In 2007, Gregg DesJardins of GC Customs crafted an unparalleled streetfighter motorcycle, representing the pinnacle of customization. Starting with a...
Yamaha Cafe Racer
Yamaha’s first motorcycle appeared in 1955. The 125cc two-stroke YA-1 went straight to the racetrack and started winning titles. Yamaha has built on those race credentials over the years, winning at the IOM TT and the Paris Dakar. Yamaha continues to run a successful factory race team in Moto GP.
Yamaha’s contribution to the custom motorcycle world includes the highly successful and long loved SR400 and SR500 singles we see in so many café racer builds. Other Yamaha custom favourites include the seventies XS650 twins and more recently their XSR700 and XSR900 Sport Heritage range.
Boner…That’s what this custom Yamaha XS650 is called. Not your usual custom build title but Death Spray Customs isn’t your...
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know there are very few commonalities between nautical craft and motorcycles. Infact the...
After spying the Yamaha XJR400 cafe racer on their website we contacted C-Racer crew member Antonis Kapetanios who was kind...
Daniel cut his teeth on cars and bikes at a young age. “I drove my first moped at the age...
The saying ‘to bite off more than you can chew’ is one that many budding bike builders can relate to....
Back in 2005, when I first became interested in the Japanese custom motorcycle scene, finding insights into their world took...
These days you don’t get much of a bike for 300 quid. Every now and then though you hear about...
There are countless failures throughout automotive history. All of the big motorcycle manufacturers have at least one they’d prefer to...
Thanks to their continued support of custom workshops, Yamaha Motorcycles have played an integral role in the growth of the...
Cafe Racer SSpirit, located in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, is a motorcycle customization workshop founded in late 2014 by a family...
Down here in Australia it seems like Mother Nature’s hell bent on killing us all off. Our surrounding oceans are...
There was always a motorcycle in our house when I was growing up, but my father’s real passion was collectible...
Looking back over a few of our recent features it seems that building retro customs out of modern sports bikes...
As anyone starting up a new company should do the pair decided to launch their brand with a bang. So,...
It’s getting easier and easier to build a cafe racer. It used to be that you’d either have to pay...
In the early days of Yamaha’s venture into motorcycle production their YA-, affectionately known as the Akatombo or Red Dragonfly,...
After my recent purchase of a Yamaha TW200 I have rediscovered my love of “little” bikes. While I’m not about...
I first met the Ask Motorcycle guys when I went to the Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod and custom show in...
This may sound ridiculous, but sometimes I wish I lived in a place where riding during winter wasn’t an option....
After one full day of owning the 1979 XS650 Special Giancarlo’s called it quits. Stranded on the side of the...
This 1981 Yamaha XV750 Virago has been transformed into a cafe racer, featuring a metallic gray finish with gold accents....
Brrr… Lars and Jorg of Motorradtke GbR in Germany traditionally build and maintain Superbikes for the race track. However after...
During the early 1970s, Kenny Roberts shot to stardom as a rider in the American Yamaha racing team. In 1973...
Rapid prototyping, CNC machining, 3d printing! Whatever happened to good old hammers, spanners, and the occasional grinder? I get a...
Nothing beats a hand me down, especially when it’s in the form of a motorcycle. When Christian was given his...
The Yamaha Yardbuilt series has been running for an impressive 7 years now. Since then Yamaha has commissioned over 50...
I never thought I was a fan of muscle bikes until I rode a Yamaha XJR1300. It was in 2015...
But, dear reader, should you? Is it worth tracking down one of Yamaha’s cheerful little runabouts for your next custom...
Bernhard Naumann, aka Blechmann, grew up in Burgenland, a federal state of Austria in central Europe. Growing up in a...
Just got home after spending the day out with the guys from Fuel Tank TV and Christian from Modern Motorcycles....
When great minds come together, great things happen. Often in the world of custom motorcycle building workshops keep to themselves....
Since launching Return of the Cafe Racers back in 2006 I have only come across two builders who have managed...
Buying any customised or incomplete motorcycle can be fraught with danger. That’s why we recommended against it in our 10...
A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of meeting the Muharremi brothers, the duo behind the United Kingdom’s...
Jesse attributes his interest in building bikes to a 1971 Honda CB175 he restored with his father at the age...
As with the other Yamaha XJR1300 Yardbuilt bikes the Botafogo-N was constructed without performing any modifications to the bike’s frame....
Deus Bali appeared on the scene only a few short months ago and it seems they are already wheeling some...
Yamaha’s Yardbuilt series is the brainchild of the companies visionary project manager, Shun Miyazawa. The series kicked off back in...
The Modern Motorcycle Company is a custom workshop based in Melbourne, Victoria. Owned and run by Christian Condo the workshop...
What’s not to love about two-stroke motorcycles? The alluring smell, the exhilarating sound and the white-knuckled terror of an unpredictable...
Not content with simply building a tidy Yamaha SR based Cafe Racer, the crew at Rocker Classic Cycles decided to...
You’ll have to forgive me for veering off the Cafe Racer path slightly but when I see a custom motorcycle like this...
Mark Bliss is a man of many talents, but it’s his work with motorcycles he’s most proud of. Both of...
The mighty Yamaha XS650 has been a hot favourite in the custom scene for decades and a personal favourite of...
Yamaha XS650 Classic Cafe built by the Wheely shop. A beautiful balance of old styling and modern technology. ...
“Sport Heritage” Never has the combination of those two words made as much sense as when applied to the Yamaha...
Berry Bads Motorcycles are yet another Japanese custom tuner/builder who’s work has caught my attention. With a gallery full of Bobbers,...
Tim Kills BSA A65 Bobber On November 3rd & 4th I co-hosted a custom motorcycle exhibition in Melbourne named Oil...
