Today’s feature is about a different breed of Z. It’s a totally revised and, for lack of a better term,...
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.
These days the chance of anyone having the privilege of owning or riding an RC166 are slim to none, but...
It’s no secret that Honda’s CX series from the late 70’s has gone through a resurgence in the last five...
When an expert in form works with a master of function the results can be breathtaking. After being blown away...
“The customer brought me a donor bike that most would’ve considered a ‘lost cause’. The engine was far beyond running,...
Your first ride on a motorcycle is probably as memorable as your first kiss. Full of excitement and fear as...
After receiving a tip off from a friend the boys got their hands on a well priced, running 1975...
The weekend following the rider class, I bought my first bike. I was hooked. I picked up a 2009 Vulcan...
After acquiring the poor condition Bol D’Or in January of 2015 the brothers spent 2 months planning the build of...
“My bike, Paula Dean, was based on a ’76 Honda CB550k that cost us $500 in May of 2015. Work...
“For years, I had watched all the motorcycle builder shows on TV and had always wanted to build my own...
At first glance you could mistakably name this bikes donor as a CX500, which is wrong, but not far off....
Obviously Honda’s little 400 four isn’t the biggest bike around. So the plan was to make it larger while retaining...
Jeff’s story is one that might sound familiar. He found himself looking for a new source of income, and didn’t...
As far as timeframes go David says the Ad Hoc CB750 has been a hard one to wrap up. “Due...
“As a teenager I always wanted to build a custom motorcycle and spent my time (when I wasn’t riding) drawing...
Unikat, which translates to ‘Unique Piece’, opened its doors a mere 18 months ago. It all began when Grzegorz completed...
The ‘Super CB750 Cafe Racer’ is Dario’s demonstration of what can be done to solve the rider size conundrum. “I...
Craig Rodsmith’s ’84 Interceptor project began when a fellow builder offloaded it to him. As Craig put it “He gave...
“My wife and mother-in-law used to call it the “Peter & Steven Show” whenever we would get together because we’d...
Fast forward several decades and the Bol d’Or has become a relatively affordable alternative to the now, highly collectable and sought after...
Located in Graz, Austria ‘Vagabund Moto’ is the brainchild of designer Paul Brauchart and mechanical engineer Philipp Rabl. “Both of...
“In the fall of 2012 my good friend Brandon built a CB360. I saw the bike come together and I...
It’s been some time since we featured a custom Honda CX500 here on the site and what better way to...
“I’m Jim Alonze from Scarborough, North Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. I’ve been into bikes my whole life, from off...
Much like the ASK Motorcycles 2014 Yamaha SR125 ‘Material Woman’, Rad has continued his “very skinny, low and long” theme...
After careful design and build considerations, Tony decided that an alloy tank was the way to go. It would become...
“This was my first ever build, a ’76 Honda CB550 F1 Super Sport that I picked up from my mate...
Hey Daryl, It’s been a while since we last spoke. What’s been happening at Bandit9? “There’s only one way to...
As Sofi explains it… “This Honda CB450 was brought to us earlier this year after an interesting encounter. A couple...
“The One-Up Moto Garage name is relatively new to the game” says workshop founder Taylor Henschell. “I’ve been working under...
Arxaperiment designer Ndikol started his first build in 2011 with some guidance from a local mechanic and metalworker. Using his...
Like most Swedes Oscar started his 2 wheeled life on a moped at age 15. After spending a few years...
At only 7 months old Cafe Racer SSpirit is one of the new kids on the block in Spain’s custom...
I’ve been following the Stories of Bike video series since it began and had the pleasure of meeting its creator Cam Elkins...
Established in 2006 the 7Seven Custom workshop in Slovenia is all too familiar with the late model CB750’s. Back...
Just when I thought I’d see as many custom Honda CX500’s as I could stomach, along comes a build so...
In 2012 Scott Halbleid left his career as a graphic designer to focus his efforts on building custom motorcycles. As...
I love a good collaboration. When one brand recognises the benefits of joining forces with another amazing things can happen....
Honda’s journey into the world of 90-degree v-twins may have only be a short one, but their CX500 still gains...
“I bought this motorcycle from a friend at the end of November 2013. After riding it around for 2 months...
It’s true. Sometimes the simple things in life are often the best. Take for example this super clean CB750 build...
One of the biggest highlights for me when we were pulling together issue 6 of Tank Moto Magazine also happened...
Siberia. 13 million square kilometres of the most sparsely populated land on Earth and as it turns out, home to one of...
If you’ve been following Return of the Cafe Racers for a while you’ll have figured out I’m a fan of...
I will be the first to admit I’m hopelessly nostalgic. So when I come across a story of a father...
Custom motorcycle builds usually start out as an idea, but more often than not ideas change. While these changes usually...
To launch the new workshop Gregorio got his hands on a stock ’92 Honda CB750. A reliable, well designed and...
Honda’s Moto Guzzi-Esque CX500 has been enjoying a huge resurgence in the custom scene. It seems that ever since the...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
What once was old is new again. Rather than looking for new materials to shape the bodywork of...
