Return of the Cafe Racers

Cafe Racer dilemma

2012-05-30T22:02:00.000+08:00

Cleveland CycleWerks Low cost Cafe Racer

2012-05-29T21:15:00.000+08:00

Want a brand new Cafe Racer straight out of the factory? Surprisingly not many motorcycle manufacturers are producing Cafe Racer styled bike and out of the few that did, some have already ceased production (i.e. Ducati's Sport Classics). Luckily there are other companies out there who have recognized the huge rise in Cafe Racer popularity and have done something about it.
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Loaded Gun Bonneville Cafe Racer

2012-05-28T22:17:00.000+08:00

Cafe Racer TV has continued to spawn top quality Cafe Racers from the workshops being featured in each new series. One workshop that's now made appearances in all 3 seasons is Loaded Gun Customs from Selbyville, DE and this latest build is the best yet. The Bonneville Cafe Racer named the "72 Mono Racer" has had a full ground up rebuild and one of a kind custom treatment that will undoubtedly raise eyebrows and induce smiles where ever it goes.
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Hinckley Triumph Milonga by Cafe Twin

2012-05-26T13:21:00.000+08:00

On the back of the release of Cafe Twins short film "Milonga" I've got an exclusive look at the star of the film, their custom Hinckley Triumph Bonneville. Cafe Twin team member Enrica is the lovely red haired rider seen in the film and she sent me these great photos of the bike and details of its build. The Cafe Racer was customised in house by Cafe Twin using parts available through their website and some custom work completed by their skilled team.

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Motorcycle Girl 044

2012-05-25T07:49:00.000+08:00

A girl, a sword and a motorcycle. I'm guessing the art direction on this shoot was done by guy.

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Custom classics by Heiwa Motorcycles

2012-05-24T08:22:00.000+08:00

What is it about the Japanese that allows them to keep producing such original looking custom bikes? The following 3 jaw droppingly good looking bikes are the work of Japanese workshop HEIWA Motorcycles. They are are three of the most original looking custom builds I've seen in some time and I'm really looking forward to seeing what they will be building for this years Mooneyes show.

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Kevlar motorcycle jeans by Maple

2012-05-23T22:23:00.002+08:00

Last week I was lucky enough to be one of the first people in the world to receive a pair of Maple Motorcycle Jeans. If you've ever been shopping for protective motorcycle clothing and in particular kevlar motorcycle jeans, you'll know how bad some of the designs look and how expensive they can be. Dave from Maple Motorcycle Jeans is out to change this with his Kevlar lined, classically styled, raw denim jeans. I'm going to be doing a full review of these jeans once I have had some time to break them in, but if you read on you can see my first impressions.

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Norton Manx 500 by Works Racing

2012-05-22T18:27:00.002+08:00

What do you do when you have a few old 500s Manx Norton's in the shed that need fixing up, but you just can't seem to find the parts you need? Simple, buy yourself a CNC mill, draw up perfect 3D CAD replicas of every single engine part (after learning how to use CAD!) and mill them yourself.
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Matchless Cafe Racer by Studio Motor

2012-05-20T20:51:00.000+08:00

Matchless motorcycles hold a place in history as one of Britain's oldest motorcycle manufacturers, building their first production bikes in 1899. Matchless built a range of motorcycles from two strokes to 750cc twins, made significant developments in the advancement of motorcycle suspension and held the title of first single cylinder motorcycle to win the Isle of Mann TT (1907). Sadly though in 1966 Matchless closed their doors due to dwindling sales and debilitating financial losses. Seeing a Matchless out on the streets these days is a real treat but even better is finding a tastefully customised one.

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Cafe Twin short film Milonga

2012-05-19T17:06:00.002+08:00

Italian workshop Cafe Twin's last Cafe Racer film "Passo a due" lead us on a serene lap of Rome, past some of the ancient cities most iconic landmarks, as we followed one of their custom Triumph Cafe Racers. In their second short film "Milonga" they have left the streets of Rome to reveal Italy's picturesque countryside. To the tune of Tango classic 'Por una Cabeza', the films female rider adorns her Ruby helmet before piloting her Triumph Cafe Racer through stunning Italian landscapes. It's another visual and audio feast from the talented film makers and a great example of the quality of custom motorcycles rolling out of the Cafe Twin workshop.

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Motorcycle Girl 043

2012-05-18T07:05:00.001+08:00

Perhaps a new trend in motorcycle customisation?

