The new Thruxtons are in (and by all accounts, they’re a huge improvement over the last generation), which means that the previous Thruxtons are now available with a significant discount. Case in point – the last time I featured a limited production Ace Edition version, it sold for $10,100 after 27 bids on eBay. This one’s got an asking price …
1958 Triton
What do you get if you take the very best from two venerable manufacturers? In this case you get a 1958 Norton Featherbed frame with a 1978 Triumph Tiger powerplant wrapped up in custom cafe racer livery. You’ve probably heard of this mix before as a Triton (Triumph/Norton)
Not Your Average Cafe Racer – 1982 Honda CX500/650 Custom
A lot of “cafe racers” these days are just a cleaned up old bike with some bodywork removed, clip-ons added, and maybe an aftermarket seat unit. Don’t get me wrong – that is, after all, how the whole genre was created back in the 60’s and 70’s. What makes one special is when you can assemble all those parts in …
1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR 1000
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, and now it’s a cult classic.
“1962” Norton Atlas Cafe Racer
Post Listing Update: After being relisted, this cafe’d Atlas got bidding up to $11,300 with the reserve not yet met. It was then sold off of eBay to a Bike-urious reader! When I was in High School, we read lurid accounts of the Mods v the Rockers in England. Gang fights, loose women, motorcycles. Think West Side Story with much …
1971 BSA Lightning Cafe
Built by Danny Thompson of Triumphs on Broadway (website is incomplete), this Lightning has been turned into a cafe racer with a heavy candy flake paint job.
1966 Norton Atlas Cafe Racer
Post Listing Update: This Atlas cafe did not meet reserve with 21 bids up to $6,000. It seems that my buddy Tom Wacker ruffled a few feathers with his last post about an Atlas, so I’m curious to see how y’all respond to this non-stock example. =)
Viktoria – 1978 BMW R100S Custom
Built by Brandon Wulf of Bavarian Cafe, this custom BMW started as a R100S. It received a ‘frame up restoration’ and gorgeous bodywork from Ritmo Sereno. This means we get to play another game of ‘how much is a custom bike worth?’
Kott Custom – 1978 Honda CB550
We all know how popular the Honda CB550 is for a Cafe Racer custom. Most of us know how talented Dustin Kott is with the genre (there are several examples right here on bike-urious). The owner of this bike bought a CB550 because it was his first bike and convinced Kott to have a go with it.
1978 Honda CB550 Cafe Racer
In all honesty, I’m not a big fan of this sort of ‘custom’. The checkbook sort. Where all you have to do to be cool is have a deep enough cushion in your bank account to be one of the in crowd. Part of the problem for me is that the ‘trend’ will last just until reality TV tires of …
1971 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer
Here’s a rare cafe racer where the builder realized it takes more than a set of cafe bars and a custom tail. What do you think of the end result?
1970 Triumph Trophy Cafe Racer
Post Sale Update: This Triumph sold for $5,775 after 54 bids on eBay. Built over the last 6 months, this cafe racer is based on a Triumph Trophy 650 that’s been on non-op since 1997.
1984 BMW R100RT Cafe Racer
Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this BMW sold for $10,000. I featured an R65 a few days ago that had been modified into a café racer, and remarked how great I thought it was that old, unloved bikes were getting a second lease on life. Here’s another great example. This bike (VIN: WB1044903E6243804) started life as an R100RT. It …
1981 Honda CB900F Cafe Racer
The predecessor of the CB1100F, Honda’s CB900F was introduced in 1981 after US riders sufficiently complained that the bike was available in Europe but not in the States. Cycle magazine called it “one of the best performance buys on the market” in 1982. Of course, this statement has not held up over time, so now it’s an interesting platform for …
1982 Kawasaki 650 CSR Cafe Racer
Post Listing Update: 29 bids got the action up to $6,000 but that wasn’t enough to meet reserve. In 1981, Kawasaki introduced a new generation of cruiser called the CSR. The next year yielded updates to the clutch, carb, chain cover, and fork internals – and very little of that matters with this example because it’s been customized into an …