It is common for us to write about a motorcycle with a special story, and in a way, they are all very personal. Still, this might be the most special motorcycle we have covered to date. This is a story about a man that does not compromise.

Controversial Design

Let’s start with the bike we have at hand. It started out its life as a Ducati 999; a controversial motorcycle designed by the famous Pierre Terblanche and produced in the Ducati factory from 2003 till 2006. Why was it controversial? Well, first off, Terblanche superseded Massimo Tamburini, the man that designed the magnificent Ducati 916, among others. Tamburini designed motorcycles for Cagiva, Ducati, MV Agusta and even founded Bimota. All of his designs were basically iconic. Does are some pretty big shoes to fill for Terblanche.

Terblanche had his own style, which wasn’t always liked by everyone. Despite the odd looking double stacked headlight, and sharp lines of the original 999 and its smaller displaced 749 sibling, Terblanche’s design grew a cult following. Also because the 999 was an incredibly capable sport bike, with various victories in the Superbike World Championship. Compared to today’s figures one might not be impressed with the specs. However, nearly 20 years ago, it was a totally different story. So far the history lesson.

A man from Twello

So how did this Ducati 999 end up in the workshop of the dynamic Dutch duo Moto Adonis? Well, THAT’S an interesting story! This may sound like a story you would hear in a bar. Maybe one to take with a pinch of salt. Not this one. So here goes.

A few years ago, a man from Twello, a small town in the Eastern part of the Netherlands, had a traumatic accident. As a matter of fact, it was so bad, that he lost his left lower leg. Since then, he learned how to use a prosthetic leg and moved on with his life. This man had a vivid dream. He dreamt that one day he would be able to ride a sports bike. Not any sports bike, but a Ducati 999 nonetheless. He was so focused on achieving his dream, that he purchased a 999, bought a retro styled fairing kit, and tried to build the bike he had dreamt of. There was one major issue though: his leg. No matter how you look at it, a left leg and foot is needed to control the gearbox. Despite this setback, he kept moving forward, and found the boys of Moto Adonis. Together they came up with a plan.

Shifting Gears

We’ll cut straight to the chase. To deal with the gear shifting challenge, a pneumatically actuated manual shifter was created, which allows the rider to shift gears with the push of 2 buttons on the left clip-on. To give the prosthetic leg a safe place to rest, and to keep the motorcycle in balance, a modified floorboard was created from scratch. This is what engineering is about! To make the 999 look like a million bucks, the fairing kit got customized to suit and the side panels were ditched. The tank got modified to flow with the rest of the design, which as you can see, is heavily inspired by 1970’s race bikes. The subframe had to be modified and now houses the battery.

The seat was custom made and designed to look like a horse saddle; courtesy of Miller Kustom Upholstery. Looking closer and you will see an LED taillight, which is actually of a Yamaha XSR700. A round 7” headlight adds to the classic look, as well as the round Motogadget speedo. To custom paint job really pops when you see the Ducati, with a Moto Adonis unique twist to the Italian Tri-Colori. Not red, white and green, but red, gold and blue. Ohlins suspension ensure proper tractability, and the SC Project silencers add to the audible character of the liquid cooled L-twin from Bologna. Combined with the unique, classic Ducati logo on the tank, we think this is the best looking 999 in the world!

There’s more…

There is a little bit more to this story that we would like to share with you. The original prosthetic leg had to get irreversibly modified to allow the owner to sit properly on the motorcycle. This was a bit of a problem because he only had 1 prosthetic leg, and another one would cost a fortune. Also, not one single prosthetists was willing to modify a leg for motorcycle riding. Fortunately, the guys from Moto Adonis were willing to do the modification, provided a leg was available. When word got around, another motorcycle rider with a modified motorcycle and a prosthetic leg offered a spare prosthetic leg. Legend has it that both are now riding buddies and have become close friends. Now that is a story worth telling.

