The BMW R60/5 was part of a series of motorcycles release by BMW in 1970 that marked a huge turning point for the company. The R50/5 (500cc), the R60/5 (600cc) and the R75/5 (750cc) were all based on entirely new frames that did away with sidecar-mounts, meaning they could be much lighter.
This incredible Ural Racer is a creation from the mind of Joao Alves, it’s based on a stock 2013 Ural Solo sT but I think you’ll agree, the finished bike looks like a totally new creature. Joao has given the Ural Racer a beautiful mid-70s fairing, a studded cafe racer seat, a 2-into-2 chopped exhaust, a set of clip-on handlebars and an entirely new personality.
The Type 9 by Zero Engineering is the newest model out of the now world famous garage that was originally founded by Shinya Kimura. It’s a significantly updated motorcycle over the well-known Type 5 and Type 6 models – though it may not look like it at first glance.
This Triton is a slightly unusual, modern take on the classic hybrid. It’s been built using a 1954 Norton Featherbed frame but instead of a 40 year old Triumph parallel twin, he’s using a 3 year old 865cc twin from the modern Bonneville.
Michael Mundy, the proprietor of Steel Bent Customs, has a penchant for building some of the cleanest cafe racer motorcycles you’ll find anywhere. He tends to favour the Honda CB750 and has now got the process of turning the bike from a lumbering over-weight bike into an exceedingly clean, pure example of what a cafe racer can be if the builder sticks to the core of what the genre originally entailed.
This bike is a Harley-Davidson Sportster custom by Art of Racer, it’s based on a 1991 Sportster though the only parts of the original bike are the engine, transmission and carburettor. That rather unique looking frame, modified springer front-end, suicide clutch, saddle, handlebars, rear fender and fuel tank are all custom creations.
he Harley-Davidson Nightster has been a runaway success for Harley-Davidson since it was released in 2007, the bike offered people a custom look for under $9,000 USD and it was fitted with Harley’s famous 1200cc Sportster v-twin engine.
The Honda CB750 has probably been featured on Silodrome more than any other single motorcycle model for the very simple reason that there are just so many people out there producing stunning customs using it as a base platform.
The Honda GB250 is a motorcycle that lives very close to my heart, I have one that I use almost daily and despite the fact that I initially bought it to spend “6 months or so” learning how to ride in Hong Kong (it’s a big change from England and Australia) I still own it and love it almost 4 years later.