2024-04-18 20:02
We have a particular affinity for modern Vespa scooters around here. Our founding editor, Chris Hunter, used to commute on one in Sydney, I used to commute on one in Cape Town, and our good… Read More
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Cafe Racer, Scrambler And Custom Motorcycles | Bike Exif Blog
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Bike EXIF is a showcase for the world's most exciting custom motorcycles, from cafe racers to scramblers to street trackers.
2024-04-16 20:04
On paper, the late-2000s Honda CB600F Hornet is a great bike; a lively four-cylinder middleweight, widely praised for its rideability and reliability. But in the flesh, it’s hard to ge… Read More
2024-04-14 18:45
It’s been too long since AC Sanctuary graced our pages, so this week’s lead bike is an unapologetic Kawasaki KZ1000 from the Japanese masters of excess. We follow that up with a… Read More
2024-04-13 17:00
Countless motorcycle manufacturers popped up in the 1920s and ’30s in Britain, but somehow, none quite as cool as Vincent. High-end speed machines, combining old-school big-displacemen… Read More
2024-04-12 23:08
As Taiwan’s relatively young custom scene continues to flourish, we have the privilege of watching plucky startups become established players. Take Twentytwo Custom; this custom Suzuki… Read More
2024-04-10 19:30
Marc Holstein might be German, but he’s a massive fan of Japanese culture—and an even bigger fan of Japan’s spellbinding motorcycle scene. The ace photographer splits his t… Read More
2024-04-09 20:19
Motorcycle enthusiasts are probably not as familiar with NEIGHBORHOOD as fashionistas are, but the powerhouse Japanese streetwear brand does have a strong connection to motorcycling. NEIGHBO… Read More
2024-04-07 15:59
The most unlikely custom motorcycle tops this week’s assortment of machines; a Ducati Indiana flat tracker. We also profile a Honda Transalp from Bolt Motor Co., a cheeky Yamaha XSR155… Read More
2024-04-05 19:49
Before Ducati took the Monster in a lamentable direction by removing its signature trellis frame and swathing it in plastic, the Ducati Monster 821 was the best new Monster you could get. St… Read More
2024-04-04 16:57
Our friends at Malle are nothing if not adventurous. When Robert Nightingale and Jonny Cazzola aren’t designing impossibly stylish motorcycle luggage from their London HQ, they’r… Read More
2024-04-03 21:20
They say that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, but no one bothered telling Earth Motorcycles that. The Slovakian custom shop has just built an elegant and somewhat… Read More
2024-04-02 16:45
Motorcycles are becoming more complex by the minute. All the technological frou-frou that the modern market demands makes it harder to create heritage-focused machines with clean lines and m… Read More
2024-03-31 20:06
VTR Customs leads the charge this week, with an aggressive take on the gigantic BMW R18. We also look at a couple of kits for the retro-fantastic Yamaha XSR900 GP, the special edition Triump… Read More
2024-03-30 20:24
Ben Schmitt’s name first appeared on these pages three years ago, when the legendary NYC Norton built him a Norton Commando race bike out of a ratty donor that had been bought from a T… Read More
2024-03-29 19:50
With its inch-perfect frame, OEM-style bodywork, and period-correct graphics, you’d be forgiven for mistaking this Yamaha for a forgotten 90s factory prototype. But what it really is… Read More
2024-03-27 21:13
I have a love-hate relationship with tank bags. Having storage space right in front of you on a long ride is undeniably useful—but if a tank bag is too big, or stuffed too full, it can… Read More
2024-03-26 18:09
‘Sticky Matt’ Coulter, the proprietor of Sticky’s Speed Shop, is no stranger to an oil-cooled Suzuki. But despite a back catalog of Bandits, Slabsides, Slingshots, Harris f… Read More
2024-03-24 17:12
This week’s selection of custom bikes is all about the finishes. We have a Yamaha WR155 scrambler with a classic ‘speed block’ livery, a Honda CRF450 with art by a four-yea… Read More
2024-03-23 17:01
Thailand’s K-Speed is a house of many talents. But there’s one particular trick that they excel at, and that’s turning small-capacity motorcycles into custom machines with… Read More
2024-03-22 14:24