Builder details:
Moto Adonis
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Luckily for us, the standard is pretty high when it comes to their custom built motorcycles, and the BMW you see here today is no exception. Built on behalf of Bartek Prokopowicz, a Polish movie director and lifelong petrolhead, Grzegorz Korczak decided to do something different this time. What started out as a standard BMW R80 police style motorcycle, has been transformed into a cafe racer styled tracker. What makes this 1978 BMW even more special is the treatment all surface areas were given to get a very distinct look. Take a closer look and you’ll see what we mean. Some parts look a bit rusty, and maybe even a bit rough and dirty. Make no mistake, this was done on purpose, through a series of rigorous processes, to achieve this unique, patina look. As if this BMW was built a long time ago. Very cheeky!

It’s clear that this BMW R80 is meant to look a bit rough and used, but that’s just one part of the story. Underneath the surface, everything was redesigned. Let’s start with the most notable changes, like the rear subframe. Or rather, the lack thereof. We see that on top of the minimalistic subframe a beautifully stitches single seat is resting. It almost looks as if it is floating. Some of the worlds’ smallest LED brake and indicator lights can be found underneath the seat.

To keep a clean look, the battery had to be relocated somewhere less obvious; underneath the bike. A custom battery bracket was fabricated to allow for the relocation. This gives the BMW a clean look. The engine and air intake has been kept stock for a change, and we love that! Everything was done to ensure the 800cc boxer is up to snuff, thanks to a thorough inspection and service. At the front the suspension was upgraded to YSS springs and received a pair of fork gaiters. A set of YSS fully adjustable twin shocks take care of business at the rear.

But there is more! Although the rest of the front looks stock, most isn’t. First there is the Motogadget speedo, that looks a lot smaller than the factory cockpit. A black aluminium handlebar replaced the stock steel unit. The handlebar grips have been wrapped with leather, and at the end of them, a pair of Motogadget bar-end indicators have been mounted. A classic oversize black round headlight adds to the distinguished look. The custom short fenders, the blacked out exhaust headers, and the twin brushed end cans all add to the classiness of this R80. No wonder it took almost a year to complete this project!

In the end, UNIKAT managed to create yet another timeless looking custom motorcycle. It’s hard to imagine that they built another bike simultaneous to this project. And yet, they did just that! Stay tuned for more, here on BikeBrewers.

Photo credit: UNIKAT

Builder details:
UNIKAT Motorworks
Website
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A Different Kind of Build
The 30-year-old Maarten Bressers has amazed us before with some beautiful custom BMW motorcycles. Although his preference usually went to boxer twins, the man behind Moto Rebuild decided to take a walk on the wild side, and to venture into the world of BMW inline engine motorcycles

Realistically, we have seen countless of gorgeous builds that were based around the R-series Bavarian pride. A K-series BMW however, is something completely different. When you think about it, where the R-series were meant as no-nonsense motorcycles, using the simplest of technologies, the K-series was nothing short of high tech when it first came out. No round, organic shapes on the K-series, but hard straight lines and a boxy design.

Fallen like a Brick
So why a K-series then? Maarten and his father, who is his partner in crime at Moto Rebuild, wanted to do something different this time. Were a boxer engine BMW allows for easy work, the K-series bikes require a lot more thorough thinking. Modifying a K75 or K100 and making it look balanced is not an easy job. But when Maarten saw a modified K100 on Instagram, the seed was planted and he wanted to have a go at one for himself.

Once the craftsman had made up his mind, a BMW K100 from 1987 was quickly sourced. He didn’t know exactly what the end result was going to look like, but he knew that the strength of this particular model lays in its angular design, so a robust front was a must. The biggest challenge was going to be to get the rear subframe to look nice and to allow the lines of the fuel tank to match with his design.

Community United
Maarten made a number of molds to create a custom set of fairings for his K100 project. We know firsthand that he regularly asked his followers on Instagram for their opinion. In a way, this has helped him to shape his project into what it is now. One could argue that this has been a collaboration between Moto Rebuild and his followers, which makes it quite unique!

