape the day I took...
This Honda CBX750 by X-Axis is a unique custom build created by former British MXGP champion, Billy MacKenzie. The bike...
The project and the donor bike arrived at the Kerkus workshop via Singapore. After an artist from the Lion City...
Makes me want to tear down the freeway tonight… lossaengineering.com...
This bike is the daily commuter of BCR crew member Doinker. It’s a 1978 Honda CB750F Super Sport modified to...
After deciding to open their workshop back in 2015 this was the second custom build that the Wrench Kings undertook...
My hometown of Perth, Western Australia offers some of the best year-round riding weather on the planet. Unsurprisingly motorcycles are...
The 1979 Honda CX500 Deluxe underwent modifications to adopt the style of a cafe racer. The fuel tank, headlight nacelle,...
Some kids grow up around cars and bikes. Sofi Tsingos grew up literally stuck to them. “Dad used to own...
The Death Machines of London (aka DMOL) never do things by halves. Their workshop has produced some of the most...
Having to endure cancer is something we all dread. Without having experienced it, it’s hard to imagine the physical and...
“This Honda CB550K was an older gentleman’s highway cruiser with shield and bags when I found it. You could tell...
Beautiful shots of beautiful motorbikes by Erik Runyon. I’m loving the colour of that tank. Maybe the colour...
“For years, I had watched all the motorcycle builder shows on TV and had always wanted to build my own...
Huge events like Verona’s Motobike Expo offer custom builders the opportunity to try something different. After all, how else are...
This 1984 Honda V30 Magna started out as VF500C cruiser and modified with work including the installation of the front-end...
Deus ex Machina came on the scene around about the same time I set up Return of the Cafe Racers...
The DCC crew have added some more amazing shots of the Four Hundred that I had to share with those...
Fancy owning a Wrenchmonkee motorcycle? The Gorilla Punch is going under the hammer along with Monkee #7. You can place...
If you saw my post recently about the Tidy Triumph Bobber I’m sure you’d like to see more about the...
This project began last September. I had just sold my ‘79 Honda CB750 named ‘smooth sailing’ to a famous NFL...
It’s true. Sometimes the simple things in life are often the best. Take for example this super clean CB750 build...
This 1974 Honda CB750 has a sleek Chalk Grey finish complemented by a black powder-coated frame. Its power comes from...
Although it isn’t a hot favourite for a Honda cafe racer conversion the CB900F offers a decent starting point. Honda...
Rickman Honda CR750 Brothers Derek and Don Rickman established Rickman motorcycles in 1960 from which they manufactured motorcycles up until...
Nothing grabs the headlines quite like an enormous selling price at auction. We’ve seen motorcycles sell for phenomenal money over...
“My bike, Paula Dean, was based on a ’76 Honda CB550k that cost us $500 in May of 2015. Work...
Ten years after Honda turned the motorcycling world on its head with the release of the CB750, they decided it...
Darrell Schneider of DS Restorations isn’t the kind of guy to shy away from a challenge. With 30+ years of...
In 2021 Stu Lloyd became somewhat of a regular on these pages. We featured not 1 but 2 incredible custom...
This 1978 Honda CB750 has been transformed into a cafe racer using custom components like a handcrafted aluminum fuel tank...
It’s been a long time since drinks, but one of our favorite backyard builders, Steven Wilson is back! It comes...
Inspired by the Honda Jet, “the world’s most advanced light jet”, this CB750K may not be quite so advanced but...
The sale came about after Flo was approached by Evy and Andy of Hermanus workshop in Bruges, Belgium. After attending...
After careful design and build considerations, Tony decided that an alloy tank was the way to go. It would become...
