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TOP 5 Cafe Racers 2021 by BikeBrewers

Adnane Bensalah — Sat, 25 Dec 2021 16:56:04 +0000

We’re gonna be honest, we are a sucker for lists. More specifically, end-of-the-year-top-5-motorcycle lists! It’s one of those things that we never can seem to get enough of. Whether you’re sitting with your friends or family, or on the workfloor with your colleagues, top 5 lists always add flavour to the discussions. We are going to try to avoid a massacre that is usually brought by questions like “what engine oil is best” or “what tires should I get”.

We have seen some incredible builds the last 12 months, and we have to say that despite the world pandemic, we are very pleased to see that so many people still take time work on that what we love most: motorcycles. For 2021 we have created a TOP 5 of some of the most interesting, esthetically pleasing cafe racers we wrote about here on BikeBrewers. We looked at the number of views and shares on our website and social media channels, but also at originality. After all, the list is subjective.

So without further ado, and in complete random order, here are the BikeBrewers TOP 5 Cafe Racer builds of 2021

1. Moto Guzzi 1100 Cafe Racer by Robin Mehnert
When Robin Mehnert, the woodwind instrument maker from Germany, messaged us that he and his father had built a cafe racer based on a Moto Guzzi 1100 California, we got very excited. When you see the pictures of the Guzzi, it’s not hard to see why. Make sure to read the full article to find out more about this clean looking example of Italo-Germanic craftsmanship

2. Icon Motorcycle Triumph Bonneville Triton
Okay, so this Triumph Bonneville was actually built a couple of years ago. However, we only really heard of Icon Motorcycles last year. We didn’t know much about the outfit, and sadly their website has gone offline since. All we know is that the 2 Triumph Tritons they’ve build are unlike anything we have seen in a very long time. It’s almost like a spiritual experience. Luckily, we spent some time writing an article about the work of these fine people, that are based in the Netherlands.

3. Harley-Davidson LiveWire “Rule Breaker” by Moto Adonis
Moto Adonis has been working hard in 2021, with a number of unique projects and builds, we are impressed by the work the 2-man team from the Netherlands has been delivering. When they presented their Harley-Davidson LiveWire project our jaws literally dropped to the ground. This must be the most menacing looking electric motorcycle we have ever see. Period! It looks like a great white shark. In black. On 2 wheels. We dare anybody to show us a custom electric motorcycle that looks better than this.

4. Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 “Lilith” by XTRPepo
There is such a thing as a match made in heaven. In this case, it would be Pepo Rosell, founder and owner of XTRPepo, and Royal Enfield. Let us explain. Pepo has been building race bikes since before we could remember. He has been doing that passionately for the past 25 years. The last 6 years or so, he decided to take step back from building radical custom racing machines for high end customers, and to focus on the more “fun” side of business. Which brings us to Royal Enfield. The people’s champion as far as we’re concerned. Royal Enfield has rapidly gained popularity outside of its domestic market in India. No frills, simple, classy, and affordable. Heck, 2 of our editors bought a Royal Enfield 650 for personal use! That says something! Pepo built a period-correct racer around the Continental GT, and it looks the part.

5. Triumph Bonneville “Gotham” by Tamarit x MotoShare
Tamarit has been building bikes for a long time now, and this heavily modified Triumph Bonneville was their 81st build to be precise. The Alicante, Spain based builders were commissioned by MotoShare to build a cafe racer that provokes people. A bike that gets people talking. José Antonio of Tamarit says: “We took a 2007 Triumph Bonneville and turned it into this ominous looking machine. It was during a video call that one of the guys from MotoShare mentioned it looked like it was made for Batman. It was ‘The Gotham’ from there on.”

