Category - Café Racer

NATIONAL PRIDE: 2015 SYM SB300 by Mike’s Garage.

Despite a well-established global presence, Sanyang Motors — or “SYM” as it’s better known by — isn’t a company that’s given much thought or attention in the Western motorcycle world. This, however, isn’t the case in SYM’s native country of...

FLYING DUTCHMAN: Suzuki GSX400F Cafe Racer.

In the early '80s the big bad Suzuki Katana shook up the motorcycle world with its aggressive German design and dynamite Japanese performance. While many of those GSX1100 models live on today in everything from original trim to full racer in the hands of Team...

BMW IN HIS BLOOD: 1985 K100RS by K Bike Cafe.

Maybe there is something in the water, a hidden venom or a secret spider, because for certain people a brand gets into their blood and there's no letting go. Be it two wheels or four, for Ron Dey from Arkansas he's totally obsessed with the best of Bavarian,...

TURN AND BURN: Kawasaki W800 ‘Maverick’ by Shif Customs.

Seinfeld fans hear about a 'journey from Milan' and instantly recall George's obsession with an erotic movie from his local video store, Rochelle Rochelle. But it's always been the Tom Cruise, high flying, hard riding flick from the '80s that always got the...

SPORTSBIKE TREATMENT: Honda CX500 by Tossa R.

Almost immediately upon its release the Honda CX500 was derided and ridiculed, the nicknames were rarely kind and with prices reduced they became the go-to motorcycle for two-wheeled couriers. But with an engine designed by legend of motorsport Shoichiro...

RUDE AWAKENING: Ducati Supersport 1000 DS ‘RB002’ by Rude Bikes.

I’d like to introduce you to Rude Bikes and their TT2 Bol d’Or, only the second bike to emanate from their workshop in Seillans, in the South East of France. Using Ducati’s 1000 Supersport Dual Spark as a donor they have created an elegant and subtle...

ALUMINIUM BULLET: Yamaha XS650 by Yves Heitz.

If a recipe book existed that helped reveal the secret formula for turning a Japanese twin into a retro cafe racer with artisan alloy bodywork, it might go something like this. Take one middle-aged French biker with forty years on two wheels, add a lifetimes...

FACTORY FRESH: BMW R100RT ‘Halier’ by Earth Moto.

After the Treaty of Versailles barred Germany from developing and producing aircraft or maintaining an air force, Bayerische Motoren Werke was forced to pivot from airplane engine production to tap into a myriad of other emerging industries including building...

RETRO RACE REPLICA: 1990 Honda XBR500 ‘Imatra’ by XTR Pepo.

There was a time in the Motorcycle Grand Prix Championship that one weekend racers would find themselves at one of the world's premier circuits, only to be racing on the real roads of places like the Isle of Man the next. They were a different breed, capable...

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: BMW K1100RS by Marek.

New York City might be the concrete jungle where dreams are made of, but the state of the same name is a diverse landscape, from the bustling high-rise laden streets of Manhatten to the stunning and lofty peaks of the endless uninhabited mountain ranges. So a...