5 Best Cafe Racer Brands and Their Top Cafe Racers

A café racer is a motorcycle capable of traveling at high speed and has stable handling. The basic purpose of café racers is to offer quick rides across short distances.

The earliest café racer was created in the early 1960s. Though the first café racers functioned similarly to sports bikes, owners used to modify these motorbikes to be better suited for shorter, quicker rides. First made in London, café racers soon became well-known all over the world, and motorcycle companies started manufacturing café racers of their own.

Non-essential parts in café racers include the long-skirt mudguards or fenders, chain cover, and side panels. These parts can be removed from café racers or replaced with lighter motorcycle parts.

Kawasaki is one of the top brands that manufacture café racers. Starting production in 1962, Kawasaki established itself in the U.S. with the introduction of the H1 Mach III. The Kawasaki H1 Mach III was well-known for its speed and great handling across straight, open roads. In recent years, Kawasaki has been producing café racer motorcycles that stand out against their competitors.

Top Café Racers by Kawasaki

2022 Kawasaki Z900RS Café Racer

The Kawasaki Z900RS Café Racer has the same specs and styling as the Kawasaki Z900RS. This vehicle has lower handlebars, lower mirrors, and a head fairing.

The Kawasaki Z900RS Café Racer has an assist and slipper clutch for smooth gear shifts, an economic riding indicator, an ABS, an Ergo-Fit, traction control, and horizontal back-link rear suspension.

The Kawasaki Z900RS Café Racer runs on a 948 cc four-stroke engine coupled with a six-speed transmission. The motorcycle has a torque of 98 Nm, a seat height of 32.3 inches, a curb weight of 216 kg, and a fuel tank capacity of 4.5 gals.

2022 Kawasaki W800 Café Racer

The Kawasaki W800 Café Racer was introduced in 2019. This café racer’s design is a tribute to the old Kawasaki W1. The Kawasaki W800 Café Racer has lower handlebars, a head fairing, a flat single-piece saddle, an assist and slipper clutch, and an ABS. This vehicle runs on a 773 cc four-stroke vertical-twin engine capable of producing a torque of 62.9 Nm and horsepower of 50.96 hp.

The Kawasaki W800 Café Racer has a curb weight of 223 kg, a seat height of 31.1 inches, and a fuel capacity of 3.96 gals.

Triumph has a reputation for building the best modern motorcycles with classic looks. Triumph launched its first motorcycle in 1902. Over the course of 20 years, Triumph has produced 30,000 automobiles per year. During the 1950s, Triumph started producing café racers as the company grew in fame for building engines that could reach 100 mph.

Top Café Racers by Triumph

Triumph Thruxton RS

The Triumph Thruxton RS runs on a 1200 cc powerful engine able to produce a maximum horsepower of 103 hp and a maximum torque of 112.53 Nm. The Triumph Truxton RS’s powerful performance, iconic café racer style, and modern features like its traction control and three riding modes make it a well-known café racer.

Triumph Street Cup

The Triumph Street Cup is equipped with a bullet seat, a seat cowl, and a fly-screen that are all in the same color. This café racer is equipped with the latest safety features including ABS and ride-by-wire technology.

The Triumph Street Cup runs on a 900 cc engine capable of producing a torque of 80 Nm and a horsepower of 55 hp. The Triumph Street Cup has a seat height of 30.7 inches and a dry weight of 200 kg.

Ducati is an Italian motorcycle company that also manufactures stylish, affordable, and powerful café racers, such as the Ducati Scrambler Café Racer.

Top Café Racer by Ducati

Ducati Scrambler Café Racer

The Ducati Scrambler Café Racer is built with an Italian-American design. This café racer runs on an 803 cc V-twin engine capable of horsepower of 73 hp.

The Ducati Scrambler Café Racer was launched in 2017. This vehicle is upgraded with the latest technology every year, the latest additions being the Bosch cornering ABS and Bluetooth.

In 1923, BMW launched its first motorcycle, the BMW R32. Later, BMW created a bulky flat-four engine to power the BMW K100.

BMW’s café racers were mostly inspired by the BMW R series. In recent years, BMW has been customizing many of its standard models into café racers. One good example is the BMW R nineT Racer.

Top Café Race by BMW

BMW R nineT Racer

The BMW R nineT Racer comes in a white color scheme with red, dark blue, and light blue patches along the chassis. This café racer is equipped with a seat cowl and fairings. The BMW R nineT Racer’s head and tank fairings give it its aerodynamic look. Its low-positioned handlebars and footrests positioned closer to the rear tire give the BMW R nineT Racer its aggressive riding ergonomics.

The BMW R nineT Racer runs on an 1170 cc boxer-twin engine capable of torque of 119 Nm and a horsepower of 110 hp. The BMW R nineT Racer has a seat height of 31.7 inches and a curb weight of 220 kg.

Honda is the biggest motorcycle company in Japan. Honda’s reputation reached all the way to the U.S. in the 1960s because of the high-quality motorcycles the company produced. The Honda CB750 became the inspiration Honda needed to customize and produce café racers.

Top Café Racers by Honda

Honda CB1000R Café Racer

The Honda CB1000R Café Racer has a sleek and compact design inspired by the iconic Honda CB series. The Honda CB1000R Café Racer is equipped with a ride-by-wire throttle and an assist and slipper clutch and a Showa SFF-BP fork.

The Honda CB1000R Café Racer is equipped with a powerful 998 cc inline-four engine capable of horsepower of 143.5 hp.

Honda CB300R

The Honda CB300R Café Racer is a low-powered café racer with a similar design to the Honda CB1000R. The café racer is good for beginners to practice on thanks to its 286 cc engine capable of horsepower of 20.7 hp. The Honda CB300R Café Racer is equipped with the latest safety features, including ABS and radial-mount Nissin calipers.

Transforming a motorcycle into a café racer by customizing requires a lot of effort and understanding of heavy machinery First, you need to remove the heavier parts, like the fairings, and then add parts like handlebars and a seat specific to a café racer. Choosing the right base model is important when building a café racer as the wrong base model can make the process costly and unsatisfying.

The best bikes to make a café racer include the following:

• Harley Davidson Sportster 883
• Triumph Bonneville T100
• Honda CB series
• BMW R nineT
• Yamaha XS650
• Kawasaki W800 and W650

Café racers are built with flat, low-mounted handlebars or ace handlebars.

Café racers are built for high speed when going on shorter trips. These types of motorcycles are smaller compared to sports bikes and cruisers, which makes them ideal for traveling within a city.

No, café racers are not good for long-distance trips because these motorcycles are built with an aggressive layout and do not prioritize comfort.

A café racer is a modified motorcycle built for quick, short-distance rides. Café racers are lightweight and have aggressive riding ergonomics. However, they are not as common as cruisers and sports bikes. Luckily, popular motorcycle companies have been manufacturing more café racers as of late. The trend of customizing and building café racers has also become more popular.

Though café racers are designed for quick rides across short distances, they can be used for light touring by adding LUGGAGE. There are different luggage options available at Viking Bags including SADDLEBAGS, TAIL BAGS, and TANK BAGS.