The Silver Arrow: Japanese engineering meets English spirit and Italian ingenuity… In 1981, Yamaha released their first “American-style” V-twin cruiser in the form of the XV750 Virago, featuring a new 75-degree V-twin specially developed for […]
Tag: Cafe Racers
Homage to Friendship: Suzuki Katana 1100 Café Racer
Tribute to a Lost Friend from Germany’s Enno Moto… The original Suzuki GSX1100S Katana made quite the splash in 1981. While the radical space-age styling remains one of the most polarizing designs ever to emerge […]
Ride the Lightning: 1700cc Moto Guzzi “Saetta Racer”
940 No More: Radical Speedshop’s “Saetta Racer” 1700… The Moto Guzzi Bellagio 940 appeared in 2007 as the company’s new cruiser, sporting a fuel-injected 935cc Guzzi V-twin with 74 brake horsepower and 57 foot-pounds of […]
Oslo: Harley Sportster XL53C Café Racer
As Seen at The Bike Shed: Makai Wink’s Garage-Built Monoshock Sportster… In 1998, Harley-Davidson introduced the XL53C Sportster, a “Custom” variant of the 883 Sportster designed for the European market. Named for the 53 cubic-inch […]
Red Devil: Moto Guzzi V7 Café Racer
The Bike Guzzi Should’ve Built: Shaun Boulter’s Le Mans-Style V7… In the last two decades, there’s been a huge upswell of interest in retro-style bikes that bring classic styling from the 60s and 70s to […]
Little Italian Rocket: Moto Guzzi V50 II “Saga Racer”
Lightweight Guzzi 500 Café Racer from Revel Customs… In the mid 70s, Moto Guzzi decided they needed to add a midsize bike to their lineup. The resulting machine, the V50 II, featured a Tonti frame […]
Straight Fazer: Yamaha Fazer 600 “Blackjack”
Reborn Fazer 600 from Blackout Custom Design… The Yamaha FZS600 Fazer — aka the Fazer 600 — was revealed to the public at the 1997 Paris Auto Show. The 599cc 16-valve 95-bhp inline-four came […]
The Onyx: Norton-Harley “Norley”
Cédric Camiade’s Harley-powered Featherbed… When Norton introduced the featherbed frame in 1950, it quickly earned a reputation among circuit and street racers as the best handling chassis on the market. The design originated with brothers […]
Soul of a Sprinter: Triumph Trident 660 RS Café Racer
From FCR Original: Triple-Cylinder Triumph Café Racer… Introduced in 2020, the Triumph Trident 660 is a middleweight naked bike / roadster with an 80-bhp triple born from the Daytona 675 supersport engine. The engine […]
One Moto Show 2025: Best Cafe Racers & More!
The One Moto Show bills itself as “the world’s largest, best-known, and most fun custom motorcycle show in the universe” — and we can’t disagree. Hosted by the good folks of Portland’s See See Motorcycles, […]
