Nostalgia is a powerful thing. For seasoned motorcyclists, nostalgia can quickly become an obsession. A chance sighting of a beloved...
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.
The Yamaha features the same Benelli 360 tank and custom seat combo that Greg used on the last Virago, but...
When I think about Bobbers my mind conjures up images of cruising along a winding coastal road, sitting comfortably atop...
During the early 1970s, Kenny Roberts shot to stardom as a rider in the American Yamaha racing team. In 1973...
Back in 2005, when I first became interested in the Japanese custom motorcycle scene, finding insights into their world took...
Yamaha’s beloved SR400 may have ceased production back in 2021, but it remains a hot favorite amongst custom builders in...
You’ll have to forgive me for veering off the Cafe Racer path slightly but when I see a custom motorcycle like this...
There are a handful of motorcycles that became the poster children of the “new wave” cafe racer scene at the...
For the Yardbuilt 2017 XSR700 project, Yamaha selected 7 workshops from different European locations to take part in the event. Representatives from Italy,...
No sooner had the doors of the 2015 One Motorcycle Show closed for another year, than the brothers Busch and...
There have been many custom workshops that have evolved their brand into an apparel range. In Taiwan, the clothing label...
Few motorcycles have the cult status of Yamaha’s SR400. During the past decade, the SR has come into the spotlight...
Rapid prototyping, CNC machining, 3d printing! Whatever happened to good old hammers, spanners, and the occasional grinder? I get a...
I know I’m probably going to get a few frowns for this as it’s certainly not a Cafe Racer,...
Greg Hageman, aka Hageman Motorcycles, aka Doc Chops may not have been the first to build a Virago cafe racer,...
There’s two ways you can build a custom motorcycle. One way is to have a design idea that’s laid out...
It’s not often that I feature Bobbers on the site and even less often that I feature custom motorcycles from...
Nothing makes me happier than featuring custom motorcycles that have been built in my hometown. Today’s café racer is the...
The story of the TX750 is one that Yamaha would rather we all forgot. The bike, which was set to...
You could be forgiven for thinking that laying bricks and building custom motorcycles have nothing in common. But if you’re...
Moto Nisto of Ypsilanti, Michigan, expertly transformed this 1980 Yamaha XS650 into a stunning Cafe Racer. The modifications done on...
Firstly a design was rendered in conjunction with Oberdan Bezzi Design which took styling cues from the Yamaha FZ750, a...
To start with can you tell us where the bikes name “Tramontana” comes from? Spartak: This is the bike’s name...
The Wrenchmonkees have just released details of the bike that represents a half-century of custom motorcycle builds from the Denmark based...
My dog doesn’t care for the Yamaha XSR900. When I arrive home on any other motorcycle the small ball of...
Established by Dare Jennings, Rod Hunwick and Carby Tuckwell, Deus ex Machina in Camperdown, Sydney, produces motorcycles for the post-modern world. What the hell...
Some people find it a real struggle to sit still. Take Stu Lloyd for example. It hasn’t even been 4...
This 1981 Yamaha XV750 Virago has been transformed into a cafe racer, featuring a metallic gray finish with gold accents....
Berry Bads Motorcycles are yet another Japanese custom tuner/builder who’s work has caught my attention. With a gallery full of Bobbers,...
“Stop dreaming, just start building!” These are the words you’ll find on Andy Megerle’s Instagram profile. I’ve featured a couple...
There was always a motorcycle in our house when I was growing up, but my father’s real passion was collectible...
Despite its huge success, the Yamaha XSR700 is, in my opinion, one of the least classic-looking modern-retro motorcycles on the...
Well, that wraps up yet another year of amazing cafe racer builds from custom workshops and backyard builders around the...
If you’ve been following Enginethusiast for a while, you’ve probably noticed that Anthony Scott has a soft spot for vintage...
Recently found XS650 Chopper website which has a load of custom Yamaha XS650 projects. Great for inspiration or to just perve on...
There was a time when it seemed that every other custom build to roll out of a workshop was built...
With a name like “Vintage Addiction”, it’s odd to see the YZF sitting in their build portfolio, but when the...
Despite its 43-year production run ending in 2021, the SR400 remains a hot favourite amongst riders in Japan. The SR400’s...
Back in 2016, Yamaha bit itself off a decent-sized chunk of the modern retro market with the release of the...
Spotted this great Yamaha R5 “Giant Killer” custom on Garage Project motorcycles. After a bit of digging all I managed to...
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 Yamaha SRX600 has been meticulously transformed into a bespoke cafe racer with a sleek and unique style. It boasts...
If you happen to be near The Dues Ex Machina store in Camperdown Sydney this week a quick visit is definitely in...
Yamaha’s Yardbuilt series is the brainchild of the companies visionary project manager, Shun Miyazawa. The series kicked off back in...
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know there are very few commonalities between nautical craft and motorcycles. Infact the...
Most custom motorcycles rolling out of workshops tend to be polished to perfection or feature paint jobs more expensive than...
This post apocalyptic road warrior is Icon’s Kawasaki ZX-7 ‘Thunder Chunky’. It’s the latest addition to Icon’s series of custom...
The Varkain (“Finnish for By Stealth”) Yamaha SR400 is one of my favourite creations to come out of Raider Motorsports...
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when building your own Cafe Racer, or any style of custom motorcycle for...
