1969 Honda S90 Café Racer
Monday, June 20, 2011 
Most motorcycle shops start by building bikes for a living and then end up printing the odd tee with their logo on it to sell on the side. Not these guys. They started a clothing label that now builds bikes on the side. Uprising is label designed by two guys from Jakarta, Ariadi Poernomo and Pedi Tahir. "30 year old kids with motorcycles in our hearts," says Ariadi. "Our clothing is coming out later this year and we've always teamed up with local talented builders to make our rides; we've decided we wanted it to be part of the brand... which is why all our bikes are a collaboration. But sooner or later we are planning to have our own workshop. We do sell these bikes afterwards, so we can build more new stuff." They have many bikes on the go at the moment but their latest is this stunning 1969 honda s90 café racer.
"We teamed up with a builder by the name of Pisone Terrasse. We wanted to make a clubman and a cafe racer but the main thing was to keep it in its original form, slick and clean knowing that keeping bikes in their original form will be good for their value in the future. So we chose the s90 because of the small hanging engine and the funky-looking gas tank. The hardest part was finding some of its original parts and we rebuilt the engine from scratch as well. It took about 2 months for this project to be well prepared for the road."
"We go to all this trouble 'cause we believe there's value and soul in these vintage bikes. This bike took around two months finish, and once we got the clubman bars on it looked beautiful. We also wanted a clubman-looking seat as well."
"Some of the parts were actually bought from friends who we know still had some n.o.s. parts for the s90. The tank and headlight and speedometer are n.o.s that we bought. The ones that came with the motorcycle were bad. Luckily we didnt have to buy the parts from outside of Indonesia. The seat was custom made; we wanted to make a simple cafe racer seat which does not stand out too much so the main focus is still the gas tank. The engine it self is all stock."
We reckon that Uprising is set to make a small fortune from their clothes. And if that doesn't pan out due to some strange, freakish twist in the space/time continuum then hell knows they'll sure be able to make it rich with their spannering. Anyone looking to invest in a sure thing?
Reader Comments (30)
perfection.
cue "AlwaysOnTwo" with some dumbass negative comment about how this isn't what motorcycles is about and throwing around the word hipster
Good call on the seat - too many cafe racers (to my eye) blow the seat proportions and you focus on that rather than the rest of the bike.
Sweet. Hipsters... ;)
that is one beautiful little bike. great work.
Call me purist, but anything labeled "cafe' racer" really oughta be capable of 100 MPH, and stamped steel frames need not apply. That said, the styling is wildly evocative.
Can't see how it could be any better than this. Call it "cafe racer style" if you must Nuerburger, but it does evoke the genre, as you said.
Inspiring
great build, the colour choice, the understated seat, the original tank. im not really familiar with the s90's whats the chromed thing around the carb? looks like an oil bag.
Hey guys this is my first post Ive been browsing this website for a couple of months now since i got into the whole Cafe Racer groove i LOVE these bikes and this one actually looks really similar to the one im building right now. its a 1964 Yamaha YA6. do you guys know any cheap online stores to buy these seats and handle bars and the throttle accessories? im a 20 year old college student in California and i honestly cant afford much :/ but my bike is coming out really good! Im hoping it could be featured on this website sometime in the near future when im done. Thanks for a great bike and website!
Considering the starting material (an S90), it's cool. It ain't gonna win no high HP backstreet throwdown, but it's cool.
RNR22, Try ROC CITY Cafe Racers. Hope you find success with your project.
@RNR22 Don't discount Ebay as well...
a lot of cheap guys just build their own seats using skate boards/ wood, foam and vinly. there are a couple write ups about it as for low bars cut and find a friend who can weld your old bars.
@ BUM: It's an air filter. i have a S90 too, and my fave things about the bike are the gas tank and air filter.
Hey pipeburn,
Thanks for the tips and tricks i've been doing all the work on the bike myself so i think ill stick to finishing it with my bare hands, welding and all, as for the Cafe Seat would you happen to have any specific sources that you can post links to? anyhelp would be Greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
RNR22
How do those rearsets stay in place mounted to the swingarm axle?
The shift linkage detracts from the bike and if I am seeing it right in the picture, the shift lever is mounted behind the peg bracket. I would think that the bracket bolt would be hard on the shoe or worse yet, a bare foot during shifts. I like the rest of the bike, especially the color, I only remember them in black and an ocassional white one!
Actually, nothing but positives on this one. It's got a clutch and a gearbox, ergo it's a motorcycle not a motorbike. Nicely done with the exception of the ground hugging gearshift linkage.
Gorgeous bike. Great project. Congrats, good luck.
Its aesthetics have been tastefully done. It's got the "Cafe" half of Cafe Racer, but lose the racing number....a healthy pensioner on a bicycle will overtake most S90's.
hey guys thx for all the feedback and support.
do check out my blog yah http://uprising149.tumblr.com/
Quit dissin on the s90 guys. I still have one. On any given day it is good for about 57mph. Not bad for a nearly 50 year old 90 with a four speed transmission. Ain't no bicycle going to keep up with that jerk.
What's up with the hipster comments? Don't those fools ride fixie bikes?
Now thats a nice Bike, I love the old Cafe Racer style!
Simply Awesome. I want one. I think Honda could make a fortune remarketing a bike like this. I had a 68 model and drove the hell out of it. Very reliable . This get's 5 Eh's from former Canadian Rocker Mic Nuggette'.
Viva Le Mic Nuggette' New album out 10/12/12
nice work & long live uprising!
I have a buddy that has three of these -- in black paint -- out in the garage.
Imagine this job in a high gloss black paint.
'Scuse me, but I think I have to build something.... ;-)
wow...what a beautiful S90. Where i i find a rear set and the handle bar like this bike? I have a 1965 Honda S90 and I am interested in the similar setup. thanks...Nick