Nothing grabs the headlines quite like an enormous selling price at auction. We’ve seen motorcycles sell for phenomenal money over...
Harley Davidson Cafe Racer
American manufacturer Harley Davidson was formed in 1903 when childhood friends William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson began building their first motorcycle. Surviving 2 world wars and great depression Harley has grown to become one of the world’s most recognized motorcycle brands.
Although these days many don’t consider Harleys as race machines the aptly named Sporsters were developed with racing in mind and for a period were the brand of choice for flat track racers. Harleys have always been associated with customization, most notably in the chopper scene.
Although a Harley Davidson cafe racer conversion is a challenging undertaking there’s no shortage of aftermarket parts available to help get it done.
So you’re obsessed with two wheels? Well, we see no reason why that obsession can’t span beyond motorcycles to include...
The annual custom motorcycle craziness that is the AMD World Championship of bike building has been and gone again. This...
It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since Harley Davidson unveiled their Livewire electric motorcycle concept. A lot has...
“We ran across this Aermacchi as we were sifting through piles of crashed bikes looking for a suitable donor bike...
“As an artist, I love beautiful things. I also love making things. When I get passionate about something, it’s only...
The results are out and the winners have been announced but what bikes were our favourite custom motorcycles from the...
The XLCR is the ultimate factory café racer, distinguished by its intimidating black appearance. It was the brainchild of Willie...
The XLCR stands out as the ultimate factory café racer, epitomizing the essence of badness and blackness. The name, derived...
Meet the extraordinary custom Harley-Davidson from the renowned Corbin Collection. Starting with a 1987 FXR, only the fuel tank and...
Fernando ‘Ferry’ Clot, a two-time World Champion, crafted this exceptional motorcycle, which secured a second-place finish in its class at...
Harley-Davidson’s race legacy was rooted in its dirt-track racers. To stay competitive for the number one plate, they introduced the...
This Harley-Davidson Sportster is a stylish classic motorcycle, meticulously rebuilt and modified in the café racer style. It was constructed...
Greg Hageman’s tasteful Sportster custom is both visually appetizing and technically masterful. Despite being renowned for customizing Yamahas, Hageman, a...
The 2005 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200R Roadster epitomizes the café racer aesthetic, featuring a potent 1,200cc V-twin engine paired with a...
David Zemla transformed this 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster into a scrambler for Burly Brand, featured prominently in advertisements and event displays....
In 2008, the renowned SPS (Special Parts Supply) company from the Netherlands crafted an exceptional custom motorcycle in the style...
The Brawler GT, created by Dar Holdsworth and Darwin Motorcycles, embodies their vision of an all-American motorcycle that can be...
Liberty Harley-Davidson of Rahway, New Jersey, modified this 2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750 with a shark theme. The customization includes special...
The ‘JT26 Rascal’ is a unique custom build inspired by Warr’s Harley-Davidson’s second consecutive UK and Ireland championship-winning bike, the...
This Harley motorcycle embodies the essence of the café racer style with its “dark custom” design and sleek mudguards. Its...
This custom Panhead, nicknamed “The Ace Of Burden,” was built by Deuce H Moto and Walker Smith Speed Shop to...
The FXRX-Wedge is a custom motorcycle built in 2010 by Dougz Custom Paint & Fabrication in collaboration with S&S Cycle...
The star of the 2022 Bangkok Hot Rod Custom Show was a heavily modified Sportster Forty-Eight Harley Davidson cafe racer,...
The ‘Harton CR1200’ uses a traditional cafe racer design approach. A beefy engine transplanted into a top-performing frame. It is...
Check out this great video of some guys in Germany on their Board Tracker style vintage Harleys burning around a...
The 2012 Bonneville Speed Week is wrapping up for another year. Thankfully it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot...
For most of its existence, the AMD World Championship of bike building has focused on chopper styled builds. Thankfully in...
With many of the major car manufacturers now developing electric vehicles it was only a matter of time before motorcycle...
The automotive industry has always been torrid, full of stories of receiverships and liquidations. Motorcycle manufacturing is no exception and...
Motorcycles and coffee are two items that appear on my list of things that I can’t live without, which is...
Taiwanese custom motorcycle builder Alex Gao has a tendency to base his cafe racer builds on rather unlikely donors. In...
I know a lot of people (including myself) probably wouldn’t choose a Harley as a base for their next Cafe...
Established by Dare Jennings, Rod Hunwick and Carby Tuckwell, Deus ex Machina in Camperdown, Sydney, produces motorcycles for the post-modern world. What the hell...
Deus ex Machina have released images of their latest custom build, the “New Blood”. Recently they seem to have moved...
Based on a 2008 Harley Davidson Sportster Nightster (seen below…thanks MCNEWS) the Deus V Twin Cafe Racer is a breath...
If you’re looking to modify a Harley Davidson Sportster there’s no shortage of aftermarket parts suppliers. You can purchase bolt-on...
As more and more workshops produce their own version of a Cafe Racer it’s only natural that we are going...
Mark Wilsmore, owner of Ace Cafe in London has partnered with custom bike builder Nick Gale and Ace Investor George...
Beautiful shots of beautiful motorbikes by Erik Runyon. I’m loving the colour of that tank. Maybe the colour...
Harley-Davidson is the indisputable king of cruisers. Sure they’ve dabbled with a few racing bikes in the past, but they...
This story first appeared in Tank Moto issue 12. This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a build by Japan’s...
Restaurant, hotel and casino chain Hard Rock Cafe are set to open their latest hotel venture on the Spanish island...