Premium Parts
At the front we see a custom set of triple clamps, with LSL mirrors and a KOSO speedometer. The wide handlebar is also courtesy of LSL, as are the indicators and rear taillight. The side panels of the fuel tank are custom made by Maarten himself. The same goes for the custom subframe that now has a seat-pan from Cafe4Racer and a custom-made seat from Miller Kustom Upholstery. The LED headlight and handlebar grips are from the catalogue of Max Inc. A unique mounting system is used at the rear, which allows the shock absorber to sit almost horizontal, clearing the view to that beautiful rear wheel. The rear shock is from YSS, and ensures proper traction, as do the Michelin Anakee dual-sport tires.

When you look closely, you will see that this BMW has a ton of small details, like the 3D printed injection cover, ignition cover, and even rear wheel hub, courtesy of Motoism Custom and Raw Metal Racers. If you look closely you will spot built-in indicators on the front fork cover, built to spec by Motoism. All of this combined with the matt red/orange color, we think this is one of the best looking custom K100 we have seen passing the revue here on BikeBrewers. What sets this build apart from all other K100’s is that this scrambler looks very sporty, almost aggressive. Although a boxer twin has more “character” to its rumble, the K100 shines in smoothness.

FOR SALE!
And if you’re thinking “Hey this bike looks amazing, I want to own it!” then you’re in for a treat! Moto Rebuild is selling this BMW as well as another custom BMW R80. Send Maarten a DM on Instagram for more details.

Photo Credits: Maarten Bressers

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This isn’t Sebastien’s first rodeo. He has built a stunning Yamaha XS650 before, completely in Jap-style. It was featured in many magazines back in 2020, and for good reason too. There is definitely no lack of imagination when it comes to his old build, but also this more recent creation.

We are a sucker for nose art. Especially those from around World War 2. The first nose art started at the beginning of the 20st century, during World War 1. When fighter planes where being used in close combat. Pilots would paint their planes with menacing texts or imagine instilling fear into their opponents. Nowadays we don’t see nose art anymore in the military, but it is still regarded as art among enthusiasts around the world.

To see nose art being used on a custom motorcycle makes our hearts beat a little bit faster. But there is more to this machine than just the nose art, which has a symbol of the rising sun on the left, and shark mouth on the right, a nod to both east and west. Sebastien has managed to source a racing fairing of Norton Commando and has modified it to fit the Kawasaki seamlessly. The combination of nose art and matt green paint has been done incredible well by Cedric B Ink.

The rear of the KZ650 has been chopped and lowered, using custom shock absorbers. There is something special to these shock absorbers. They are modified for air-ride, which allows the rear of the bike to be raised or lowered at the flick of a switch. At its highest point, the clearance between the exhaust and the ground is a mere 10 centimeters! A neat feature we see in the custom car scene, but not often on a motorcycle.

The rear cowl comes from a Kawasaki Z1000ST and has been modified to fit the KZ650. The custom seat has been made by Dérouillée Sellerie and looks astonishing on this bike. The Delkevic exhaust has been modified to fit this KZ perfectly. Combined with the DNA air filters, this Kawasaki definitely breaths better now.

The front of the Kawasaki has also been lowered to accommodate for the lower stance Sebastien was going for. The fuel tank has been heavily modified, and now incorporates a fuel level indicator on the side, and a pop-up gas-cap. The electrics of the Kawasaki have been replaced with a simplified wiring harness that accommodates for the micro switches. We love the minimalistic look, especially with the large tacho front center. The Kellerman LED lights and indicators further contribute to this look. The levers are now Brembo’s, which are adjustable.

When you look at the pictures closely, you will see that the kick-starter pedal looks custom. That’s because it is, courtesy of T4 Motorcycles. What’s also custom, is the Ruroc 2.0 helmet which Sebastien has made to match the look of the bike. Small detail, but with great results!

Sebastien admits that with the ground clearance, the Kawasaki is more suitable for slow strolls than racing. Still, with the way this KZ650SR has turned out, we wouldn’t be surprised if it commanded anyone to move to right as it appears in your rear-view mirror. And all of this with a budget of no more than €6000,-.

