Dragon Slayer: 2-stroke weapon built for the Tail of the Dragon… Indiana’s Keith Carlson, who specializes in two-stroke builds, is one of our very favorite builders. Each year, Keith and his friend Steve Hoy of […]
Tag: Cafe Racers
Kawasaki Zephyr Cafe Racer by November Customs
The Kawasaki Zephyr was built during the retro/naked bike boom of the 1990s, with styling that recalled the mighty Kawasaki Z1 of yore. The blend of 70s style and 90s tech was a success. The […]
Honda XBR500 Cafe Racer by Bandisca
The Honda XBR500 is a rarely seen, big single street bike launched in the mid-eighties to rival the Yamaha SR500. The 44-hp dry sump engine was derived from that of the Honda XL600 dirt bike, […]
Triumph Speed Triple by Italian Dream Motorcycle
Track Weapon: “Tripla Competizione” Sergio Giordano, the founder of Italian Dream Motorcycle, runs a team of professional racing mechanics uniquely qualified to build high-performance custom motorcycles. “Thanks to years of experience in the world of […]
Honda CB750K Cafe Racer “Kali” by Contach
We like staring slack-jawed at the big money pro builds as much as anyone, but there’s nothing quite so special as the connection between a garage builder and his first build. Enter Mark Guevara of […]
Yamaha XS400 Custom by Reier Motors
A lovely yellow lady from Austria… While its larger siblings get much of the attention, the Yamaha XS400 is quite the lovable machine. The 392cc air-cooled straight twin offered a punchy 32-36 horsepower, allowing the […]
Honda CB500 Four Cafe Racer by Duke Motorcycles
“Mrs. Duke” — The pure white CB500 stunner… Lionel Duke of Duke Motorcycles had more than two decades of experience as a car and motorcycle mechanic before opening his shop in Tourrettes sur Loup, near […]
Yamaha RD350 Custom by Moto Exotica
Two-stroke cafe racer from the foot of the Himalayas! Arjun Raina of India’s Moto Exotica, set in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, has made a name for himself building Yamaha RD350 customs. In fact, […]
“Wart Hog” Honda CB450 Cafe Racer
The CB450 was Honda’s first “big motorcycle” — a 444cc parallel twin with 43 horsepower and a top speed of 110 mph. Early models were known as the Black Bomber, though the remained in production […]
Kawasaki KZ400 Cafe Racer by Therapy Garage
Toby Reed of Therapy Garage grew up riding the 60cc Yamaha JT-1 Mini Enduro that his grandfather bought new for his grandmother in 1971. From there came a dozen more bikes. Then, a few years […]





