More shots of the Harley Sportster 883 Cafe Racer by Passion 4 Custom I posted earlier today from photographer Simone Flash Benedetti. Simone...
Harley Davidson Cafe Racer
American manufacturer Harley Davidson was formed in 1903 when childhood friends William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson began building their first motorcycle. Surviving 2 world wars and great depression Harley has grown to become one of the world’s most recognized motorcycle brands.
Although these days many don’t consider Harleys as race machines the aptly named Sporsters were developed with racing in mind and for a period were the brand of choice for flat track racers. Harleys have always been associated with customization, most notably in the chopper scene.
Although a Harley Davidson cafe racer conversion is a challenging undertaking there’s no shortage of aftermarket parts available to help get it done.
Photo by Brandon LaJoie ‘Cafe Racers of Instagram’. The name alone strikes fear and awe into the hearts of anyone...
Restaurant, hotel and casino chain Hard Rock Cafe are set to open their latest hotel venture on the Spanish island...
David Zemla transformed this 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster into a scrambler for Burly Brand, featured prominently in advertisements and event displays....
Dan from the Speed Merchant dropped me an email the other day to let me know about their awesome 39mm...
Being unconventional takes guts. It means having the confidence to buck trends, do the unexpected and disregard what neigh sayers...
This story first appeared in Tank Moto issue 12. This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a build by Japan’s...
I’ve never been a huge fan of Harleys. In school my mates all used to go crazy for them but...
What do you get when you cross a Laverda with a Harley and a Ducati? You get a Ducati 860...
I think it’s fair to say that outside of the US one of the biggest markets for custom-built Harleys would...
Taiwanese custom motorcycle builder Alex Gao has a tendency to base his cafe racer builds on rather unlikely donors. In...
The automotive industry has always been torrid, full of stories of receiverships and liquidations. Motorcycle manufacturing is no exception and...
“If you want something done, do it yourself”. Try following that mantra when it comes to building a custom motorcycle....
The 2005 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200R Roadster epitomizes the café racer aesthetic, featuring a potent 1,200cc V-twin engine paired with a...
Check out this great video of some guys in Germany on their Board Tracker style vintage Harleys burning around a...
It may not be identical to its Italian brother, but the second “Twisted Twin” from Stile Italiano is just as...
The Zonnevlek (meaning Sunspot in Dutch) was the brainchild of CW Zon duo Yuichi Yoshizawa and Yoshikazu Ueda. Since 2003...
Although the Spacester’s name may have been pulled straight out of a cheesy 50’s Sci-fi flick it’s styling is nothing...
Bosozoku biker gangs once ruled the streets of Japan, these days though they are more of a nuisance than anything...
Chicara Nagata of Chica custom motorcycles got a lot of attention for his liquid chrome series of custom motorcycles. The...
No matter how much purists proclaim that a Harley based Cafe Racer motorcycle is nonsense they are still going to...
Brandon Holstein run a workshop called ‘Brawny Built’ in Signal Hills, California where he does everything from basic servicing through...
Roland Sands has created several custom motorcycles he has labeled as Cafe Racers and although purists would question if these...
If you don’t already have Le Container in your bookmarks or on your Blog roll you soon will. This is...
The star of the 2022 Bangkok Hot Rod Custom Show was a heavily modified Sportster Forty-Eight Harley Davidson cafe racer,...
If you’re looking to modify a Harley Davidson Sportster there’s no shortage of aftermarket parts suppliers. You can purchase bolt-on...
Liberty Harley-Davidson of Rahway, New Jersey, modified this 2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750 with a shark theme. The customization includes special...
“As an artist, I love beautiful things. I also love making things. When I get passionate about something, it’s only...
Motorcycles and coffee are two items that appear on my list of things that I can’t live without, which is...
Fernando ‘Ferry’ Clot, a two-time World Champion, crafted this exceptional motorcycle, which secured a second-place finish in its class at...
Busch and Busch build beautiful bikes, there’s no denying it. In fact, I was so in love with their Bultaco Matador that...
It’s the start of yet another working week. What better way to get through the day than by drooling over...
Happy new year! Well, that wraps up yet another year of cafe racer content. Like the previous year, 2021 was...
The XLCR stands out as the ultimate factory café racer, epitomizing the essence of badness and blackness. The name, derived...
Taking the red pill. As the story goes back in 2007 Keanu had a custom Harley Davidson built by Gard Hollinger....
After months of hard work and seemingly endless nights of writing, issue 2 of Tank Moto is ! Just like...
Deus ex Machina have released images of their latest custom build, the “New Blood”. Recently they seem to have moved...
“This bike started life as the “Meat Grinder” chopper Sportster we had built about 5 years ago, with a hardtail,...
It seems to have become customary for motorcycle manufacturers to leverage the hype surrounding the custom scene to release their...
I know a guy who reviews beer. The best part about his gig is that he gets to drink every...
“We ran across this Aermacchi as we were sifting through piles of crashed bikes looking for a suitable donor bike...
It’s not often I post articles about custom builds based on Harley Davidsons. Harleys tend not to be popular in...
Harley-Davidson’s race legacy was rooted in its dirt-track racers. To stay competitive for the number one plate, they introduced the...
Shinya’s steam punk esque Harley at El Mirage 2011 speed trials chicomoto.blogspot.com chabottengineering.com...
The Brawler GT, created by Dar Holdsworth and Darwin Motorcycles, embodies their vision of an all-American motorcycle that can be...
Mark Wilsmore, owner of Ace Cafe in London has partnered with custom bike builder Nick Gale and Ace Investor George...