Even though it was born from the world’s most prolific cruiser company, the all-electric LiveWire brand’s catalog has been curiously devoid of any cruisers… until now. Get… Read More
2024-03-20 18:59
Buell’s tempestuous history is sprinkled with moments of sheer motorcycling brilliance. And the XB series of the early 2000s ranks high on the American motorcycle company’s list… Read More
2024-03-19 20:56
Husqvarna teased us two weeks ago with a camouflaged prototype of the long-awaited Svartpilen 801. The production version of the Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 has just broken cover—and it&r&hell…Read More
2024-03-17 17:01
Two very different BMW boxers set things off this week; a BMW R nineT café racer from New York, and a BMW R1200R inspired by the Yamaha Banshee ATV. We also look at a crazy Yamaha SR4… Read More
2024-03-16 17:01
Saint came out of nowhere when they burst onto the scene with the world’s first single-layer CE-approved motorcycle denim. The Melbourne-based brand has been developing its ever-expand… Read More
2024-03-15 17:01
Purpose Built Moto is no one-trick pony. The Australian workshop is up for anything, with a portfolio that boasts a wide variety of brands and custom build styles. Even so, they raised a dou… Read More
2024-03-14 17:01
Track racing enthusiasts, hide your wallets; the spicy 2024 KTM RC 8C has just broken cover. Built by hand and limited to just 100 units worldwide, the RC 8C is a track-focused machine with… Read More
2024-03-12 22:03
High-end parts can wreak havoc on a custom bike build budget, so it helps to have a source for good second-hand stuff. For Pierre Dhers at Freeride Motos in Southern France, that source is S… Read More
2024-03-10 20:26
Metallic green is the flavor of the week, with our first two bikes—a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 café racer and a Triumph Bonneville—both wearing the timeless color… Read More
2024-03-09 21:29
The 2024 MotoGP season kicks off in Qatar this weekend, so we’re taking a quick break from our regular programming for our annual critique of this year’s MotoGP race bike liverie… Read More
2024-03-07 19:29
In Jeremy Tagand’s early days as the resident wrench at Deus ex Machina Australia, the Kawasaki W650 was his bread and butter. Deus was one of the first shops to popularize the W650 as… Read More
2024-03-06 23:30
Takuya Aikawa is on a roll. There hasn’t been a running of the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show in the last few years that he hasn’t brought at least one medal home from. His accolad… Read More
2024-03-05 17:05
It’s no secret that Husqvarna has had a twin-cylinder Svartpilen in the works, but now they’ve officially made it official. Get a load of the 2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 801.
Husqv… Read More
2024-03-03 19:12
The Swiss maestros at VTR Customs deliver the first custom BMW R1300GS that we’ve seen, while Radical Speedshop builds a bespoke Moto Guzzi café racer like no other. We also loo… Read More
2024-03-02 17:01
Restomods by their very nature appear simpler than fully customized motorcycles, but they’re usually harder to get right. Customization leaves you free to change whatever you want, but… Read More
2024-03-01 18:56
Despite its increasing popularity, the 1980s K-series BMW remains a difficult bike to customize. There’s hardly an inch of it that isn’t blocky, angular, or just plain awkward&md&hell…Read More
2024-02-29 19:56
The first Royal Enfield Continental GT came out way back in the early 60s; a 250 cc café racer that couldn’t do the ton, but looked as cute as a button. Royal Enfield then put t… Read More
2024-02-27 22:22
The traditional definition of a street tracker is a motorcycle that has all the trappings of a flat tracker, with the addition of lights, street-biased tires, and a front brake. But what if… Read More
2024-02-25 17:36
The Bonhams February sale is about to wrap up, so we’re taking a break from our regular scheduled programming to pick our favorite motorcycles from the auction. From an Ariel Square Fo… Read More
2024-02-24 18:45
I got lucky when I bought my 2012-model Triumph Bonneville SE last year. A single-owner bike with less than 1,500 miles on the dial, it had spent most of its life trickle-charging in a garag… Read More
2024-02-23 22:11
