I’m back on the W650 again! Got loads of time in the saddle this weekend, but it’s never enough!...
Kawasaki Cafe Racer
Kawasaki motorcycles have been in production since 1962. During the late sixties, the Japanese manufacturer established a foothold in the US market with their legendary H1 Mach III, a motorcycle that was both revered and feared for its straight-line speed and unpredictable handling. Today Kawasaki is one of the world’s most recognized motorcycle brands. From the iconic Z1000 of the seventies through to today’s supercharged, 330kmh+ H2 they continue to produce motorcycles that push the boundaries of performance. In recent years Kawasaki themselves have adopted the cafe racer style with their Z900RS series of motorcycles.
I’m a sucker for a W, so when the boys from Ton Up Garage in Portugal sent through their latest...
A while back we were approached by Just Bikes in Australia and invited to enter their Just Auto Legends campaign....
Courtesy of our friends FATclub in France comes this awesome Kwazaki Z900 Cafe Racer. “The FATclub is dedicated to special...
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Kawasaki’s Z series of motorcycles. The motorcycle that started it all, the 1972 Kawasaki...
Let’s take a closer look at them… Kawasaki Z900RS Café Kawasaki had already unveiled their stunning new Z900RS at the Tokyo...
In 1986 girls swooned and guys headed to the nearest motorcycle dealership at the sight of Tom Cruise astride his Top...
Honda CB750 “Cold bitch” More home built Cafe Racers sent in by our talented readers. Thanks for sharing your motorcycles...
After literally killing his Kawasaki KLR650 Fort Nine’s “tell it like it is” vlogger Ryan Kluftinger has resurrected the bike in...
There’s something strangely compelling about raw, handmade bodywork. To me it’s one of the finest demonstrations of skill and creativity....
Replacing the rear tail light on the W650 is probably one of the simplest modifications I have done so Far...
“They don’t make them like they used to!” When you hear those words uttered it is generally with disdain. A...
This Kawasaki KZ550 is the work of Jaka Martinuč who works in the financial sector, about as far removed from...
If Benelli’s TNT 1130 and Kawasaki’s 650 Ninja had a romantic interlude this could well be the result. Based on...
All hail the late 70’s; when men were men and motorcycles were deadly – really deadly. During the ’70s engine...
Before I get into this feature let me first say hello to my Indonesian readers. I know you guys make...
When opportunity beckons what do you do? … let it pass you by or seize it? Whilst the decision for...
Some will call it sacrilege but I have a soft spot for resto-mods. The thinking behind a resto-mod is simple....
My first visit to Jakarta in 2014 was arranged for the sole purpose of visiting custom motorcycle workshops. We’d been...
I’ve been toying with the idea of posting this custom ’76 Kawasaki KH100 for some time and decided today to...
Looking over the photos it’s the smaller details that really make his bike special. The W650 features a spattering of...
In the early eighties, a clever member of the Kawasaki marketing team thought it’d be a good idea to produce...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
Someone had sacrilegiously painted the bike’s frame in a past life, hiding the trademark Rickman nickel plating, so it had...
So I purchased a set of Posh Faith polished alloy indicators from Deus ex Machina in Sydney for $99 a pair (sounds...
This exquisite custom bike, crafted by Deus Customs, is a unique creation based on a 2004 Kawasaki W650 (EJ650). With...
Le Gicleur Noire Black, black and more black. The Le Gicleur Noire which translates to “Always bet on black” is...
I have to confess I tend to get a bit excited when a motorcycle manufacturer announces they are releasing a...
“I first met this bike and its owner at one of our cancer fundraisers in Dallas. The bike sounded like...
The 1974 Kawasaki KZ400 Cafe Racer underwent an extensive 500-hour build, featuring a powerful 400cc parallel twin engine with a...
Ever since seeing the “We R Winning” short documentary about Twinline Motorcycles I’ve been a huge fan of the Seattle...
I’ve just finished fitting a polished top bridge/triple clamp to the W650 Cafe Racer. After fitting the clip on bars...
As someone who has a history of heart disease in their family, I know all too well how devastating it...
Based on a 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 this bike is a rolling eulogy to 1970s composite creativity. During the ’60s and...
Just when we thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse one of our favourite motorcycle events on the planet got cancelled....
Swapping the handlebars on any bike sounds like an easy job but your choice of handlebar can dramatically affect the...
Today we have added a new feature to the site allowing you to submit your own Cafe Racer project. Return...
Any guess at how much one of the beauties would set you back these days? “In 1978 S&S Performance bought...
Although Nazar (aka Gazzz) has been repairing, riding and restoring motorcycles for 15 years he’s fairly new to the custom...
There’s nothing like a bit of competitive spirit to egg a build on and when it’s between 2 brothers you...
As gaudy as the eighties were they certainly produced some cool motorcycles. Sharp angular styling, bold colour schemes and groundbreaking...
My parents once gifted me an old Toyota. Mum was worried about me riding and thought that giving me a...
I was left disappointed after Kawasaki released the W800 back in 2011. The switch to EFI (damn emission laws!) and...
Here are a couple of shots of the W650 Cafe Racer. At 90% complete I’m really happy with how the...
Just like the Boom Town Rats “I don’t like Mondays”. I do however like motorcycles…a lot! Here’s this weeks Monday...
The boys in Denmark have been very busy since they last graced the pages of this site. Their new workshop...
A modern day Road Warrior In typical Deus style, their custom Kawasaki Z900RS is as outlandish and it is unique....
With 30 years of custom motorcycle building under his belt, Wolfgang Batz isn’t about to be influenced by other people’s...
