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.
There are a thousand ways to approach motorcycle customization. Some custom builders are slaves to geometry, creating machines that boast architectural levels of mathematical harmony. Then there are artisans like Mike Chen. Mike runs the eponymous Mike’s Garage in Taipei, Taiwan. His builds often appear to be cobbled together from mismatched parts, but the reality…
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Modern classic café racers rule the roost this week. We kick off with a superbly nipped and tucked BMW R nineT 100 Years edition from the USA, before crossing the pond to check out a Triumph Trident 660 from France. Spain’s Tamarit Motorcycles wraps things up with another pitch-perfect Triumph Thruxton RS.
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Pepo Rosell, better known as XTR Pepo, is a force of nature. He originally burst onto the scene with his specialist custom workshop, Radical Ducati, before taking a break and relaunching as a solo act. Often inspired by classic endurance racers, Pepo’s bikes convey a sense of speed—with a hint of eccentricity. Pepo’s portfolio is…
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Planning to tackle the Dakar Rally? The 2026 KTM 450 Rally Replica has you covered. If modern café racers are more your thing, we have a Honda CB550 from The Netherlands and a Ducati SportClassic from Australia to sate that appetite.
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The Ducati Scrambler 1100 is not long for this world. Rather than update its aging engine (originally borrowed from the Monster 1100)…
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There’s no denying the popularity of the classic BMW boxer—but it does have its idiosyncrasies. Perhaps the most infamous of these is…
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The Motor Co. releases their shiniest special edition yet—the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Gray Ghost—while a well-established Japanese workshop turns a Honda CB750…
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The exact definition of ‘café racer‘ is often debated, but it holds a special meaning for Kenji Heianzan, founder of the Japanese…
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Michelangelo famously said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” I’ve long suspected that Yuichi…
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The fabled Tonti frame has formed the backbone of countless Moto Guzzi motorcycles over the years—but some of them wore it better…
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Firefighter-turned-custom bike builder Chris Scholtka has a knack for building slick, and somewhat hot-rodded, café racers. This Royal Enfield Continental GT 650…
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If you’ve ever thought the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 would make the perfect rally bike, this week’s opening act is for you.…
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