Latest Posts
Kevils Sparky Beemer
Here’s another fine scrambler boxer twin from the West Country’s Kevils Speed Shop, this time given the moniker, Sparky. The build was commissioned by John in London, and is based on a 1980 BMW R100 featuring a ...
Alex’s GTV 350 Duc
Alex – AKA Bibu – from Romania is a dedicated Ducatista, with his own outfit, DesmoBIBU. This is his 1980 GTV 350, not one of Ducati’s biggest hits or most sought after models, but a bike he ...
Kevils Ruby Beemer
Kev Hill at Kevils down in the West Country has had a busy few months getting a couple of new customer bikes ready for the spring, including this gorgeous Ruby Helmets inspired Cafe Racer. Commissioned by Marek ...
Cafe Racer Dreams #14
Pedro Garcia and his crew at Cafe Racer Dreams worked right through labour-day on their latest creation to put most of the finishing touches on their muscular BMW Boxer-based Scrambler/Beast, dubbed the MaxBoxer aka CRD#14. I love ...
Nick’s Mk II LeMans
We were just leaving the Ace Cafe on Italian Bike Sunday when this rumbling Guzzi rolled-in. A stunning ’79 Mark II Guzzi LeMans, stripped-down to the bare bones, and fettled to an extreme level of detail. Most ...
Zed leans into the Wind
I took a few snaps of the Zed today, partly because I just fitted some new clip-ons, and partly because she got a wash, plus a coating of ACF-50, so within a week she’ll be covered in ...
Little things…
The problem with customising your bike, as that you get a little too intimate with all it’s failings and imperfections. Every time you make something new, upgrade a part, paint something or even give her a wash, ...
Cafe/Custom Trackday
Taking your pride & joy onto a race track is one of the best things you can ever do as a biker, but mixing it up with guys on GSXR1000RRs and 1198s might seem like a bad ...
Spirit 7 Ecosse Update
S7 Ecosse is now back from Co-Built with it’s lovely bespoke exhaust system (see above), but first it had to have lots of routing work done on the electrics by Martin. There are some really neat solutions ...
Pimp My Triumph
Tim & Kev at Spirit have just delivered another great custom job on a Triumph Scrambler, but this time it was more of a makeover than a ground-up chop or build, but best of all, this kind ...
Trimmed Duc
When it comes to all bikes we always reckon that “Less is More”, and even with some of the more modern classics the argument rages between the restoration purists and those owners who want something just a ...
Shaun’s Cafe Sportster
Shaun and his brother have been mucking about building bikes for years, starting back in 2005 with Harley choppers, then flirting with scooters – which didn’t float Shaun’s boat – before building XS 650 and Triumph 650 ...
Rick’s ’75 Commando
Here’s another lovely ride from a regular Shed-dweller, Rick, from Newmarket, Ontario. He got his first bike, a 150cc Honda Dream, when he was just 13 – in two milk crates, so he’s been spannering his own ...
UMC in the Spotlight
Seems like Adam, Rex & Anita have been hitting the headlines, in Spanish Classic Racer magazine, …and in a recent Iron & Air interview with Adam. Check out the interview, if you’re not already following Iron & ...
Zed Brat/Cafe Update
My slightly schizophrenic Zed is going well under the watchful eyes of Rex & Anita at Victory Motorcycles in Camden (also home to Adam’s Untitled M/C). On the bench, awaiting clocks and final headlight position. How she ...
Guzzi Endurance Kit
We wouldn’t normally be moved by a press release, but Moto Guzzi has done what we hoped they would, after seeing their faired cafe racer at the Milan show; they’ve developed a factory kit that includes a ...
Old & New Extremes
Most of the projects on websites like The Shed, EXIF, Pipeburn & Co are a mix of old ideas and modern engineering, but this lovely machine takes the biscuit, combining the extremes of a modern (ish) GSXR ...
New Shed-mate
There comes a time when your pride & joy gets too pretty and too special for the daily five-mile commute thru dirty ol’ London town, especially on rainy days. (Italian electrics on my Duc too, remember), so ...