Photo Credits: SKM

Builder details:
Seb Kustom Motorcycles
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Gentlemen, may we have your votes please?
In 2021 the BikeBrewers team got invited by the Café Racer Club Bulgaria to act as judges for the 2nd edition of the Caféracerfest in Kyustendil – Bulgaria. We didn’t know what to expect, since this was the first time we were asked to perform this serious duty, and all we had seen so far were (lovely) pictures of the first edition. Now, we may not know much about the Eurovision Song contest, however, we do know a thing or two about caféracers, so we grabbed our motorcycle gear and headed East.

Throwback 2021
As you may recall, we were blown away by the quality of the event, which we clearly communicated in our September 24th report. A major factor in the success of the first two editions is the undaunted organizer of the event, Ivan Mushev. That name may ring a bell, and it should; we’ve featured some of Ivan’s masterpieces under the name of his outfit Bull Moto custom. But that’s not what we are here for now.

We must have done something right as we have been invited to judge again at the 2022 edition of the Caféracerfest which is coming up on June 11th, and we couldn’t be more excited! Looking back at last year’s event did raise the question if this year’s contenders have any idea of the high level of last year’s participants? If we go by what we saw last year, we have some pretty high expectations.

…and the winner is..!
This story is about Borislav Aleksov and his dream to build the ultimate café racer. Before the Bulgarian builder got his hands on this 1992 Yamaha XV1100, he had already built a Honda CX500 café racer. Borislav was fascinated by the air-cooled Yamaha v-twin, so when one of his friends was selling his, Borislav knew that it was now or never. We’re glad he took that chance.

It’s safe to say that we have yet to see a boring Yamaha XV caféracer here at BikeBrewers. This one seems to be the latest addition to that list, keeping the standard yet again, very high. It’s hard to imagine that Borislav had a budget of a mere 7500 euro; that kind of money you’d expect a shed-built bike to cost, definitely not a show-winning unit like this.

Torches out
Borislav started with chopping the rear sub-frame, and building a new one from scratch. At the front a set of Suzuki GSX-R1000 forks were adopted, held firmly in place by a set of Aprilia RSV4 triple clamps. The forks allow for radial brake callipers to be mounted, which is exactly what the master craftsman did, courtesy of Tokico. At the rear, a Yamaha FZ6 mono-shock keeps the bike on track. The new forks brought a new dilemma; the ground clearance was now compromised. The solution: raising the engine up in the frame. That’s not an easy task, so countless hours were spent trying to get it right.

The engine didn’t go back in the frame before being completely overhauled and got covered with a fresh coat of paint. The carbs were cleaned and rebuild, so that took care of the intake side of things. On the exhaust side, a new custom-made exhaust system was build from the ground up. We really liked the lines and angles of the exhaust system, and it’s one of the key features that attracted us to this bike on the day of the event. When we asked Borislav what his intentions were when he built this bike, he said that, at first he wanted to build a classic looking café racer, but that he changed his mind half-way through the project after being inspired by some builds he saw on Facebook.

Wheels
A friend of Borislav took care of lacing the hubs to a new set of aluminium rims, which were also in black. Yes, black is the theme with this build, and we like it! Do you know what’s also black? The modified Benelli fuel tank, the epitome of café racer fuel tanks. Everything was painted in-house by Borislav himself. A custom leather seat keeps the rider firmly in place, and a Daytona Velona 80 gives all the necessary rider info whilst maintaining a contemporary look.

It is clear to see why this particular café racer took the 1st prize during the 2021 Caferacerfest.
This is what Borislav had to say about his build:
“I like the paint scheme and the general profile of the motorcycle that is the exact opposite of a chopper. The riding experience is unexplainable after 3 years of working on this project to be able to finally ride it is a dream come true. Thanks also for the Felix helmet that I received as a prize. It really enhances the look of the ride” he smiles.