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Moto Guzzi 1100 Cafe Racer by Robin Mehnert

Adnane Bensalah — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 08:44:29 +0000

Racing Heritage
Moto Guzzi exists exactly 100 years this year, and that is a reason for celebration. We would like to pay a special tribute to modified Moto Guzzi’s here at BikeBrewers. A Guzzi is an interesting looking machine, and when you sit and ride on one, you’ll also notice that it feels “special”. Some call it character, others call it soul. There was a time when Moto Guzzi built some of the fastest road bikes on the planet. Hard to imagine when you look at the machines they produce nowadays. Still, racing is part of Moto Guzzi’s DNA. In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s Moto Guzzi set a number of world records on the various race tracks, particularly in the 750cc-1000cc class. Their most famous bike was the V7 Sport, which catapulted Moto Guzzi out of bankruptcy and helped secure its future.

Renaissance
Unlike with most other motorcycles, Guzzi owners can be ambiguous when it comes to modifying their motorcycle. They often own or have owned multiple Guzzi’s. Some of them might stay in stock form, while others get wildly modified. Both ways work out great most of the times! In the last 10 years we have seen a strong revival of the old air-cooled machines from Mandello del Lario. Nostalgia has hit hard with the classic crowd, and more people are finding their ways to the Moto Guzzi dealerships. Who doesn’t like the looks of the new V7 or travel ready V85TT?

California dreaming
We absolutely love some of the Moto Guzzi cafe racers we have been seeing here over the last couple of years. The latest edition of the king of cool, is this fine sample built by father and son duo Bernd and Robin Mehnert. Robin and his dad are both woodwind instrument makers and run a small business in Ottenback Germany. Ever since Robin got his drivers-license, he has been eye-bawling the new Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. By chance Mehnert senior received a call from a friend who had a Moto Guzzi California EV 1100 laying around, which he was willing to part with for cheap. A decision was made, and the California was soon in the Mehnert workshop.

Tonti
Once the Moto Guzzi was in their possession, the ideas started flowing. Robin already had a vision for a 1960s style café racer. Heavily influenced by Axel Budde from Kaffee-Maschine Moto Guzzi café racer, dad and son knew what kind of look they wanted to go for. The California EV is one of the last Moto Guzzi’s with the nearly unmodified, infamous Tonti frame; the race winning steel tube frame designed by Lino Tonti. That’s right, a frame designed for racing. This is the one of the main reasons why the Moto Guzzi California handles more like a fast bike than a cruiser. It also has a long swing-arm, excellent for high speed handling. Taking this into consideration, modifying a Moto Guzzi California into a café racer makes total sense.

Sugar, spice, and everything nice
The recipe for this café racer project was incredibly simple: make the Guzzi as light and as fast as possible. The fuel injection system was maintained as this would allow Robin to finish the project faster. No tinkering with carbs needed. So, the California EV went on diet, where most parts got binned and replaced with lighter weight aluminium parts. The front fork got lowered, and the standard California running boards were removed too, since they don’t fit the stance of a café racer. The list of mods is fairly simple:

WBO Café Racer fuel tank
GFK Aluminium seat cowl with leather seat by Dynotec
Öhlins 36PRCLB shocks
Mistral exhaust system
Modified airbox with hi-flow air filter
CNC Aluminium rear set
LSL Aluminium fenders
Aluminium side covers
Verlicchi clip-ons
Le Mans lower frame tubes
EFI programming by Dynotec
Custom paintjob by Dynotec
A dozen of custom-made brackets

GO!
The results of this seemingly simple job are astonishing. In a mere 5 months, Robin and his father managed to change a rather dull looking California cruiser into a ready to race café racer. This is unmistakably a Moto Guzzi; looking low and lean, with that immense V-twin stealing the show. The 1100cc mill went from a standard 68hp to a healthy 86hp. The top speed moved from 185 km/h to 210 km/h, and the total weight dropped from 250 kg to a good 210 kg; that’s a whopping 40 kg weight loss! We are looking froward to seeing more builds by the Mehnert family, because this Moto Guzzi just looks fantastic!

Photo credits: Robin Mehnert

Builder details:
Bernd and Robin Mehnert
Instagram

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