Harley Davidson based Cafe Racers always receive mixed emotions. The large V-Twin engine and cruiser dimensions prove difficult to balance...
More shots of the Harley Sportster 883 Cafe Racer by Passion 4 Custom I posted earlier today from photographer Simone Flash Benedetti. Simone...
An American heart with a British soul....
I’ve never been a huge fan of Harleys. In school my mates all used to go crazy for them but...
No matter how much purists proclaim that a Harley based Cafe Racer motorcycle is nonsense they are still going to...
This popped up on the Biltwell facebook page and I felt compelled to share. It’s a heavily customised ’84 Harley Davison...
I spotted a photo of the bike online and managed to dig up these three images. It’s one of the...
It’s not often I post articles about custom builds based on Harley Davidsons. Harleys tend not to be popular in...
Dan from the Speed Merchant dropped me an email the other day to let me know about their awesome 39mm...
Although the Spacester’s name may have been pulled straight out of a cheesy 50’s Sci-fi flick it’s styling is nothing...
Last year Joe Cooper of Cooper Smithing Company grabbed our attention with the raw steel, hand formed bodywork of his Yamaha...
Unfortunately, my Japanese isn’t great and details on the website are limited so here’s what I managed to translate...
The build of the K1 was undertaken by a talented group of individuals who donated their time and skills to...
Another Harley? Yep that’s right two Harley’s is less than one week and both involved California based Chopper workshop, Brawny...
Got a soft spot for the rumble of a Harley V-twin and Cafe Racer styling? Hogbitz speedshop in the UK are...
If you don’t already have Le Container in your bookmarks or on your Blog roll you soon will. This is...
Photo by Brandon LaJoie ‘Cafe Racers of Instagram’. The name alone strikes fear and awe into the hearts of anyone...
“Modern Retro”. That’s how Taiwan born, LA based Samuel Kao of JSK Custom Design describes his ‘Ivory Comet’ Cafe Racer....
Taking the red pill. As the story goes back in 2007 Keanu had a custom Harley Davidson built by Gard Hollinger....
I’ve always been in two minds about the custom motorcycles built by Fred Krugger but this time round although the...
Harley’s continue to be the underdog in the Cafe Racer scene. Although I’ve featured plenty of Harley Davidson Cafe Racers...
Generally speaking, first-time bike builds are a practice run for future projects. So in most cases, they’re a little rough...
I know a guy who reviews beer. The best part about his gig is that he gets to drink every...
Chicara Nagata of Chica custom motorcycles got a lot of attention for his liquid chrome series of custom motorcycles. The...
It’s the start of yet another working week. What better way to get through the day than by drooling over...
Fancy owning a Wrenchmonkee motorcycle? The Gorilla Punch is going under the hammer along with Monkee #7. You can place...
Another Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show has wrapped up and the web is starting to buzz with photos and videos...
In 2014, Harley Davidson introduced the world to the Street 500. The water-cooled 500cc, US & Indian built, learner approved...
Studies have shown that hardiness is the reason why certain people thrive in the face of adversity. When presented with...
Luxembourg’s Blacktrack Motors have been steadily ramping things up since they started back in 2015. They kicked things off with...
Tim Kills BSA A65 Bobber On November 3rd & 4th I co-hosted a custom motorcycle exhibition in Melbourne named Oil...
Being unconventional takes guts. It means having the confidence to buck trends, do the unexpected and disregard what neigh sayers...
Two things we don’t feature on this website all that often are Harley Davidsons and Scramblers. Well, today we’re bucking...
The 9th annual Sturgis AMD World Championship of bike building (try saying that after a few pints!) has just wrapped...
Bosozoku biker gangs once ruled the streets of Japan, these days though they are more of a nuisance than anything...
What do you get when you cross a Laverda with a Harley and a Ducati? You get a Ducati 860...
Roland Sands has created several custom motorcycles he has labeled as Cafe Racers and although purists would question if these...
I just stumbled across this video interview with Roland Sands discussing his 2013 RSD line of apparel. In the video...
With the increasing popularity of the custom motorcycle scene, we’re starting to see some interesting and sometimes unlikely pairings between...
It seems to have become customary for motorcycle manufacturers to leverage the hype surrounding the custom scene to release their...
I think it’s fair to say that outside of the US one of the biggest markets for custom-built Harleys would...
Shinya’s steam punk esque Harley at El Mirage 2011 speed trials chicomoto.blogspot.com chabottengineering.com...
The 2012 Fast Dates Calendar Motorcycle Show took place over the weekend. This years event organisers invited legendary custom builder,...
It’s not often we see crossovers between the world of 4 and 2 wheeled vehicles. When it has happened in...
It’s been some time since I featured a custom build from Italy’s South Garage. That doesn’t mean that Enzo and...
Although they call each other allies the US and the UK never quite see eye to eye. One area where...
If ever there was a person destined to become a metal fabricator it would have to be Jay Donovan. Jay...
“If you want something done, do it yourself”. Try following that mantra when it comes to building a custom motorcycle....
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
Sweatpants Media have released a video of the Technics Harley Sportster Cafe Racer I featured a few weeks back. Built...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
Brandon Holstein run a workshop called ‘Brawny Built’ in Signal Hills, California where he does everything from basic servicing through...
Over the past few years Taiwanese workshop Rough Crafts have achieved amazing things in the world of custom motorcycles. Their...
Happy new year! Well, that wraps up yet another year of cafe racer content. Like the previous year, 2021 was...