Andi Akbar and his Jakarta based workshop Katros Garage aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Katros Garage has continued...
Neo-retro cafe racers have certainly become “a thing”. Merging retro styling with modern engineering is a very appealing proposition for...
While the idea of belting down a freeway at a ton and a half on a big bore Cafe Racer...
Greg Hageman, aka Hageman Motorcycles, aka Doc Chops may not have been the first to build a Virago cafe racer,...
Yamaha’s ‘Race Developed’ series of motorcycles from the early seventies left a lasting impression on the motorcycling world. The 1973...
If you’re going to customise a motorcycle it’s always best to start out with a bike that’s got a good...
There are a handful of motorcycles that became the poster children of the “new wave” cafe racer scene at the...
The old saying ‘practice makes perfect’ rings true in the custom motorcycle community. Over the years I’ve seen many builders...
Stu Lloyd grew up in the UK during the late ’70s and early ’80s. As a young boy, his leisure...
There’s beauty in simplicity. Apple have proved that with their design approach and in the custom motorcycle world that...
Theo’s Frankenstein bike started out as a ‘96 Yamaha TRX but very few TRX components remain. The new engine hails...
Due to the surging demand for nostalgia-infused motorcycles with a retro aesthetic, it was no surprise that Yamaha decided to...
In motorsport, race teams are always looking for new ways to improve lap times. Back in the fifties when motorcycles...
The Yamaha XS650 could easily be labelled as the greatest British motorcycle ever built outside of Britain. Powered by a...
Auto Fabrica has transformed this Yamaha XJ600 into a one-of-a-kind modern classic sports bike known as the “Type 24”. This...
My dog doesn’t care for the Yamaha XSR900. When I arrive home on any other motorcycle the small ball of...
Feast your eyes on Jay LaRossa’s 1978 Yamaha SR500 “Solus” in this short video by Ricki Bedenbaugh. This video reminds me of...
This Yamaha XS650 stands out as a captivating and tastefully modified representation of the popular classic Japanese motorcycle. Crafted into...
The Blue Rhapsody takes its main inspiration from the 90’s race bikes Keinosuke saw on the streets of Japan in...
What you’ll also notice about this Yamaha XS850 Special is it’s a tad rough around the edges (which makes it even more appealing...
This Yamaha SRX600 has been meticulously transformed into a bespoke cafe racer with a sleek and unique style. It boasts...
“I guess, it’s a modern take on a Cafe Racer, but I was born around 20 years too late to...
On a recent trip to Sydney I stuck my head in at Deus (as always) and grabbed a copy of...
Most custom motorcycles rolling out of workshops tend to be polished to perfection or feature paint jobs more expensive than...
The red ‘Monster’ which was built back in 2013 for the Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show and the blue...
The Winning Loser. Saved from a scrapyard and transformed in to a piece of custom motorcycle art, this Yamaha SR 250...
Vintage Steele of Brattleboro, Vermont, transformed this 1975 Yamaha XS650 into a café-racer. The bodywork, featuring the original four-gallon fuel...
Here’s a great segment from the cutting room floor of Cafe Racer TV. In this online episode they reveal the...
Dressed all in black the Skullmonkee is easily recognisable as a Wrenchmonkees build. Tight proportions, clean lines, killer finishes...
The Yamaha XV920 ‘Double Shot’ is a prime example of Yamaha’s timeless cruising motorcycle, skillfully transformed and rebuilt in the...
Yet another outstanding issue of Fuel Magazine is just about to hit the shelves. Grab a copy to see my...
“My name is Teguh Setiawan. I’m a 23 years old and studying at a university in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In 2012...
The Wrenchmonkees have just released details of the bike that represents a half-century of custom motorcycle builds from the Denmark based...
Back in 2016, Yamaha bit itself off a decent-sized chunk of the modern retro market with the release of the...
I hate to say it but there is a downside to riding a classic British cafe racer. Sure you’ll revel...
The XJR1300 was delivered to the Denmark workshop of the Wrenchmonkees with the basic brief of “make it even better”....
For the Yardbuilt 2017 XSR700 project, Yamaha selected 7 workshops from different European locations to take part in the event. Representatives from Italy,...
I spent the weekend in Sydney celebrating a mates Birthday (which I am still recovering from!) and while I was...
The Arcanum build began when I picked up a ‘78 Yamaha SR500 from a guy in Newcastle, it was an...
“I have been riding motorcycles on and off road for more than a decade and I wanted to combine my...
Moto Nisto of Ypsilanti, Michigan, expertly transformed this 1980 Yamaha XS650 into a stunning Cafe Racer. The modifications done on...
The Skorpion Sport was produced by German motorcycle manufacturer MZ (Motorrad und Zweiradwerk) between 1994 and 2004. Although you may have never...
We all know Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s second only to McDonald’s for making Americans fat and scaring farm animals globally....
Over in the UK Shaun & Carl of custom workshop ‘Down and Out’ Cafe Racers usually play with parallel twins, but...
Some people find it a real struggle to sit still. Take Stu Lloyd for example. It hasn’t even been 4...
If you happen to be near The Dues Ex Machina store in Camperdown Sydney this week a quick visit is definitely in...
Trevers father, John Scales, was a 2 stroke road racer during the 1970s. “I heard so many stories from my...
This 1982 Yamaha XV750 Virago has undergone extensive customization with a range of unique components. These custom additions include a...
Gold Rush is Daniel’s 3rd XJR1200 based build. As you would expect by now he’s become somewhat of an XJR...
A collaboration with El Solitario seemed like the perfect pairing for Yamaha’s next Yard Built project, but as El Solitario’s...
Back in 2006 one of the first motorcycles that really got me excited about the custom scene was a Yamaha...
