![]() There’s also a custom twin exhaust system and a set of Imola-style side covers. Some of the stand-out features of this SR400 cafe racer are the rubber-mounted BSA Brooklands alloy fuel tank and a Peyton Place cowl. Under Mac’s instruction, Flakes tore the SR down and began rebuilding it using his trick new parts. He then took his SR along to the workshop of Flakes Customcycles. Mac kicked things off by handpicking a long list of aftermarket parts to fit to the bike. ![]() This latest iteration of the bike was 7 months in the making and has seen it reimagined as a “neo-cafe racer”. Mac has owned his beloved 1996 SR400 for more than 20 years. Cafe racer styled builds are a hot favourite with SR owners and this beauty by Japanese SR enthusiast Makato (Mac) Endo is an excellent example of how it’s done right. Unfortunately, Yamaha put an end to the SR’s impressive 43-year production run in 2021, but that hasn’t made the Japanese icon any less appealing. Thanks to workshops like Deus Ex Machina and the multitude of stunning custom SRs built by Japanese enthusiasts, the evergreen thumper left a lasting impression on custom enthusiasts worldwide. The Yamaha SR400 was the poster child of the “new wave” custom scene back in ’08/’09. Scroll down to see the full list and remember if you’ve got a project in the pipeline be sure to get in touch when it’s done and you too could find your pride and joy appearing here with the best of the best. There’s a good mix of brands and makes with only 2 manufacturer double-ups and I’ve even thrown a movie prop motorcycle in there. Asian workshops have also made their mark on the list with 5 of the 10 coming from either Japan or Thailand. This year cafe racers with fairings have dominated the list with 8 of my Top 10 Cafe Racer selections wearing one. This list is a handpicked selection of the motorcycles that either displayed serious commitment or skill to create or simply had my jaw on the floor when I laid eyes on them. As the motorcycle features editor of this site, I take great pride in handpicking each and every custom motorcycle we feature. As the late great Dean Martin said, ‘You can’t love ’em all, but you can try’ and while these 10 cafe racers certainly deserve their place here on the 2022 Top 10 List, there were so many more that could have easily found their way here.ĭon’t expect to see a list based on social media stats or website analytics here. This collection includes every cafe racer we’ve ever published on Silodrome going back almost a decade.It’s that time of year again when I look back over the past 12 months of articles and somehow pick out the 10 best cafe racers of the year. ![]() The goal was to get back to the cafe first – before the song finished.Īlthough there’s no official definition of a cafe racer, it’s generally believed that they’ll have clip-on handlebars, a single seat with a small rear hump or cowl, a fuel tank that may have knee indents in each side, and engine that’s been reworked for performance above practicality.Īll superfluous weight should be removed, this often includes fenders, side covers, heavy factory mufflers, and sometimes even license plates, headlights, and other legally required elements. It was common for Ace Cafe regulars to race one another, as the story goes a song would be started on the juke box, as soon as the first note was heard the competitors would set off and reach speeds of 100+ mph. The original home of the first generation of cafe racer builders was the Ace Cafe – a humble transport cafe in northwest London on the North Circular Road.ĭue to the cafe’s proximity to the North Circular Road, which was a popular location for illegal street racing, the Ace was inundated most evenings and all weekend by young men, young women, and hand-built custom motorcycles. Most of the cafe racers built in-period were based on large capacity British muscle bikes from marques like Norton, Triumph, BSA, Ariel, and even occasionally a Vincent. The “ton” was slang for 100 mph and the goal of any self-respecting cafe racer pilot was to exceed the ton by as much as possible. Cafe Racers were first invented in London in the late 1950s, their early creators and became known as the “Ton Up Boys”.
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