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Triumph Thruxton Street Tracker

2012-05-17T21:40:00.004+08:00

Last time we heard from Dan he'd had an unfortunate accident that left him and the lovely Speed Merchant Thruxton Cafe Racer out of action. Thankfully Dan has since recovered from his injuries and the Speed Merchant team have been at it again with another custom Triumph Thruxton. This time round though rather than building a replacement Cafe Racer the guys have opted for a Street Tracker inspired design which you can drool over thanks to these new shots from Dan.

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Yamaha XS650 by Maria motorcycles

2012-05-16T21:13:00.002+08:00

If you're going to customise a motorcycle it's always best to start out with a bike that's got a good following and Yamaha's XS650 is just such a bike. Known for it's bulletproof engine and tricky electrics, the XS650 is a good solid base that will put your skills to the test and give you plenty of satisfaction when it's fired up again for the first time. This particular XS650 is named Eve and she's the first bike made by Lisbon based custom builders, Maria motorcycles.
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Ducati Monster MS4R by Paolo Tesio

2012-05-15T20:32:00.002+08:00

I will never forget the day a good friend excitedly told me "Ducati's released a new bike, it can do a wheelie in any gear and it's called the Monster!". Back in '93 my knowledge of Ducati's range was limited, but the words of my friend certainly had me interested and I wasn't the only one. By 2005 the Monster accounted for half of Ducati's global sales and today it is by far the best selling in the Italian manufacturers history. In my opinion though I feel that the Monsters design hasn't progressed in years and it feels a tad dated. Thankfully, it seems I'm not the only one who feels this way.
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Harley Davidson XL883 Gun Baby

2012-05-14T22:07:00.000+08:00

Last year Joe Cooper of Cooper Smithing Company grabbed our attention with the raw steel, hand formed bodywork of his Yamaha XT500 Cafe Racer. With his latest build the Gun Baby, he's returned to the Harley Davidson platform that won him a second place at the 2010 AMD World Championships. Starting out with a Harley Davidson XL883, some Buell components and a pile of sheet metal, Joe set out to build this bike with one thing in mind...fun.

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Renntag Racing Video

2012-05-14T05:15:00.005+08:00

This pretty much sums up everything I love about classic bikes. The sound, the style and the grass roots passion that surrounds them. Enjoy the vid, I'm sure you will (I sound like Yoda!).
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Motorcycle Girl 042

2012-05-11T09:30:00.001+08:00

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Inspiration from Le Container

2012-05-11T08:24:00.000+08:00

If you don't already have Le Container in your bookmarks or on your Blog roll you soon will. This is a small sample of recent motorcycle eye candy thats appeared on the site.

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Honda SLR650 Dominator The Needle

2012-05-10T21:50:00.003+08:00

"And now for something completely different"

Just when I thought I'd seen every type of custom motorcycle there is, along comes this whacked out ride from Mermaid Mototorcycles of Milan. Cafe Racer? Tracker? Push bike? I've been looking at it for about 30 minutes now and I still can't figure it out!!

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Yamaha XT600 The Mongrel

2012-05-09T11:30:00.000+08:00

This is the Mongrel. A custom Yamaha XT600 haling from the darker side of Sydney's Cafe Racer scene. The Mongrel is a purpose built street racer that's custom to the core and ridden hard on a daily basis.

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Honda S90 Cafe Racer by Deus

2012-05-08T18:28:00.002+08:00

Since I recently paid a visit to Deus Ex Machina in Sydney I thought it pertinent to feature one of the latest custom motorcycles to roll out of the Deus Temple of Enthusiasm in Bali. This is the Deus Honda S90 Cafe Racer.

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Moto Guzzi V7 video

2012-05-07T14:24:00.000+08:00

If you're familiar with the work of Chris Cunningham I'm sure this video by director Derek Nickell will give you flash backs of those gritty Aphex Twin music videos from a few years back. If not I suggest you knock back a red bull or two, turn the lights down and the sound up to really get the most out of this sensory overload of Moto Guzzi V7 goodness.

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Deus Ex Machina Sydney visit

2012-05-07T08:17:00.000+08:00

I spent the weekend in Sydney celebrating a mates Birthday (which I am still recovering from!) and while I was there I managed to fit in a quick visit to Deus Ex Machina in Camperdown. We had breakfast in the Deus cafe before stepping next door to bask in the glory that is their main showroom.
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Motorcycle Girl 041

2012-05-04T13:19:00.005+08:00

By popular demand this weeks "motorcycle girl" post features beautiful ladies on the motorcycles they personally ride!

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Moto Guzzi Ipothesys video

2012-05-03T19:38:00.001+08:00

A few weeks back I posted a story about the Ipothesys 8V Moto Guzzi and today we have a video of the modern Cafe Racer in action. While it may not be the most exciting video you will ever see there's a few things that make it a worthwhile watch.

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