Previous life
Below are some shots of the bike before Borislave opened his toolbox and the build in progress.

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“You dream it, we build it!” a strong slogan from Assen Zahariev’s garage in Sofia, Bulgaria. However, a bike this stunning out of a stock 80° longitudinal V-Twin we could not have dreamt up ourselves. Assen saw a golden opportunity in this rare motorcycle and let his inspiration flow freely.

We have previously featured many CX500 builds, but this is our first CX650 and we are rather excited to tell you all about it! The Honda CX650 with its 673cc is the big brother of the common CX500 models. Whereas the production numbers of the latter easily exceed 180,000, the CX650 in all its versions was limited to roughly 15,000 in total, worldwide. The CX models were loaded with innovative features. Electric-only starting, low-maintenance shaft drives were found on the occasional BMW motorcycle, as were the constant vacuum carburettors, but the liquid cooling and separated ignition system were rather unique. Even though the CX650 and the CX650E looked rather similar, this one looks nothing like it did when it rolled off the production line.

Specialising in BMW motorcycles, the Honda was a bit of a side step for Tossa R. When starting a new project, especially with a bike that is novel to us, most of us start with browsing the interweb and social media, scrolling through dozens of images of custom interpretations of a particular model for ideas and inspiration. Assen went the complete opposite direction and carefully steered clear of other people’s ideas influencing his build. He turned toward the bike and toward himself, and five months later, the result is an elegant yet sporty, urban cafe racer.

With the exception of the seat by Oldman Leathers and the paint by Picasso Motor, all the work was done in-house. Yamaha R6 triple clamps and forks were swapped in to improve the suspension and handling, as well as the stopping power provided by dual floating discs with radially mounted calipers. Combined with the centrally mounted rear shock with external reservoir the suspension is fully adjustable to the rider’s needs. Above the rear shock, tucked in neatly between the downtubes of the frame, are two high flow air filters, allowing the bike to breathe more freely, and together with the custom stainless steel exhaust they bring at least 65 horses out of the stable.

Shortening the exhaust and running it underneath the engine frees up the rear wheel, but removing the side covers and shortening the tail really shifts the visual weight forwards, giving it its sporty appearance. The moon discs in the rear wheel were added to keep the bike visually grounded and balanced. A newly fabricated bracket supports the seat and the custom tail and ensures a perfect optical line from the tail through the carburetors, cylinder heads, and exhaust headers to end in the front axle, emphasising that this bike is built to ride!

The lines of the bike are further accentuated by small bar-end mirrors, a low-profile gage, and clip-ons, streamlining its profile. Electronically, the bike is decked out with high end gauges and bar-end indicators by MotoGadget, and also the head and taillight have been replaced with LEDs to bring it into the 21st century and ensure visibility. This motorcycle does not need its lights to attract attention, though. We reckon parking it at a cafe in the city centre will draw ample attention from enthusiasts, passersby, and aspiring builders!

If this has tickled your fancy, reach out to Tossa R, these bikes are built to order, and there is room for only 8 more!

Photo Credits: Tossa R

Builder details:
Tossa R
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Another XV!
So when our friend Jeremy Duchamp of JeremMotorcycles shared his modified Yamaha XV1000 TR-1 with us last year, we were over the moon! The Frenchman can’t seem to get enough of the Yamaha XV, so he spent over 240 hours in his shed brewing on another Yamaha XV project, this time is a XV750. We have to say that we were blown away by how this café racer turned out!

It goes without saying that the XV didn’t start of its life like this. Jeremie bought the 1983 XV750 about 1 year ago and it was not in a good shape, according to the craftsman. Each and every bolt was removed and replaced where necessary. The subframe and swingarm had sever corrosion and were removed and decluttered, after which they got sandblasted and powder coated in a gloss black finish.

