Return of the Cafe Racers

Honda Nighthawk Cafe Racer

2013-06-18T04:52:00.001+08:00

After recently featuring AdHoc's 3rd Cafe Racer build it wouldn't be right if I didn't take a quick look back at his second. Based on a late model CB750 'Night Hawk', Ad Hoc has managed to achieve the unachievable, he's made it look good. Don't get my wrong, I love the CB, it's just that somewhere around the late 80's early 90's the Honda design department lost sight of the CB's rich history in favour of "modern styling" which was quickly outdated.

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Flash Rabbit Yamaha XS650

2013-06-14T20:11:00.002+08:00

Yamaha's legendary XS650, it's reputation precedes it. The XS is one of the most widely customised bikes in the world so to see one that's original without being over the top is an inspiration (especially since I still have a half built one in my shed!). This XS comes from Flash Rabbit Custom Garage in Jakarta, Indonesia and it's builder Derby Romero has been dreaming about building it for quite some time.
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Champion Deluxe iPhone 5 case

2013-06-14T16:10:00.000+08:00

After the success of the Firestone Deluxe inspired iPhone 4 phone cases, 100MPH have just begun production of their iPhone 5 version. Just like the last model the cases are made from hard knock and dirt proof, soft silicone rubber and have a super snug fit, but instead of featuring the 'Return of the Cafe Racers' logo on the side the iPhone 5 case will have "DELUXE CHAMPION" embossed on it, just like the iconic tyres!

This is a shot of a test case. The full production run will be shipping mid July. If you'd like to secure one of the new cases now they are taking pre-orders on the 100MPH web store... I think it's time I upgraded my phone!

**PRE-ORDER NOW**

Wildstyle Zt Ultima Cafe Racer

2013-06-13T21:12:00.003+08:00

After my post about the award winning Cafe Racers at the 2013 AMD World Championship of Bike Building, the team at Wildstyle dropped me an email about their "Zt". The powder blue, Ultima powered Zt took out 6th place in the freestyle class and while it looks pretty crazy it actually appears to be one of the more functional builds in this year's lineup. Wildstyle sent through these shots which were taken at the AMD studio along with details of the build.
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Suzuki Savage Pocket Monster

2013-06-12T19:23:00.004+08:00

Back in 2011 we took a look at an impeccable Kawasaki W650 Cafe Racer built by David Seidman. Since then Dave has been busy setting up a new workshop just outside of New York city named ADS Motorcycles. ADS have recently become a reseller for Ryca (the company who produce bolt in Cafe kits for the Suzuki Savage) so to inspire customers and showcase their skills Dave decided to get a little creative. The result is a truly unique RYCA kit build Dave refers to as the "Pocket Monster".
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Junior Burrell Honda CM400

2013-06-11T22:34:00.003+08:00

Just before the One Motorcycle Show rocked Austin, Texas in April I featured a bike built by Retro Moto owner, Junior Burrell. It was his heavily customised Honda CM400 Cafe Racer which he built as a personal project. The aim was to build a bike that featured as much of his own fabrication work as possible and he'd certainly done a good job of it. What I didn't get to show you though was the final bit of fabrication he completed just in time to get the bike in for the show, the front fairing.

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Rockers & Gentlemen Cafe Nights

2013-06-11T22:34:00.002+08:00

The Rockers & Gentlemen Motorbike Coalition in Hollywood, California have just released their latest feature video in conjunction with Iron & Air. This is the second video headed by director and club member Ramzi Hogan, shot at night on the back streets of Hollywood. Stylistically the video looks a lot like a feature film trailer (I think the movie 'DRIVE' was a big influence) with a super slick finish and nothing but perfectly framed shots...
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Sofi's Honda CB550 Cafe Racer

2013-06-10T18:06:00.003+08:00

Here's our second collaborative feature from the premiere issue of Tank Moto Magazine; Sofi Tsingo's Honda CB550 Cafe Racer. Every custom build has a story, some better than others, and Sofi's is one that I would place in the better category. It's not just about the bolts and trick bits that went into creating the bike it's a father/daughter story that you don't often come across in the auto scene.

The following is an outtake from the full article in Tank Moto Magazine issue 1 written by Karlee Sangster...

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Motorcycle Girl 084

2013-06-08T12:08:00.002+08:00

Photography by Bobby Do Right

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Garage46 Yamaha XS650

2013-06-07T23:14:00.003+08:00

Minimalism is a style or technique characterised by extreme sparseness and simplicity. In the world of custom motorcycle building this basically means removing everything you can without stopping it from working. To demonstrate this lets take look at Giancarlo's Yamaha XS650 built at his GARAGE46 workshop in Panama City, Central America.
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ROTCR on Instagram

2013-06-06T10:32:00.006+08:00

Return of the Cafe Racers has just clocked over 1000 followers on Instagram, which I'm pretty chuffed about. If you're on "the gram" and you want to join me as I delve deep into the Aussie custom motorcycle scene you can click the button below to start following.

Loaded Gun TSY Tramp Bonneville

2013-06-04T23:03:00.002+08:00

Great things happen when talented people cross paths and beers get drunk. In this particular instance I'm referring to Jon Patrick, the man behind The Selvedge Yard and Kevin Dunworth owner of one of my favourite custom workshops, Loaded Gun Customs. Together the two have combined their ideas to create the Blackbird "Tramp", a heavily modified '73 OIF Triumph Bonneville which I have been given the honour of revealing here on the blog. Rather than giving you the usual technical build breakdown I asked JP to fill us in on how the bike came together to which he replied...