To remove the covers you can do 1 of 2 things, either remove the forks from the triple clamps slide...
Winter has not been kind to my bike. I made the move to Melbourne in Jan and moved in to...
By my definition an ‘attempt’ is usually when you try to do something and it doesn’t quite work out. I...
It’s hard to imagine that any good could come from breaking your neck. Things could have gone very differently when...
Well it’s been 7 months since I purchased my W650 and started the Cafe Racer conversion. It’s been a great...
I dropped in at Deus Ex Machina in Sydney and picked up a new speedo for the W650. As the...
There’s virtually no limit to the extent that you can modify a motorcycle. This, of course, includes its performance and...
At the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show last weekend the Japanese manufacturer wowed the motorcycling world once again with the all-new, retro-styled...
This post apocalyptic road warrior is Icon’s Kawasaki ZX-7 ‘Thunder Chunky’. It’s the latest addition to Icon’s series of custom...
Cafe Racer TV and Santiago Chopper’s will be auctioning off the KZ1000 Cafe Racer seen built during the TV series...
The “MK46” is the work of Samik Chatterjee, owner operator of MotoKraft Customs in New Delhi. After graduating from Art...
When the hype of the Lotus C0-1 concept reached its climax everyone was talking about it. Every motorcycle blog and...
“I acquired this 1980 KZ440 in bits from a friend who had lost interest in the project.” recalls 26 year...
Although the Kawasaki Z650 might be considered by many to be the low powered cousin of the Z1, it actually...
According to Sven Decoux of Barn Built Motorcycles, the decision to customise a Kawasaki ZR7 was more ‘right place, right...
“No Time. No Territory. Just an atitude inspired in the past and dressed to impress.” – Maria Motorcycles ...
The last time we spoke to Derek and Sven from Belgium’s Barn Built Bikes they’d just finished building their stunning...
Named ‘Gunpowder’ the 1999 Kawasaki ZRX1100 is the work of Benny Lombardo and Antonello Zonna of Seven Motors. After the owner explained...
Bali’s AMS Garage is back with yet another incredible example of their metal shaping skills. In our last AMS feature,...
It’s been 4 years since the Kawasaki Z900RS went on sale. In the lead-up to its release, Kawasaki adopted a...
If you’ve read my ride review of the 2018 Kawasaki Z900RS or its cafe racer counterpart, you’d know I‘m rather...
What have I done! One job I have had to perform a few times during my W650 Cafe Racer project...
Not to be beaten by my lack of tools I came up with a solution to remove the Ventura rear...
Through a special collaboration with custom builder, ‘Mr Martini’ Kawasaki motorcycles Italy have released a limited edition Vulcan S. Only...
There are several amazing custom motorcycle shows happening in the United States right now that have made it onto my...
While Rickman Motorcycles started out producing frames and body kits for British made motorcycles in the seventies they turned their...
Deus Ex Machina are continuing to expand their footprint by opening flagship stores around the globe. Since their first store...
Throttle open, chin on the tank and your parallel twin rocketing you from point a to point z....
The success of the Studio Motor workshop has made Donny somewhat of a celebrity in the Indonesian custom scene. He’s...
Although the 1978 Z1 successor didn’t live up to Kawasaki’s expectations in showrooms, the Z1-R is an iconic motorcycle and...
Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to test ride almost every new modern classic, retro sports and...
After being less than impressed by the official promotional video for the 2011 Kawasaki W800 I took it upon myself to...
“The Kwaka had stood still for at least 5 years and was running on only 3 cylinders. It puked fuel...
In the scheme of things, 10 years isn’t all that long. But for a small business launched by a pair...
The art of coachbuilding and metal shaping is a dying art form. Finding skilled individuals who can take a flat...
What better inspiration could a man need when building his first custom bike than to be building it for his...
From time to time, you see something that makes it hard to believe your eyes. They call it cognitive dissonance;...
Anyone that’s been following this site since its launch knows it all started with the purchase of a Kawasaki W650....
Since 1963 Kawasaki Motorcycle Co. has introduced a plethora of technological innovations which have gone on to become industry standards....
It’s been 2 years since Bimota released sketches of their Kawasaki powered retro sports bike concept. At this year’s EICMA...
Rickman Honda CR750 Brothers Derek and Don Rickman established Rickman motorcycles in 1960 from which they manufactured motorcycles up until...
“Simple but sweet” is one way to sum up La Corona’s portfolio of custom motorcycles. To think that recreating this...
Moto Lanna are a parts fabricator based in Chang Mai, Thailand. They recently got in touch regarding a link swap...
The Japanese custom motorcycle scene is overflowing with all manner of unexpected and tantalizing two-wheeled wonders. Located in Ibaraki Prefecture,...
Another of my time wasting/research habits is trawling the internet for custom bike shops who build Cafe Racer style motorbikes...
Rat Bikes like their 4 wheeled cousins, Rat Rods are what some people would consider to be a “piece of...
My favourite ongoing series of custom motorcycle builds has just added 2 new “Retrograde Engineered” beasts to their line up....
The motorcycle above it’s a custom Kawasaki Ninja 250r from Donny in Jakarta, Indonesia. The time it takes to build...
I’m an advocate of recycling. I separate my paper and plastic rubbish and I buy recycled products, so when I...
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Kawasaki’s Z series of motorcycles. The motorcycle that started it all, the 1972 Kawasaki...
Motorcyclists like to moan about everything.
And the quickest way to start some premium groaning is to sell us a naked...
While most aspects of motorcycle design have come a long way since the 70s, there and several that haven’t. Take...
