Cafe Racers, Scramblers, Trackers, and Bratstyle
XLCH Sportster Street Tracker from Japan’s LOCAL Cycles… Introduced in 1958, the Harley-Davidson XLCH was the stripped-down, high-compression “Competition” variant of the Ironhead Sportster. It was kickstart-only, which helped make it some 25-30 pounds lighter […]
“Make a hundred things that will last for a hundred years”… That’s the motto of Japan’s OA 100 Project, an offshoot of OA Proto Corporation, which designs and produces prototype parts for Japanese bullet trains […]
“A lightweight Airhead BMW that an ‘old guy living in the countryside’ could use to explore nearby mountains…” The new-for-1992 BMW R100R was a classic-style roadster built on the BMW R100GS adventure bike platform. The […]
Double-Engine XS650 Land Speed Racer from Japan’s Rocket Motorcycle… There’s an old joke that the Yamaha XS650 is the best British twin ever (or never) built. It’s a tongue-in-cheek nod to the parallel-twin XS resembling […]
“Grind Glitter” Flat Tracker from Shakin’ Speed Graphix… The Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show (HCS) — organized by Mooneyes, the legendary Japanese hot-rod brand — is one of the most prestigious custom culture shows on […]
RCM-617 from AC Sanctuary, inspired by Aitsu to Lullaby… Most of us know the story of the Kawasaki Z1. Introduced in 1972, the 903cc UJM superbike was the fastest and most powerful Japanese four-cylinder ever […]
A Colorful, NS750-Inspired Street Tracker from Ryo Denda Design (RDD)… In 1986, Honda introduced the FTR250, a 249cc production street tracker styled after the legendary RS750, the purpose-built flat tracker that won four straight AMA […]
RCM-604 by AC Sanctuary… When the Honda CB900F first appeared in 1979, it wasn’t available in the States, as Honda was worried it might steal the thunder of the mighty CBX. American riders grew green […]
Kawasaki KZ1000 MKII from AC Sanctuary… The Kawasaki KZ1000 MKII was the 1979-80 version of the liter-sized Zed. It received some nice upgrades over the previous model, including fresh bodywork, larger carbs, electronic ignition, […]
Z900RS built to AC Sanctuary’s tastes… In 2017, Kawasaki introduced the Z900RS, a 109-hp naked retro that recalls the storied air-cooled inline-four Zeds of the 1970s. “You remember the 1970s, when things were simple, […]
