At first glance, you could be forgiven for assuming this custom motorcycle is based on a model from BMW Motorrad’s...
BMW Cafe Racer
The German company BMW Motorrad built its first motorcycle, the R32, in 1923. Powered by a 494cc flat-twin boxer the R32’s horizontally opposed engine configuration became an iconic feature of BMW motorcycles throughout their history. In later years they also developed the flat-four engine used in models like the K100. This engine was coined the ‘flying brick’ due to its bulky appearance. Despite its unfortunate nickname the flat-four still the level of performance that earned BMW their well-respected reputation.
Older BMW “airhead” boxer twins and R series models are popular choices for BMW cafe racer projects. With some models featuring bolt-on subframes and others sporting aluminum fuel tanks, choosing a BMW as the donor for your project has its benefits. In more recent years BMW has embraced the custom scene by creating the R Nine T. The BMW R9T was designed and built specifically with customization in mind.
In our archives, you’ll find countless BMW cafe racer features that are a great source of inspiration and tips for anyone hoping to build their own.
After just having the pleasure of pretending to own an R Nine T for the past few days (keep an...
I bet the last thing Edgar Heinrich and the BMW Motorrad Design team ever expected to see was their behemoth...
This is 1980 BMW R100 was modified by Boxer Metal in California, in the style of a drag bike. drag...
In 2016, C&J Motorrad of Victoria, Minnesota, transformed this 1983 BMW R80ST into a scrambler masterpiece. The modification involved adjusting...
I love a good concept bike. An open brief and an aim to push the boundaries, breach new territory and...
Even in the motorcycle world, trends, like all things in life, come and go. The cafe racer scene has seen...
This BMW R100 has been transformed by Kevil’s Speed Shop, a Torquay-based motorcycle tuning house and cafe racer specialist. The...
In 2018, Federal Moto of Chicago crafted this 1980 BMW R100/7, undertaking various modifications. Their work included the creation of...
The transformation of this 1984 BMW K100RT into a cafe racer was a meticulous five-month project. The bike now exudes...
According to Mark Condon of BikeBiz “Our team really know their bikes, so depending on the customer we can give...
I’ve written articles about thousands of custom motorcycles, but every so often a bike crosses my radar that’s unlike anything...
“We had never transformed a bike with such complex technology before!” Along with having to deal with the bikes modern...
There’s something undeniably magical about the classics. In the early eighties, BMW released its K100RS. The landmark sport tourer was...
Twin Shock Division (TSD) Motorcycles is a tiny shop located in the Ukranian capital of Kiev. Headed by the talented...
Tank Machine was established by Clement Molina back in 2015 following his 18 years of experience working in the motorcycle...
If you’re customising motorcycles in Bavaria it seems only right said motorcycles should be those built by BMW Motorrad. Ralf...
As BMW Motorrad put it, the R9T Racer is “Style in the fast lane.” It’s a fitting statement for this...
Remember in school when you had an exam and there was always that one kid who consistently finished before everyone...
Looking back over the last 11 years of running this website the thing I’ve enjoyed the most is seeing workshops...
Last year I had the pleasure of attending the Mooneyes show in Japan. The builder that took out best of show...
Upcycle Garage designed and built two cafe racers, and this custom BMW motorcycle is one of them. It was originally...
Growing up in India the Sinroja brothers, Rahul and Birju, developed an out of the ordinary love for motorcycles. In...
This BMW R Nine T is a retro-inspired sports bike that has been significantly customized to create the original ‘PC.02’...
I’ve never had the urge to eat a motorcycle before but this latest build from Jerikan looks delicious. For some...
Sometimes techniques for overcoming adversity are found in unexpected places. Scott Campbell found the solution to his battling his demons...
The Bavarian Cafe of Costa Mesa, California, undertook a cafe racer-style modification of this 1983 BMW R100 around 2013. The...