Honda’s CX500. The Japanese manufacturers only venture into the world of horizontally opposed twins. In many ways, the CX was...
We’ve all seen the listings on eBay. “Perfect project bike”, “Needs some attention”, “It’s all there, just requires reassembling!”. The...
Let’s face it. We don’t all possess the ability to rebuild an engine, to hand form steel or to even...
If you’ve been following Return of the Cafe Racers on Instagram or Facebook you’ll have seen that I recently attended Kustomfest in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The show...
“My name is Nils J. Ksienzyk and I’m a 28 year old bike builder from Germany. From the age of...
In Singapore, you can be sentenced to jail for selling chewing gum… imagine what they do to people whose exhaust...
Bali, Indonesia. Beautiful beaches, lush tropical forests, killer surf, cheap shopping and Bintang beer. Bali also happens to be a...
“I started Cognito Moto with the black and red Honda CB550 featured on Return of the Cafe Racers last year. This...
“My very first motorcycle was a 50cc Honda Cub. It was more of a scooter but it didn’t matter. My...
“Two years ago, after looking at some cool bikes on the internet I decided to build one for me and...
With a life long passion for bikes and an endless desire to create custom motorcycles using “hand made” techniques, Oficina...
Back in 2012, I was contacted by Vaughan in Sydney who had just finished hammering out the bodywork on his...
Back in 2012 Raider custom built the GB and labelled it their SLS (Salt Lake Sickle). It was created as...
Back in the early nineties Jim was customising Yamaha SR’s and British bikes under the influence of the Japanese custom...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
Small details. That’s what separates a good build from a great build. Of course there’s a whole heap of work...
Ahh Slovenia, home of the oldest vine in the world, the first ever musical instrument, birth place of the first...
“I live in the small but beautiful island of Cyprus (population 700,000) in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. I’ve always been...
Ever since seeing the “We R Winning” short documentary about Twinline Motorcycles I’ve been a huge fan of the Seattle...
When I launched this site all those years ago Cafe Racers were my focus, but I’ve always been into all...
The following is an excerpt from Tank Moto Issue 1 “As Close As It Gets” Replica Honda CR750 article –...
At 1.3 million people the country of Estonia isn’t exactly bursting at the seams. On the Estonian tourism website their...
As you can imagine I spend a lot of time staring at photos of custom motorcycles. I don’t know if...
If there was one thing I learnt at art school that has always stood true it’s that colour is king....
Anyone that’s had a go at building a Cafe Racer or custom motorcycle knows how addictive it can become. I’m...
After recently featuring AdHoc’s 3rd Cafe Racer build it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t take a quick look back...
Along with the shots of the fairing Junior also sent a couple of detail images to reveal even more...
Some kids grow up around cars and bikes. Sofi Tsingos grew up literally stuck to them. “Dad used to own...
I’ve always been a naked guy. Not like the ones that run across the field during the Ashes or walk...
“I’ve been working on cars since I was 16, however I’ve only been into bikes for the last 18 months....
The annual custom motorcycle craziness that is the AMD World Championship of bike building has been and gone again. This...
Inspired by the Honda Jet, “the world’s most advanced light jet”, this CB750K may not be quite so advanced but...
Neall Dollhopf, co-owner of Heartbreak Cycleworks in Ypsi, Michigan, is a sentimental kind of guy. His custom Honda CB550 holds...
“The Natural” built by Portland based workshop The Tarantulas. It’s a bike that’s had plenty of mentions around here but...
Close the blast doors!… Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors! – Despite the fact that they were rooting for...
The ‘Roadrunner’ concept motorcycle was developed as a final project out of university. Suhann’s passion for motorcycles meant it was...
Being in Australia when the One Motorcycle Show is happening over in Portland USA is like not getting any presents...
“The bike was originally an ’81 Honda CM400. I purchased it the day after my previous build was stolen. At...
The difference between a nice custom motorcycle and an amazing one comes down to details. Once all the big work...
What the hell is that thing!? It’s another apocalyptic custom from the Icon 1000 crew, but unlike the other bikes...
Last year the Cafe Racer scene was buzzing with the news that Dime City Cycles were building a custom motorcycle...
While we all dream of owning the next Falcon motorcycle to roll out of their workshop the sad reality is that...
What could be better than driving around in a high performance vehicle that looks as though it could fall apart...
“Our goal here at Bandit9 is to deliver a unique product that’s drastically different from the last. We don’t...
Building one of the only Cafe Racers in your country is no mean feat, especially when you live in a...
Ahh Google Translate, how I love your ability to allow me to converse with people whose native tongue is 100% indecipherable to me! Which...
This bike is the daily commuter of BCR crew member Doinker. It’s a 1978 Honda CB750F Super Sport modified to...
Fred Krugger (not to be mistaken with the wrinkly chapfrom the Nightmare on Elm Street movies) builds some fairly “out...
Andy who is an Architectural Draftsperson by trade, built Express Post to compete in an annual event organised by a group of...
