Your complete guide to Yamaha cafe racer motorcycles, from classic RD two-strokes bikes to modern-day XSR specials. Here you’ll find everything from traditional XS650 cafe racers to the latest builds based on newer models. Discover the parts, seats and performance upgrades that’ll take your own Yamaha to the next level.
The Yamaha XJR1300 is a relic from a bygone age, and we say that with a tinge of regret. It’s a big, brutal muscle bike that unfortunately has no place in today’s highly regulated market. The hefty, air-cooled inline four still has an ardent fan base in Europe though, despite the engine being a rejigged…
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Back in the 90s, the Japanese manufacturers went through a phase of building Italian-style sportbikes. Honda had the SuperHawk, and Suzuki the TL1000S—both 90° V-twins. Yamaha, however, took the 10-valve DOHC parallel twin used in its sport tourers and came up with the TRX850. The critical reception was mixed, to say the least, but these…
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The Yamaha Virago is one of those bikes that just keep on giving. Yamaha’s V-twin cruiser first popped up in the early eighties, and by the time it disappeared from showrooms in 2007, multiple variants had been built—from a teeny 125 to a whopping 1100 cc. The shaft drive XV750 was one of the most…
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Like the Honda CX500, the Yamaha Virago is one of those “sow’s ear” bikes: it’s a challenge to make a silk purse out of it. Plenty of custom builders have taken the bait, and a few have succeeded. This Virago from Kerkus in Malaysia is an oddball example, but there’s a reason for it. “The…
Read more »Yamaha’s annual ‘Yard Built’ competition was one of the first and most highly publicized custom competitions, delivering a steady stream of killer…
Read more »We love subtle, understated style on custom bikes. But we also have a sneaking regard for machines that are aggressive and in…
Read more »A Yamaha Virago with Ducati superbike suspension from the US, a stripped down Ducati 1198S Corse from France, a Norton Commando from…
Read more »A show stopping Yamaha GTS 1000 from Italy, a neo-retro Yamaha XT250 from Australia, and a very slick body kit for the…
Read more »In the mid 70s, the Yamaha RD 200 delivered more fun than a small capacity motorcycle had any right to. A compact…
Read more »We’ve seen some truly out-the-box builds come from K-Speed. They’ve done everything from Honda Monkey cafe racers to a Yamaha XSR155 that…
Read more »Olivier Ortolani has a flair for the dramatic. This is a guy who once wrapped a Ducati Panigale 1199 S in hand-shaped…
Read more »We don’t see many Yamaha XS1100s around these days, which is a shame—it was an absolute beast of a machine. It was…
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