Held on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula since 1962, the Baja 1000 is a desert race like no other. As mythical as it is grueling, finishing it requires skill, willpower, and a little… Read More
2024-02-23 16:01
Mention motorcycle brands and the American Midwest in the same sentence, and a particular Motor Co. springs to mind first. But there’s a smaller company 146 miles away, across Lake Mic… Read More
2024-02-21 21:33
There must be something in the water, because this is the second Harley XR1200 street tracker that’s popped up on our radar in as many weeks. We’re not complaining though. Even t… Read More
2024-02-20 19:35
An email commissioning a new project is good news for any custom motorcycle workshop. But the crew at Moto Adonis in The Netherlands was particularly giddy when their latest project hit thei… Read More
2024-02-18 17:01
Deus ex Machina leads this week’s round-up, with a Fantic Caballero scrambler that tips its hat to the Fantic enduros of the 70s. We also profile Beeline’s new motorcycle navigat… Read More
2024-02-17 20:38
It used to be that if you wanted a retro-styled helmet to match your retro-styled motorcycle, your choices were a handful of open face lids from a small pool of manufacturers. But given the… Read More
2024-02-16 16:32
The last time we heard from Sean Skinner, he’d just built a Yamaha XS650-powered replica of the 1960s Schwinn Stingray Orange Krate bicycle. The oddball creation was a far cry from the… Read More
2024-02-15 19:52
The legend of Paul Smart, Ducati, and the Imola race track is deeply entrenched in motorcycle history. Ducati’s groundbreaking 750 GT was barely a year old when Fabio Taglioni introduc… Read More
2024-02-13 21:01
Many feel that BMW boxer customization has become a tedious paint-by-numbers affair. It’s a fair argument—after all, most BMW R-series customs follow the same formula so closely… Read More
2024-02-11 18:56
We’ve sorted our offerings from small to big this week, starting with the new Lego Technic Kawasaki Ninja H2R 1:8 scale model. From there, we step it up to a vintage Honda scrambler, a… Read More
2024-02-10 20:43
The Harley-Davidson Sportster Roadster broke cover just six years before The Motor Co. unceremoniously pulled the plug on the aging Evolution Sportster. Equipped with upside-down forks and a… Read More
2024-02-09 19:05
An invitation to build a custom bike for the annual Born Free show in the US is a massive accolade. But the honor is typically reserved for custom builders that are well established within t… Read More
2024-02-08 17:01
The short-lived Harley XR1200 was a special bike. If you’ve ever thrown a leg over one yourself, you know what we mean; an 80-plus horsepower Sportster with factory flat track style an… Read More
2024-02-07 17:00
Unless you start with a pile of tubing, all-new parts and a beautiful mind, your average garage-built motorcycle comes together one piece at a time—and it’s not all glamorous. We… Read More
2024-02-06 18:24
With futuristic looks, bold colors, and more plastic than a Tupperware party, the BMW K1 was nothing if not memorable. Released in 1988 and based on the inline four-cylinder BMW K100, it was… Read More
2024-02-04 16:59
This might just be our most eclectic Sunday round-up yet. We start with a Guinness World Record-holding 48-cylinder Kawasaki two-stroke, then look at a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 caf&eacu&hell…Read More
2024-02-03 21:23
Led by unconventional visionaries, ICON Motosports crafts motorcycle gear that blurs the lines between audacious and purposeful, while maintaining a casual indifference to conventional opini… Read More
2024-02-02 17:18
While it’s no secret that we’re fans of Harley-Davidson’s Milwaukee-Eight Softail range, there’s not a single one in the bunch that we could fairly call lithe or eleg… Read More
2024-01-31 20:48
With new motorcycles getting bigger each year—and, by extension, progressively more expensive—it might just be up to small-capacity bikes to save the industry. But while Western… Read More
2024-01-30 19:51
The year is 2044, the setting is a near-future decaying London, and social inequality is at an all-time high. Izi lives in The Kitchen—a rundown housing project long abandoned by the B… Read More
2024-01-28 20:10
