Nostalgia can be a powerful motivator. For Joe Loss of Fremantle, Western Australia it started in his teenage years when...
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.
Tucked away in the southeastern forests of Bavaria is the small town of Viechtach. If you look it up on...
Experiences from our youth can have a profound effect on what we do later in life. For Jean-Pierre, it was...
Customer requests and customer needs are two very different things. UK’s Sinroja Motorcycles are always happy to oblige with customer...
Brazillian workshop Retrorides is the result of forty years of hard work by two generations of the Lourenço family. Nestled...
Of all the boxers the BMW R75/5 models with the “toaster” tank are a firm favourite. They are less angular...
Twin Shock Division (TSD) Motorcycles is a tiny shop located in the Ukranian capital of Kiev. Headed by the talented...
If you’re considering attempting to turn any kind of tourer into a cafe racer you’re going to have your work...
Two motorcycle obsessed friends building bikes for a living. It sounds like the perfect life to be living. This is...
Our friends over at Cognito Moto have been toiling away on their latest custom BMW R75 project. The project was...
In full dress, the BMW R1200RT tips the scales at hefty 259kg. This is by no means an ideal starting...
Perth’s Kaylan Galloway is a guy who likes to do things the hard way. Probably because he can. A welder...
The Katze is finally out of the Tasche. BMW Motorrad has unveiled its highly anticipated R18 concept. As we all...
Mentioning Grand Tourer and cafe racer in the same sentence isn’t something you’ll see me do often. That’s because bikes...
One of the many amazing bikes on display at this year’s Handbuilt show in Austin was Dustin Kott’s BMW R80....
The cafe racer in BMW’s R nineT heritage series won hearts with its sleek styling. However, motorcycle journalists brought a...
For more than a decade I’ve stayed true to this websites cafe racer theme. I can assure you this was...
I’ve seen enough BMW cafe racer builds to last a lifetime. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to see any...
When a builder chooses to convert a tourer into a cafe racer it’s always a bit of a surprise to...
It’s not every day you find yourself handing out an award at one of the world’s most prestigious custom automotive...
Building one-off projects for individual customers has its benefits, but it isn’t the most reliable income model for a custom...
The custom motorcycle world has been full of collaborations in the past few years. Manufacturers have recognised the influence custom...
I am Nigel Petrie from Engineered To Slide and I want to share with you my new BMW R Nine...
I once said that the 1934 BMW R7 was one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made, and I still...
Is there such a thing as a factory built cafe racer? If you ask a purist they’ll tell you no...
Building custom motorcycles is all about solving problems. This could be working around a modern electrical system, extracting additional horsepower...
There are few motorcycle engines as iconic as BMW Motorrad’s flat twin ‘Boxer’. Renowned for their bulletproof reliability the Boxer...
We’re big fans of the work of Californian motorcycle builder Samuel Kao and his workshop JSK Moto Co. JSK motorcycles...
BMW struck a chord in the custom motorcycle scene when they released the R Nine T. Powered by a bulletproof...
“I thought to myself, if I can fix and maintain a 40 million dollar yacht, then I can build a...
“This project kicked off with a stock 1982 BMW R45 that had laid dormant in our client’s garage for almost...
Tank Machine was established by Clement Molina back in 2015 following his 18 years of experience working in the motorcycle...
37-year-old Degano developed an interest in BMWs from a young age. His father was a member of the French police...
Back in 2012 four like-minded friends decided enough was enough. Driven by their desire to build and ride custom bikes...
If there’s one thing every builder should strive to achieve when they customise a motorcycle it’s to improve upon its...
Years later I managed to scrape together enough to buy my first road bike, get my license sorted and I...
“I had been looking to build a clean, minimalistic BMW cafe racer for a couple of years. The less on...
Looking back over the last 11 years of running this website the thing I’ve enjoyed the most is seeing workshops...
Imagine this scenario: A bike magazine hands you a box-fresh 1978 BMW R100RS and the concept rendering for a fantastic,...
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when building your own Cafe Racer, or any style of custom motorcycle for...
“As the story goes my first word was ‘car’ rather than ‘mummy’. I’m not so sure whether this is the...
Early this year Hammer received an invitation to work on the project direct from BMW Motorrad and gladly took up...
Giorgio De Angelis of ‘De Angelis Elaborazioni’ prides himself in turning old BMWs into performance focused customs. Throughout his childhood,...
As BMW Motorrad put it, the R9T Racer is “Style in the fast lane.” It’s a fitting statement for this...
“The most elaborate and beautiful K100 we have ever built” For this unique collaboration, VTR Customs ironically chose a...
The Digimoto project was a collaboration between industrial designer Christian Zanzotti, product development agency Greydev and BMW aftermarket experts Wunderlich....
The majority of the weight dropped from the Saline R9T can be attributed to the use of aluminium. Saline’s new tail,...
Austria’s NCT Motorcycles are this week’s ‘talk of the town’ with 3 of their awesome builds appearing on custom motorcycle...
“I wanted to create an aggressive cafe racer with a design that separates it from the usual and a line...