Sideburn 10
It’s out, Sideburn 10 – a must-have for greasy worshops, well-worn man-sofas, and customista coffee-tables – featuring 100 full colour A5 pages printed in England on top quality silk paper, perfect bound, matt laminated and topped with ...
Free Kustom Cycles
Marcos Vazquez is the proprietor of Free Kustom Cycles, who, along side mechanic Jorge Camacho, has been building customs in Spain over the last couple of years. Mechanic Jorge Camacho Here is some of their latest work. ...
Recycled Cafe Racers
Despite the long production run, simplicity of design, and Italian heritage afforded by it’s maker, the Ducati Monster hasn’t made the biggest impression on the custom cafe scene, probably because of the V-shaped trellis frame that won’t ...
Rob’s BMW – Updated
In between sorting out the CB350 moviestar bike Adam has been back at work sorting out Rob’s Beemer, and now that the frame is painted the wheel can go back in. Previously Adam has been back at ...
Spirit 749R Tracker
Could this be the one that got away? Tim & Kev at Spirit have put together a properly researched and beautifully drafted plan for a Tracker based on the controversial-looking, but beautifully spec’d-out Ducati 749R. To get ...
EXIF’s Chris Hunter
You just can’t ignore the influence of BikeEXIF on the cafe, brat-style, flattracker and modern custom scene. Chris Hunter’s personal passion for beautifully built and photographed custom bikes has turned an engineering art form, into a creative and ...
Ally Pally Show
We love Ally Pally as a venue, and it has a history of great biking shows, but our expectations were very low. Not because custom shows don’t have thier place, but because despite the mention of cafe ...
CB350 at Untitled M/C
Here is a nice looking CB350 that we got a while ago to custom for a film that John Lindquist is directing this year. The film is going to be set in the South of France more ...
Cafe Racer Dreams’ Pedro Garcia
Cafe Racer Dreams in Spain have been turning out some stunningly beautiful creations over the last couple of years, each with a subtlety and attention to detail that puts them in the superleague of custom builders, and ...
Inman in the Shed
As the mad genius behind last year’s Rollerburn, Sideburn & Sideblog, and with Dirt Quake coming soon, we wanted to get a little deeper under the skin of the outspoken bike journo and editor, Gary Inman, so ...
Marc’s SR500
Marc from Hove has built this rather gorgeous cafe racer/street tracker, and although it’s based on the humble SR500, like a few customs on here, there is a huge amount of detail is this build, plus it ...
Spirited Suzuki
Suzuki’s GS is one of those lowly commuters that custom builders love. It’s got all the key attributes: a simple, air-cooled engine with fins, carbs, double cradle frame, and once you strip off the ugly body work ...
Dirt Quake
After the success of the bold and brilliant Rollerburn, Sideburn mag are setting up another must-attend event – but this time it’s not just about checking out the bikes or the babes… Dirt Quake – at Coventry ...
Spirit 7 Begins
Tim and Kev have taken on another XS750, a tried and tested custom platform that the guys made into the stunning S2. The S7 has some design differences to S2 including R6 forks, a front mudguard, (not ...
Spirit Ducati GT1000
Ok. Calm down, calm down… Tim & Kev have just taken delivery of a mint condition, low miles Ducati Sport Classic GT1000, and it’s going to get the Spirit treatment. To say I’m looking forward to this ...
Spirit at Verona’s Expo
Tim & Kev decided that one of the perks of being professional custom bike builders should be a trip to Verona for the Bike Expo for the Motor Bike Expo. I think they had quite a party ...
Retro Before it’s Time?
While Cafe Racer fever has gripped the motorcycle marketing machine, one mainstream manufacturer is missing out. Retro Features and Cafe Project sections are popping up in all the mainstream bike rags, custom shows have less tassels and ...
Jerome’s SS Updated
The Ducati SS is a great machine to base a modern retro build on, with a lightweight frame, a proven air-cooled engine (with carbs) that has only been radically changed in the last 5 years or so, ...