The Triumph Bobber is one of our favorite modern classics—but it could do with having some of its fat trimmed. Sam Wheeler at Motone shows us how, while a garage builder sticks a Trium… Read More
2024-01-27 20:43
One of the enduring charms of old BMW motorcycles is that they are virtually unkillable. Even if, against all odds, you do manage to put one out of commission, chances are you have a connect… Read More
2024-01-26 04:33
An army of motorcycles has descended on Las Vegas, certainly, the most impressive array of bikes we’ve laid eyes on in a while—and the best part is—they’re all for s… Read More
2024-01-24 22:03
Marcus Walz made his bones building extreme choppers in the 90s. But as the new wave café racer scene blossomed, the founder of WalzWerk Motorcycles pivoted towards more contemporary… Read More
2024-01-23 21:45
Mentioning ‘Triumph’ and ‘Steve McQueen’ together conjures up images of the iconic desert sleds that the King of Cool kicked up Californian dust with. This custom Tri… Read More
2024-01-21 20:52
Jerem Motorcycles leads the charge with a stylish Ducati Monster café racer this week, while XTR Pepo delivers a classic Ducati endurance racer to conquer all. On the news front, we l… Read More
2024-01-20 22:04
If you want to learn how to weld, fabricate parts, or rebuild an engine, there’s no shortage of resources out there. But good design can’t be taught. You either have impeccable t… Read More
2024-01-18 19:18
Nothing cures boredom quite like motorcycles—and that goes not just for riding them, but wrenching on them too. This is why the father-and-son team behind AMP Motorcycles, Michael and… Read More
2024-01-17 21:51
Dirk Oehlerking’s name has become synonymous with cosmic art deco machines that wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery. But the German custom bike maestro also knows how to… Read More
2024-01-15 06:34
Royal Enfield’s modern 650 platform has proven its versatility time and time again on these pages. So when Royal Enfield unveiled the SG650 cruiser concept at EICMA back in 2021, our i… Read More
2024-01-14 23:03
Our first Speed Read of the year has something for everyone. We kick off with news of the new Triumph Daytona 660, then profile a sharp Honda CB450 café racer from the US. A vintage T… Read More
2024-01-12 22:14
We’re purveyors of the finer elements of internal combustion, and as such, we treasure things like the symphony of mechanical parts at high rpm, the feel of a perfectly executed gear… Read More
2024-01-12 19:21
With a legacy spanning more than three decades, the Ducati Monster occupies a special space in Ducati lore. Miguel Galluzzi’s design was not only credited with saving the marque and bo… Read More
2024-01-11 22:34
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Or, in the case of this Honda Dominator supermoto, one man’s blown engine is the perfect starting point for another man’s r… Read More
2024-01-09 21:33
This year is off to a small start… for us, at least. As the new year revs up and fresh custom motorcycles start hitting our desks, it’s clear that small bikes with big attitudes… Read More
2024-01-08 21:22
K-Speed is quite possibly the world’s most prolific custom motorcycle workshop. The Thai outfit builds bikes at a blistering rate—and while they cover most motorcycle makes, mode… Read More
2024-01-06 12:24
The perennial question facing all major motorcycle manufacturers is how to get young people into motorcycling. With the old-school biker class slowly aging out, nabbing the next generation i… Read More
2024-01-04 21:31
There’s a lot to love about Honda’s current crop of pint-sized modern classics—particularly the iconic Honda Dax. But for some riders, the modern amenities hiding under the… Read More
2024-01-02 20:02
If you’ve ever looked at the Honda CL500 and thought it resembled a small cruiser that’s been crudely massaged into the shape of a scrambler, you’d be right. Honda’s… Read More
2023-12-30 15:01
Crunching the numbers to pick the 10 best custom motorcycles of the year is a headache. But picking my personal favorites is even harder—especially when you consider the caliber of the… Read More
2023-12-29 17:01
Vida Motorcycle has been building Euro-style choppers from their workshop in Fukuoka, Japan, for 17 years. But they’ve also found their groove with high-performing Harley-Davidson FXR… Read More