“A gentleman from Missouri contacted me through my H Garage website inquiring about a build using either a newer model...
The owner of the BMW came to the OSE workshop in search of a cafe racer conversion for his 2016...
Growing up in India the Sinroja brothers, Rahul and Birju, developed an out of the ordinary love for motorcycles. In...
“A Scottish businessman reached out to us after seeing our bikes. He asked us to customise his own brand new...
A few years ago, James would hear his neighbor start up his old BMW, and after numerous conversations, he was...
The compact, muscular R1200R with it’s classic, flat twin engine and naked design was the perfect starting point, but it...
I recently became acquainted with Maximiliaan van Kuyk of Maverick motorcycles. Max and his brothers stumbled into the Cafe Racer...
Don’t get me wrong, the BMW thumper is a great utilitarian machine. The reliability of the simple 650cc Rotax engine...
Established in 2002 the K-Speed business is spread over 12 stores around Thailand with its head quarters in Bangkok. Eak...
The BMW, which belongs to a friend of Weston, was originally introduced into the family by his ‘Uncle Lou’ and...
“The Diva project was inspired by BMW motorcycles of twenties, taking their class and elegance and blending it with modern...
According to Mark Condon of BikeBiz “Our team really know their bikes, so depending on the customer we can give...
Jeffry Sol’s BMW R nineT has been somewhat of a social media sensation since it was unveiled at the Big...
Of all the bike reviews I’ve done, handing the keys back for the BMW R Nine T has been the...
It all began when Hieronymus spotted an MC club member’s BMW boxer parked on a sidewalk in Paris. Sitting in...
Nitro Cycles are a relatively new workshop to the Spanish custom scene and this BMW K100 RS Cafe Racer represents...
The Johnnie Wash R Nine T series features 3 different models of which the Brown is the most extensively modified....
“We had never transformed a bike with such complex technology before!” Along with having to deal with the bikes modern...
Last weekend we officially released issue 7 of Tank Moto. Packed with awesome motorcycle features from around the world this...
Last month Deus Ex Machina in Camperdown, Sydney unveiled their stunning R Nine T Cafe Racer, the ‘Henirich Maneuver’. Unfortunately...
The bike started out as a fully faired stock ’95 BMW R100 that Junior agreed to customise for his newly...
“We are first and foremost designers, we don’t consider ourselves as ‘builders’ or mechanics. We customize and have enough contacts...
Every so often a custom motorcycle appears in my inbox that is so unique it stops me in my tracks....
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
After just having the pleasure of pretending to own an R Nine T for the past few days (keep an...
When someone describes a bike as a clean build you usually expect it to be something pretty special and I...
Last year I had the pleasure of attending the Mooneyes show in Japan. The builder that took out best of show...
It’s been a couple of years since I first featured one of Kevin Hills custom builds. Since then under his...
I can confidently say this is the first time I’ve featured a custom motorcycle that was influenced by Keira Knightley. Jeremy at...
I love a good concept bike. An open brief and an aim to push the boundaries, breach new territory and...
As the lines blur between the different styles of custom bike building and builders become more adventurous, it’s getting much...
The Interceptor may be an unexpected development from Radical Ducati, but it certainly isn’t a disappointment. They’ve created a high...
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
Europe’s largest Cafe Racer event, the Glemseck 101, just took place in Stuttgart, Germany. Now in its 5th year, the...
This drastically customised BMW R80 is the brainchild of Oaky and JJ from Griffin Spares in Sydney. “Sometimes the best...
Some people profess to being obsessed by a brand because they own 2 or 3 things said brand has made....
This happens when one of the world’s most creative custom workshops decides that they need to customise their shop bike....
BMW’s K100 Sports Tourer is a motorcycle that few people would consider when planning a custom build. Despite it’s 1000cc,...
Remember in school when you had an exam and there was always that one kid who consistently finished before everyone...
The Eleven by Kevil’s Speed Shop in the UK. One of the latest BMW Cafe Racers to roll out of...
You may remember the somewhat controversial Buell Norton Manx I featured a couple of months ago? Well it’s back and it’s...
I’ve never had the urge to eat a motorcycle before but this latest build from Jerikan looks delicious. For some...
40 years later the bike is still running (see video below) and still features the original racing seal of the Italian...
There’s no denying that classic BMW motorcycles make great looking Cafe Racers, but if you’re looking to build a modern...
The 2012 Bonneville Speed Week is wrapping up for another year. Thankfully it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot...
Everyone has their favorite things in life but only a few of us get to enjoy a career working with them....
I’ve always loved the use of wood in cars. When I was young a neighbor converted an old ’30s Chevy into...
“All men’s misfortunes spring from their hatred of being alone“ The sad individual responsible for that quote obviously never had...
Hot on the heels of my recent post about Les Ateliers Ruby’s leather jackets UK based, custom workshop Kevil’s Speed Shop,...
Who can resist the beauty of BMW’s boxer engine? Their unorthodox horizontal head configuration and shaft drive has always intrigued...