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The Fox Royal Enfield Bullet

2013-06-03T22:36:00.001+08:00

The 'Genus V' is a series of 5 custom built motorcycles designed as "affordable and attainable" builds by Norfolk based workshop, Old Empire Motorcycles. The Fox is the first Genus V build to roll out of the OEM workshop and was built in the image of their Royal Enfield Electra 'Pup' from 2012. Powered by a 2012 500cc thumper the Fox is a fresh take on Enfield's half a century old Bullet design.

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Old Spirit Honda CB750

2013-06-01T21:52:00.001+08:00

I've always been a naked guy. Not like the ones that run across the field during the Ashes or walk around the gym change room for 15 minutes "air drying", I'm a devoted fan of motorcycles devoid of fairings...or at least I was until I started taking notice of classic race bikes. While I'm still not a fan of the angular fairings of modern sportsbikes, I seem to have developed a soft spot for the smooth curves of a retro racer. I now have a true appreciation for a bit of well mounted fibreglass which is exactly why this beast of a CB750 named 'Old Spirit' is joining us today.
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Motorcycle Girl 083

2013-05-31T07:51:00.001+08:00

Girl in a bubble.

Yamaha XS650 Acid King

2013-05-30T21:07:00.002+08:00

If you ask me there's two types of custom build, the clean and the down right dirty. Richard and Lex from Netherlands based workshop Left Hand Cycles are back again with another custom Yamaha XS650. Last time it was all about perfect paint and a spotless finish this time it's all dents, grime and ample amounts of rust...and I'm loving it.
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Honda CB250 Brat Tracker

2013-05-28T22:38:00.001+08:00

Nothing pleases me more than learning about a new Australian custom motorcycle builder. Last week Matt Hipsley from Salty Speed Co. dropped me an email with some shots of the first bike to roll out of his New South Whales based workshop. A civil engineer by trade, Matt turned his interest to rebuilding cars and now bikes thanks to the support of a family filled with automotive passion. His '72 Honda CB250Brat Tracker ticks all the right boxes for neck snapping style and good time grins which I suspect will be an ongoing trend with Salty Speed Co.

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Alex Earle Ducati Monster Tracker

2013-05-27T20:38:00.003+08:00

Welcome to the first Tank Moto/Return of the Cafe Racers collaboration feature. Through my work as Editor in-Chief on Tank Moto Magazine I will be gaining exclusive access to images and stories from each issue of the magazine. These features are a small sample of the images and stories you will find in each issue of the magazine, so if you like what you see be sure to grab yourself a copy of our Australian made and produced, independent publication here.

Our first Tank Moto feature bike caused a flurry of online excitement back in 2012 when photographer Daniel Simon released a small set of early build images. The Street Tracker styled custom was built by automotive designer Alex Earle on a '94 Ducati Monster base. It's as unique as it is well made and will soon be available in kit form...
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Caviga 350 Poptah by Ad Hoc

2013-05-26T22:44:00.000+08:00

It's been less than a year since David from Ad Hoc Cafe Racers sent me pictures of his first workshop build, the incredible custom Moto Morini K2 that had everyone sitting up and taking notice. Since then he's managed to roll 2 more stunning custom builds out of his workshop in Spain with the latest being this 'Poptah' Alazzurra Cagiva 350.
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Throttle Roll 2013 wrap up

2013-05-24T19:32:00.003+08:00

It's a wrap! The 2013 Throttle Roll was a resounding success. The crew at Sydney Cafe Racers did a stellar job organising a world class event packed full of incredible custom bikes. Now that it's all over the guys have released this awesome video (after the jump) so everyone who couldn't make it along can keep on wishing they did...
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Motorcycle Girl 082

2013-05-24T19:21:00.002+08:00

Motorcycles and mascara don't mix.

Yamaha XS650 Redback Cafe Racer

2013-05-23T21:57:00.003+08:00

Down here in Australia it seems like Mother Nature's hell bent on killing us all off. Our surrounding oceans are filled with massive man eating sharks, our northern rivers infested with prehistoric crocodiles, our bushland home to a dozen species of deadly snakes (a dozen!!!) and in our very own backyards one of the world's deadliest, 8 legged freaks, the Redback spider. Being born and raised in Western Australia I have seen hundreds of Redbacks in my time. Their all black body and vibrant red stripe is an unmistakable warning that we all learn to stay the hell away from, so you can imagine my reaction when I opened up an email from Travis Child and was confronted by this. After a quick change of underwear I returned to my desk to learn about his custom XS650 which I have wittily coined, The Redback.

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Dirt Quake 2 Power Sliding

2013-05-23T21:04:00.001+08:00

Just like eating hard shelled tacos, belching a national anthem or finding a G-spot there's a lot of skill required to master power sliding. On Saturday the 8th of June Sideburn magazine is challenging you to prove you have what it takes to be a champion of the skids at Dirt Quake 2. This year the crazy folks from El Solitario will be joining in the action and have put together a quick vid to get you started (after the jump). So if you're anywhere near Norfolk Arena (UK) get your inappropriate road bike, Tracker or f**k yeah Chopper out on the dirt and have yourself some fun!
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One Motorcycle Show 2013 builder stories

2013-05-22T20:00:00.002+08:00

The builders, the bikes, the one motorcycle show. Check out the vid with loads of action from the show, builder stories and and great shots of the bikes after the jump...

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2013 AMD World Championship Cafe Racers

2013-05-22T17:29:00.002+08:00

The annual custom motorcycle craziness that is the AMD World Championship of bike building has been and gone again. This year along with the plethora of out of this world choppers we also saw a huge jump in Cafe Racer styled bikes competing for the crown. First, second and third places in the street performance category were taken out by Cafe Racers and several others held top ten positions in the freestyle class. Here's a few of winners and runner ups...

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