2023-12-28 19:24
A flourishing custom scene works wonders for brand culture, and it’s in the manufacturers’ interest to get their newest models in the hands of talented builders to boost the buz… Read More
2023-12-27 17:01
In 1993, the Swedish psychologist K. Anders Ericsson hypothesized that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to truly master a skill. Over a decade later, Malcolm Gladwell’s best-s… Read More
2023-12-24 15:01
It’s that time of the year again. The numbers are in, the data’s been analyzed, and our brains hurt—all in the name of bringing you, our dear readers, the most popular cust… Read More
2023-12-23 17:00
Whether it’s from decades of neglect or a dutiful service interval of soaking up potholes, the day will come when your suspension pukes its guts out. Rubber seals have a finite lifesp… Read More
2023-12-22 17:01
Since he launched Blacktrack Motors, Sacha Lakic has had a singular focus. His goal is to design café racers that borrow inspiration from the past, but look to the future with modern… Read More
2023-12-21 17:01
The Indian-made TVS Ronin is still a relatively fresh face on the scene, but it’s already found favor amongst customizers. This custom TVS Ronin from Smoked Garage shows just how much… Read More
2023-12-20 18:01
The holidays are here, and gift-giving is in full swing, but the motorcycle enthusiast in the family can be tough to shop for. Being riders of distinguished taste, we thought it worthwhile t… Read More
2023-12-19 20:07
Five years ago, the maniacs at Biltwell Inc. did something completely unhinged, by racing a Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 in the NORRA 1000 desert race from Baja, California to Mexico. And w… Read More
2023-12-17 21:17
Ducati and Yamaha share equal billing this week. We start with a Yamaha XSR900 fairing kit from Taiwan and a Ducati Multistrada café racer from Argentina. K-Speed wows again with a gn… Read More
2023-12-16 17:01
In the realm of classic motorcycles, terms like ‘rare’ and ‘expensive’ are objective. If very few examples of a particular bike remain, it’s rare; if acquiring… Read More
2023-12-15 17:01
Each and every custom motorcycle, restomod, race bike, and OEM release that we love has one thing in common—someone designed it. Whether it’s a highly experienced industrial desi… Read More
2023-12-14 15:01
Jens vom Brauck has a knack for building custom motorcycles that just look right. His signature aesthetic is modern and unfussy; his bikes are compact and perfectly proportioned. But there&r&hell…Read More
2023-12-12 18:27
Running a custom motorcycle workshop isn’t an easy racket, so we applaud anyone who can pull it off. Germany’s Crooked Motorcycles clearly has the right stuff; this woodsy BMW bo… Read More
2023-12-10 18:04
The first two bikes on our list this week prove that there’s customization potential in every motorcycle. A custom Kawasaki ER-6N from Indonesia leads the charge, followed by a custom… Read More
2023-12-09 21:02
Each year, on the first Sunday of December, scores of custom motorcycles and hot rods pack out the Pacifico Yokohama exhibition center, for the incomparable Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show. Or… Read More
2023-12-08 19:43
Butcher Garage is known for two things: they build wild custom scooters and they have zero regard for purists. It’s right there in their name.
“The etymology of the name of our w… Read More
2023-12-07 18:52
There’s something special about Shiro Nakajima’s work, and it’s painted all over the elegant lines of this custom KTM 690 Duke. Nakajima-san’s creations show a clear… Read More
2023-12-06 19:32
Bonhams certainly knows how to pick ’em, and there’s some exceptional iron hiding in the 2023 December Sale. It’s an online-only auction with lots closing as soon as Decem… Read More
2023-12-05 17:19
They say that perfect is the enemy of good. But when it comes to high-end custom motorcycles, shouldn’t perfection be the goal? Having never built a custom motorcycle in this style bef… Read More
2023-12-03 17:01
Our weekly selection of motorcycle news and customs is bookended by two Royal Enfields; a fully-faired Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 from Malaysia, and the brand’s own Shotgun 650 crui… Read More
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