Back in 2017, French builder Ortolani Customs wowed us with his metalworking prowess. His polished Ducati 1199 S earned him...
If there’s one thing every builder should strive to achieve when they customise a motorcycle it’s to improve upon its...
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when building your own Cafe Racer, or any style of custom motorcycle for...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
“The Diva project was inspired by BMW motorcycles of twenties, taking their class and elegance and blending it with modern...
Nitro Cycles are a relatively new workshop to the Spanish custom scene and this BMW K100 RS Cafe Racer represents...
This BMW R100R underwent an extensive modification process to enhance its performance and aesthetics. The modifications included refinishing the wire-spoke...
We’ve all had a gut full of 2020 and I’m sure most people would agree they’ll be glad to see...
Building a custom motorcycle means owning a one-of-a-kind machine. A unique, personal expression that merges your individual style with performance...
After the success of his first custom bike series, Fran Manen of Lord Drake Kustoms knew he was on to...
There are few motorcycle engines as iconic as BMW Motorrad’s flat twin ‘Boxer’. Renowned for their bulletproof reliability the Boxer...
The bike started out as a fully faired stock ’95 BMW R100 that Junior agreed to customise for his newly...
The compact, muscular R1200R with it’s classic, flat twin engine and naked design was the perfect starting point, but it...
The year is 1973 and Bavarian Motor Works has just celebrated their 50th anniversary. In addition, they’ve also just completed...
The 1978 BMW R80/7 showcases a polished fuel tank complementing its black frame. It is equipped with a 797cc boxer...
Last weekend we officially released issue 7 of Tank Moto. Packed with awesome motorcycle features from around the world this...
Building 2 identical motorcycles probably wouldn’t sound all that appealing to most builders. But for Antoine Meister who runs the...
Of all the bike reviews I’ve done, handing the keys back for the BMW R Nine T has been the...
The Digimoto project was a collaboration between industrial designer Christian Zanzotti, product development agency Greydev and BMW aftermarket experts Wunderlich....
This 1981 BMW R100RT underwent modifications, including rebuilding the air-cooled 980cc opposed twin and installing a custom quarter fairing, electrical...
“As the story goes my first word was ‘car’ rather than ‘mummy’. I’m not so sure whether this is the...
The owner of the BMW came to the OSE workshop in search of a cafe racer conversion for his 2016...
Nostalgia can be a powerful motivator. For Joe Loss of Fremantle, Western Australia it started in his teenage years when...
The BMW R nineT, part of BMW’s Heritage line, is a classically styled café racer that seamlessly combines vintage and...
One of the many amazing bikes on display at this year’s Handbuilt show in Austin was Dustin Kott’s BMW R80....
The Eleven by Kevil’s Speed Shop in the UK. One of the latest BMW Cafe Racers to roll out of...
The cafe racer in BMW’s R nineT heritage series won hearts with its sleek styling. However, motorcycle journalists brought a...
Building 50 custom motorcycles is no mean feat. Adrián Campos and the crew at the Valencia workshop of Bolt Motor...
After a 2 year hiatus, the Munich-based custom motorcycle powerhouse Diamond Atelier is back. Despite big changes in the company’s...
The fine vólk at BMW Motorrad have a motorcycle for every occasion – just meander into a dealership and look...
As Mark Twain so eloquently put it “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work...
Years later I managed to scrape together enough to buy my first road bike, get my license sorted and I...
It’s the start of yet another working week. What better way to get through the day than by drooling over...
This BMW R Nine T is a customized retro-inspired sportbike turned café racer. It is equipped with a 1,170cc air-cooled...
This 1982 BMW R100RT has been customized in the cafe racer style. The fuel tank, front fender, and custom fiberglass...
Custom bikes often opt for a shock and awe approach to make an impact in this modern, social media-saturated world....
Located in New York City, The Suited Racer considers himself a ‘living piece of conceptual art’. The multidisciplinary artist creates...