“Modern Retro”. That’s how Taiwan born, LA based Samuel Kao of JSK Custom Design describes his ‘Ivory Comet’ Cafe Racer....
Got a soft spot for the rumble of a Harley V-twin and Cafe Racer styling? Hogbitz speedshop in the UK are...
Meet the extraordinary custom Harley-Davidson from the renowned Corbin Collection. Starting with a 1987 FXR, only the fuel tank and...
The ‘JT26 Rascal’ is a unique custom build inspired by Warr’s Harley-Davidson’s second consecutive UK and Ireland championship-winning bike, the...
The words Harley Davidson and Cafe Racer aren’t often muttered in the same sentence. Along with the challenges builders face...
This custom Panhead, nicknamed “The Ace Of Burden,” was built by Deuce H Moto and Walker Smith Speed Shop to...
The 9th annual Sturgis AMD World Championship of bike building (try saying that after a few pints!) has just wrapped...
Generally speaking, first-time bike builds are a practice run for future projects. So in most cases, they’re a little rough...
The ‘Harton CR1200’ uses a traditional cafe racer design approach. A beefy engine transplanted into a top-performing frame. It is...
Established by Dare Jennings, Rod Hunwick and Carby Tuckwell, Deus ex Machina in Camperdown, Sydney, produces motorcycles for the post-modern world. What the hell...
I just stumbled across this video interview with Roland Sands discussing his 2013 RSD line of apparel. In the video...
Unfortunately, my Japanese isn’t great and details on the website are limited so here’s what I managed to translate...
Fancy owning a Wrenchmonkee motorcycle? The Gorilla Punch is going under the hammer along with Monkee #7. You can place...
I know a lot of people (including myself) probably wouldn’t choose a Harley as a base for their next Cafe...
Studies have shown that hardiness is the reason why certain people thrive in the face of adversity. When presented with...
The FXRX-Wedge is a custom motorcycle built in 2010 by Dougz Custom Paint & Fabrication in collaboration with S&S Cycle...
I’ve always been in two minds about the custom motorcycles built by Fred Krugger but this time round although the...
This Harley motorcycle embodies the essence of the café racer style with its “dark custom” design and sleek mudguards. Its...
Harley Davidson based Cafe Racers always receive mixed emotions. The large V-Twin engine and cruiser dimensions prove difficult to balance...
Beautiful shots of beautiful motorbikes by Erik Runyon. I’m loving the colour of that tank. Maybe the colour...
The XLCR is the ultimate factory café racer, distinguished by its intimidating black appearance. It was the brainchild of Willie...
The 2012 Fast Dates Calendar Motorcycle Show took place over the weekend. This years event organisers invited legendary custom builder,...
Although they call each other allies the US and the UK never quite see eye to eye. One area where...
I spotted a photo of the bike online and managed to dig up these three images. It’s one of the...
For most of its existence, the AMD World Championship of bike building has focused on chopper styled builds. Thankfully in...
“Last year I received a rather sheepish email asking if there was any way I would ever build a café...
It’s been some time since I featured a custom build from Italy’s South Garage. That doesn’t mean that Enzo and...
This popped up on the Biltwell facebook page and I felt compelled to share. It’s a heavily customised ’84 Harley Davison...
The build of the K1 was undertaken by a talented group of individuals who donated their time and skills to...
It’s not often we see crossovers between the world of 4 and 2 wheeled vehicles. When it has happened in...
Tim Kills BSA A65 Bobber On November 3rd & 4th I co-hosted a custom motorcycle exhibition in Melbourne named Oil...
Over the past few years Taiwanese workshop Rough Crafts have achieved amazing things in the world of custom motorcycles. Their...
Let’s not beat around the bush. The motorcycles built by Harley Davidson have never been hot favourites in the cafe...
It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since Harley Davidson unveiled their Livewire electric motorcycle concept. A lot has...
After designing and manufacturing his own performance parts for years Danmoto owner Wei Liya decided it was time to build...
An American heart with a British soul....
This Harley-Davidson Sportster is a stylish classic motorcycle, meticulously rebuilt and modified in the café racer style. It was constructed...
Another Harley? Yep that’s right two Harley’s is less than one week and both involved California based Chopper workshop, Brawny...
Nothing grabs the headlines quite like an enormous selling price at auction. We’ve seen motorcycles sell for phenomenal money over...
If ever there was a person destined to become a metal fabricator it would have to be Jay Donovan. Jay...
In 2014, Harley Davidson introduced the world to the Street 500. The water-cooled 500cc, US & Indian built, learner approved...
Another Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show has wrapped up and the web is starting to buzz with photos and videos...
With many of the major car manufacturers now developing electric vehicles it was only a matter of time before motorcycle...
Cam from Stories of Bike paid the Kustom Kommue another visit a few weeks ago to film part 2 of...
As 2014 comes to an end I thought I’d take a (close up) look at some of the incredible work...
Based on a 2008 Harley Davidson Sportster Nightster (seen below…thanks MCNEWS) the Deus V Twin Cafe Racer is a breath...
The results are out and the winners have been announced but what bikes were our favourite custom motorcycles from the...
The ICON 1000 crew don’t pull any punches – from the wild graphics they emblazon on their riding gear to...
As more and more workshops produce their own version of a Cafe Racer it’s only natural that we are going...
With the increasing popularity of the custom motorcycle scene, we’re starting to see some interesting and sometimes unlikely pairings between...
Last year Joe Cooper of Cooper Smithing Company grabbed our attention with the raw steel, hand formed bodywork of his Yamaha...
