The ‘airhead’ flat twin boxers and R-series motorcycles are great choices for BMW cafe racer projects. More recently, we’ve seen the rise of modern-day specials based on the BMW R nineT, which was designed to be easily customized, with a bolt-on subframe and modular electrical system.
Here you’ll find traditional 60s-style cafe racers based on the BMW R75 and R100, plus neo-retro builds based on newer models including the K100 ‘flying brick’.
It’s a good starting point to find the parts, seats and performance upgrades that’ll take your own BMW to the next level—and get inspiration from other BMW cafe racer builders on the custom scene.
If you suffer from lower back problems, look away now, because all of this week’s Speed Read selects wear clip-on handlebars. We’ve got a Krauser BMW R100 café racer from Poland, a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 café racer from America, and a Norton Commando drag racer. We conclude with a new retro-styled factory sportbike that’s…
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Muscular, with a little 80s style; that was the brief given to Spain’s 72 HKG Performance by the owners of this custom BMW K75. The bike originally belonged to their father, but it had been relegated to the garage for the last few years. It needed resurrecting, so they figured they might as well have…
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There are more ways to customize a motorcycle these days than ever before. You can take the traditional route and hammer your parts out of metal, or you can turn to modern manufacturing methods like 3D printing. Or you can play like Vagabund Moto—and throw every technique imaginable at one futuristic BMW R nineT custom.…
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The BMW R nineT has just had its first major update since it first launched, but many have wondered if the changes were necessary. After all, the outgoing model is as capable as it is attractive—and it has oodles of custom bike potential in the right hands. This uncompromising BMW R nineT café racer comes…
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Powerbrick has the most apt name in the custom motorcycle business. The Dutch workshop specializes in making parts for K-series BMWs, affectionately…
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The BMW K100RS was borderline futuristic when it hit the scene in the 1980s. Between its blocky horizontal inline-four engine and its…
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Wandering between a sea of custom motorcycles at the Handbuilt Show in Austin, Texas last month, our Stateside team had the arduous…
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Last year, Žiga Petek did something truly refreshing—he built a custom BMW boxer that bucked all custom BMW boxer trends. With sharp…
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Custom motorcycles come in all shapes and sizes. But the more style variations a custom shop adds to their portfolio, the more…
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BMW’s K-series is legendary, but its legend was not made on racetracks or crossing deserts. No, the large block-shaped engines, lovingly known…
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Dieter Rams said that good design “involves as little design as possible.” Colin Chapman said “simplify, then add lightness.” Both principles are…
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From the minute it hit the custom scene, the BMW K100 has been an underdog. With a brick-like motor, overly angled bodywork…
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