Your complete guide to cafe racer motorcycles, from classic bikes to modern-day specials.
Here you’ll find everything from traditional Triumph and Honda cafe racers to the latest BMWs, Ducatis and Yamahas from new wave builders. Discover the cafe racer parts, seats and performance upgrades that’ll take your own cafe racer bike to the next level.
Before Brice Hennebert started building race-inspired machines as Workhorse Speed Shop, he ran another workshop with a friend, called Kruz Company. The two Belgian builders split amicably a while ago, but there was one notable casualty in the divorce: this Triumph Speed Triple. Brice and his former partner Olivier first took on the Speed Triple…
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Some would say the 750 SS was not Ducati’s finest hour. The podgy, plasticky styling has always been divisive, and the engine is rated at a somewhat underwhelming 65 hp. But this Duc is light—a mere 403 pounds (183 kg) dry—and the handling is good on smooth asphalt. The trellis frame is a work of…
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The Ducati Paul Smart 1000 LE is special on so many levels. It’s not only one of Ducati’s greatest hits, but also one of the best looking modern classics ever produced. And since only 2,000 were ever made, it’s as rare as hen’s teeth—so good luck getting your hands on one. This isn’t lost on…
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Unless you’re handy with a grinder and welding gear, it’s not cheap to put a custom bike in your garage. But if you live in Spain, you can get a taste of high-end custom culture without draining the Euros from your bank account. That’s because Spain is one of the countries where the rental company…
Read more »We interviewed the team behind the development of the BMW R nineT a few years ago. They were adamant about one thing:…
Read more »Any custom motorcycle is a byproduct of the personality of its builder, and the brief they’re working with. And it took a…
Read more »KTM is growing incredibly fast in India. Last year, the Austrian marque sold 64,000 bikes—up more than 25% on the previous year.…
Read more »We’re casting the net far and wide this week. There’s a brutal Aprilia Tuono V4 from Switzerland, a Harley cafe racer from…
Read more »There are a few motorcycles in Ducati’s back catalog that would ruffle feathers if they were customized. Depending on how much of…
Read more »Arjan van den Boom is one of Europe’s most successful customizers. The founder of Ironwood Motorcycles has well over 50 builds to…
Read more »For custom motorcycle builders that skew towards older bikes, nothing satisfies quite like finding a clean, low-mileage donor. But finding a motor…
Read more »Like the Honda CX500, the Yamaha Virago is one of those “sow’s ear” bikes: it’s a challenge to make a silk purse…
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