The Suzuki LS650 Savage is a simple, low-powered entry-level cruiser. A Los Angeles based company called Ryca saw a way to spice up the S40, with the Ryca 650 CS-1 kit. It takes a rather ugly semi-Sportster clone and turns it into a lithe cafe racer styled bike with some actual semblance of personality.
4 Miles – 1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR
When it was released, the Harley-Davidson XLCR (CR stood for Cafe Racer) was supposed to be an instant success powered by Harley’s most powerful production engine to date. It was a jet black departure from HD’s usual chrome fare. It didn’t sell well at all – now it’s a cult classic, and today I’m sharing the nicest XLCR I’ve ever …
Cafe Custom – 1978 Yamaha SR500
Featuring an aluminum gas tank and seat cowl built by Evan Wilcox, this Yamaha SR500 looks the part and has a few more modifications to back up the style.
1975 Moto Guzzi Custom Cafe Racer
Thanks to BikeEXIF for sharing this post in this week’s Speed Read! Post Sale Update: This custom Guzzi sold for $8,000 after 44 bids on eBay in Indio, California. Built with a 850T frame and a T3 engine (with a 955cc big bore kit), this interesting Guzzi custom is claimed to be very reliable and “as fast a stock Le …
2000 Kawasaki W650 Cafe Racer
4/1/21 Update: 4 years, Todd B notes that this bike is back up for sale with a drop in price – find it for sale in Greenwich Village, New York for $6,800 here on Craigslist. Post Listing Update: This custom W650 did not get any interest at the asking price of $8,500. Even though some reviewers thought the W650 looked …
1975 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer
The seller of this CB boldly calls it the “Best Café Racer on West Coast.” Do you agree?
Blue Collar Bobbers Kit – 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250
Based out of Sandy, Utah, Blue Collar Bobbers produces bolt on kits to give people an easy way to customize their bike “into an old school, nostalgic hot rod.” Here’s a Kawasaki Ninja 250 that’s equipped with the BCB Cafe Racer kit (no longer available).
Custom Bodywork – 1979 Honda CX500
Called the “Cachet Racer”, this custom Honda CX500 is the work of Nemo Gould – a “master accumulator” who calls himself “Chairman of the Hoard”. Impressively, the bodywork is all hand-formed from flat sheets of aluminum.
Custom Café – 1973 Honda CB750K2
It may feel to some, as it does to me, that the café bike trend has had a resurgence of late. That since about the turn of the millennium, there has been a steady uptick of interest in the bikes, and subculture. We can certainly agree that when Triumph released the Thruxton in 2004, and a couple of years later …
Bender – 1982 Yamaha Virago XV750 Cafe Racer
Post Sale Update: Bender sold for $6,100 after 32 bids on eBay in Brentwood, California. Named Bender, this Virago was rebuilt as a custom cafe racer that was on display at the 2018 Handbuilt Show and 2019 Mama Tried Show.
1979 Honda CX500 Custom
Honda’s CX500 has become a popular platform for custom builds over the last few years as donor bikes could be found for cheap (though prices have been going up as of late). What are your thoughts on this custom?
“Isabella the Cafe Dancer” – 1972 BMW R75/5
Post Sale Update: Isabella sold for $4,150 after 30 bids on eBay in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Named “Isabella”, this slash 5 served its original owner for over 20,000 miles before it was put away in storage. The current owner rebuilt it in 2-year process that included a cafe racer conversion.
In Australia – 1976 Moto Guzzi 850 T3 Custom
Post Listing Update: This custom Guzzi did not get any interest at the BIN of $20,000. Built by Max’s Moto Works of southeastern Australia, this custom Guzzi started as a 850 T3. Thanks to custom bodywork and a long list of rebuilt mechanicals, it’s now an interesting one-off cafe racer.
Café’d Classic in Poland – Custom 1987 Suzuki GSX-R750
Suzuki’s early GSX-R750 machines were groundbreaking models when they first appeared on the market, and though they’ve admittedly grown pretty long in the tooth by today’s standards, they’re still relatively high-performing bikes in the grand scheme of things. Plus, thanks to their lack of modern electronics, there’s no bevy of unsightly ancillaries hidden beneath the fairings like that of contemporary …
Cafe’d Smoker – 1972 Yamaha R5 Custom
Post Listing Update: This R5 did not get any interest at the BIN of $8,500. There’s something really special about two-stroke cafe racers, and this one-off Yamaha is a prime example. This build supposedly started out as a ‘72 R5 that received a refresh with the air-cooled parallel-twin getting all new rings, gaskets, and seals, while the carbs were rebuilt …