Experiences from our youth can have a profound effect on what we do later in life. For Jean-Pierre, it was...
In full dress, the BMW R1200RT tips the scales at hefty 259kg. This is by no means an ideal starting...
This 1985 BMW R80 underwent modifications, including refinishing the fuel tank and frame in black, fitting a shortened rear subframe...
BMW struck a chord in the custom motorcycle scene when they released the R Nine T. Powered by a bulletproof...
It’s been almost 10 years since BMW Motorrad released the R nineT. Technologically the Boxer-powered Roadster wasn’t anything groundbreaking. Its...
This is a 1993 BMW R100R that was customized by Plam Werks in North Carolina. It has a metallic blue...
The majority of the weight dropped from the Saline R9T can be attributed to the use of aluminium. Saline’s new tail,...
Hugo Eccles and the Untitled Motorcycles team are capable of building pretty much whatever they can dream up. Their custom...
Our friends over at Cognito Moto have been toiling away on their latest custom BMW R75 project. The project was...
Christian Boosen runs 86 Gear Motorcycles, a custom motorcycle shop in Warsaw, Poland. Growing up alongside the Dutch border in...
This great video featuring musician/songwriter/producer Butch Walker was pulled together by Mann-made Pictures for Cafe Racer TV. Butch talks about...
Everyone has their favorite things in life but only a few of us get to enjoy a career working with them....
As the lines blur between the different styles of custom bike building and builders become more adventurous, it’s getting much...
This 1978 BMW R100S underwent a scrambler-style customization, showcasing various enhancements. The replacement tank has been skillfully repainted in a...
When it comes to building custom bikes, taking the path less travelled is never the easy option. Sure, cafe racers...
Florida’s Nmoto Studio blew us away with their stunning R7 inspired kit for the BMW R Nine T. BMW Motorrad’s...
Cognito Moto, based in Richmond, Virginia, revamped a 1971 BMW R75/5 into a striking “brat tracker.” The motorcycle showcases a...
It all began when Hieronymus spotted an MC club member’s BMW boxer parked on a sidewalk in Paris. Sitting in...
This 1975 BMW R75/6 underwent a three-year transformation into a cafe racer. The bike is finished in metallic silver with...
“A gentleman from Missouri contacted me through my H Garage website inquiring about a build using either a newer model...
Here’s a little something to get you through another night glued to the couch. Our latest instalment of the Sunday...
It makes perfect sense that one of the world’s top custom BMW motorcycle builders is based in Germany. Under the...
This K100RT is a delightful illustration of a sport touring motorcycle from the 1980s, with several modifications typical of a...
When it debuted, the BMW K1 was Marmite for motorcyclists. They either loved it or hated it. The radical sports...
In our opinion there’s nothing better than when a talented photographer turns his camera’s attention to classic motorbikes. These shots...
Working with clients can be both challenging and rewarding. When Ønix Design’s latest customer, a doctor from Valencia, brought his...
Well, that wraps up yet another year of amazing cafe racer builds from custom workshops and backyard builders around the...
Kyohey Sugimoto, owner of Berrybads Motorcycles works out of a modest space in Ōtsu, the capital of Japan’s Shiga Prefecture....
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
Two motorcycle obsessed friends building bikes for a living. It sounds like the perfect life to be living. This is...
One of the hardest parts of a custom bike build is deciding when it’s done. This same problem applies to...
Upcycle Garage created a unique BMW motorcycle, which is one of two cafe racers built by them. The bike, originally...
It’s not every day you find yourself handing out an award at one of the world’s most prestigious custom automotive...
This drastically customised BMW R80 is the brainchild of Oaky and JJ from Griffin Spares in Sydney. “Sometimes the best...
Is there such a thing as a factory built cafe racer? If you ask a purist they’ll tell you no...
I recently became acquainted with Maximiliaan van Kuyk of Maverick motorcycles. Max and his brothers stumbled into the Cafe Racer...