Brrr… Lars and Jorg of Motorradtke GbR in Germany traditionally build and maintain Superbikes for the race track. However after...
These days you don’t get much of a bike for 300 quid. Every now and then though you hear about...
But, dear reader, should you? Is it worth tracking down one of Yamaha’s cheerful little runabouts for your next custom...
Looking back over a few of our recent features it seems that building retro customs out of modern sports bikes...
Vintage Steele of Brattleboro, Vermont, transformed this 1975 Yamaha XS650 into a café-racer. The bodywork, featuring the original four-gallon fuel...
I met Michael Capraro some years ago at a communal motorcycle workshop I was involved in. His enthusiasm for bikes...
Looking at this custom Yamaha SR500 built in Japan turns me in to the equivalent of that crazy fish in Finding...
Jesse attributes his interest in building bikes to a 1971 Honda CB175 he restored with his father at the age...
In motorsport, race teams are always looking for new ways to improve lap times. Back in the fifties when motorcycles...
Daniel cut his teeth on cars and bikes at a young age. “I drove my first moped at the age...
In the early days of Yamaha’s venture into motorcycle production their YA-, affectionately known as the Akatombo or Red Dragonfly,...
Unless you’re living in one of those rule-free American states where they let tipsy 13-year-olds ride drag bikes on public...
The Yamaha SR400 was the poster child of the “new wave” custom scene back in ’08/’09. Thanks to workshops like...
Yamaha XS650 Classic Cafe built by the Wheely shop. A beautiful balance of old styling and modern technology. ...
With a workshop name like “it roCKS!bikes” the Portugese builders Osvaldo Coutinho and Alexandre Santos have set the bar high...
“Years ago I rode a ’72 Yamaha XS650 from California to Sturgis. I was wearing a Walmart rain suit in...
I’ve been covering the Yamaha Yardbuilt series of custom bikes for some time now and have really enjoyed the projects...
After a complete tear down the XJR’s subframe was trimmed to tighten the bike’s proportions. In place of the original...
“Yamaha and Abarth have created the XSR900 Abarth – a lightweight high-performance retro special whose authentic café racer design reflects...
Boner…That’s what this custom Yamaha XS650 is called. Not your usual custom build title but Death Spray Customs isn’t your...
As with the other Yamaha XJR1300 Yardbuilt bikes the Botafogo-N was constructed without performing any modifications to the bike’s frame....
When great minds come together, great things happen. Often in the world of custom motorcycle building workshops keep to themselves....
This may sound ridiculous, but sometimes I wish I lived in a place where riding during winter wasn’t an option....
David Gonzalez from Ad Hoc is renowned for customizing Yamaha motorcycles. He gained international acclaim for his work on the...
Yamaha’s ‘Race Developed’ series of motorcycles from the early seventies left a lasting impression on the motorcycling world. The 1973...
“Sport Heritage” Never has the combination of those two words made as much sense as when applied to the Yamaha...
The quick turnaround on this build was made possible when Pat acquired the Virago as an unfinished project. “The previous...
On a recent trip to Sydney I stuck my head in at Deus (as always) and grabbed a copy of...
Since launching Return of the Cafe Racers back in 2006 I have only come across two builders who have managed...
Trevers father, John Scales, was a 2 stroke road racer during the 1970s. “I heard so many stories from my...
The Blue Rhapsody takes its main inspiration from the 90’s race bikes Keinosuke saw on the streets of Japan in...
This is the Mongrel. A custom Yamaha XT600 haling from the darker side of Sydney’s Cafe Racer scene. The Mongrel...
“I have been riding motorcycles on and off road for more than a decade and I wanted to combine my...
“Purpose Built Moto came about after I started modifying street bikes of my own. I then became frustrated that no...
Santi García has been contributing to the build portfolio at the Barcelona workshop of La Carono motorcycles for the past...
This 1982 Yamaha XV750 Virago has undergone extensive customization with a range of unique components. These custom additions include a...
I spent the weekend in Sydney celebrating a mates Birthday (which I am still recovering from!) and while I was...
After building his own bobber and plenty of customer bikes, James decided it was time to set himself a new...
To improve the v-twin’s power and torque Yamaha fit the SRV with a beefier cam profile, two carburetors rather than...
Thanks to their continued support of custom workshops, Yamaha Motorcycles have played an integral role in the growth of the...
It’s getting easier and easier to build a cafe racer. It used to be that you’d either have to pay...
With 200bhp on tap and an astounding 2.5 second 0-60mph time, the Vmax V4 engine is well suited to dragstrip...
Deus ex Machina came on the scene around about the same time I set up Return of the Cafe Racers...
In 2007, Gregg DesJardins of GC Customs crafted an unparalleled streetfighter motorcycle, representing the pinnacle of customization. Starting with a...
Sadly it looks like Yamaha’s venerable SR400s time is coming to an end. Like so many other motorcycles falling victim...
Just got home after spending the day out with the guys from Fuel Tank TV and Christian from Modern Motorcycles....
If you ask me there’s two types of custom build, the clean and the down right dirty. Richard and Lex...
The old saying ‘practice makes perfect’ rings true in the custom motorcycle community. Over the years I’ve seen many builders...
British vs Japanese engineering. It’s a debate that I’ve often heard between motorcyclists. It’s easy to see why each party...
Opening up the emails I receive through the “Submit a motorcycle” link on the site is one of my favourite...