Serious components
The front end of the XV received a serious upgrade. The front fork has been adopted from a Ducati Monster and was mated to a  Ducati Diavel front wheel. To make it all work , a custom triple clamp was made by USV Racing. Integrated into the top yoke is a KOSO speedo. The radial brakes are courtesy of Brembo and offer tremendous stopping power. The brake lines are of aviation grade quality too. On the clip-ons we find CNC’ed micro switches. All the switches and electrics have been connected to an M-Unit by MotoGadget. Talking about electrics, the café racer received an LED headlight, mini front indicators, and a tail light that appears to be floating, pretty neat! All of this is powered by a Solise lightweight Lithium battery which has been placed underneath the tank.

Moving towards the back of the Yamaha, we can see some serious eye-candy. The rear wheel is an absolute stunner, with the closed rim giving it an old-school racer look. A custom rear-set ensures the rider maintains full control. The rear shock comes off an MV Agusta 800 and has a custom mounting system. The single seat has been built to spec by “Point Sellier 34”, in a beautiful black leather finish with a colour matching piping.

Engine Refreshment
The engine wasn’t up to snuff to begin with, so Jeremie decided to replace it completely by a unit with a lower mileage. With less than 10.000 km on the clock it definitely was a lot fresher. From there it was simple. Replace the original carburettors with a pair of Dellorto PHF32’s, open air-filters, and get the lot tuned by “Les Belled d’Oc” in Béziers, France. To let all the gases out in an efficient way, a custom exhaust was made in the JeremMotorcycles workshop.

Green by AUDI
To finish this custom project off, the engine received a fresh coat of paint, and the fuel tank got painted in a lush AUDI green paint. The fuel tank also received a protective KEVLAR layer underneath to protect against any unwanted influences. There are little easter eggs hidden all over this build; JM logo’s are engraved or painted in countless places, most notably on those Metzeler tires.

Putting all things together, we can’t imagine how Jeremie completed this build in only 240 hours. It is truly impressive, and we hope that someday we can see and hear this beautiful café racer rip the streets of France, in real-life.

Photo Credits: Jonathan Silene

Builder details:
Jerem Motorcycles
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Beautiful Monster

Monstrous Monster
Taking a Ducati Monster and turning it into something more monstrous is not an easy feat. Yet, the folks from Moto Adonis didn’t shy away from such a challenge. As the Dutch builders have done before, they like to do thing different from other builders. It is clear that they have their own design language, which is great! Their bikes showcase their creativity, originality, and a level of craftsmanship we don’t often get to see. Just look at some their recent build to judge for yourself.

While you are reading through this, have you ever considered having your own custom motorcycle built? Are you worried about how much work it actually is? Well, we have good news for you! Moto Adonis in the Netherlands have increased their capacity and are currently looking for new projects to take on! Make sure you go over to their website https://www.motoadonis.nl/ for more details.

Great start!
Now, it must be noted that there was already some work done on this modified 1995 Ducati Monster 900. When the bike arrived at the Moto Adonis workshop, the engine had already been treated to a big-bore kit, a custom exhaust, and was tuned for performance accordingly. So no additional work was needed to the engine, a great start! There was also some work done on the tail section and fuel tank, however, the customer wasn’t very happy with this. That’s why he visited the folks of Motor Adonis.

Unique design
First step was cutting the tank and tail section apart and modify it to their own design. They also made an aluminium front headlight fairing with a laser cut Ducati logo in the center. After these initial mods, the customer seemed very pleased with the direction the build was going. The next step was to seriously upgrade anything that could improve the handling and the looks (obviously!). An original Ducati S4R single-sided swingarm replaced the original unit. Marchesini magnesium wheels, with upgraded Brembo radial brakes, all original Ducati parts, were also added. To top things off, a set of Öhlins fully adjustable rear shock and front forks were added.

Under the skin
Some modifications were made to the suffrage to accommodate the single seat, curtesy of Miller Kustom Upholstery. The fenders and various brackets were all made in-house by Moto Adonis. To keep a clean look, the wiring needed to be reduced to an absolute minimum. For this reason the battery got relocated and a MotoGadget m.unit system was added to run all electronics. Some of the components that are connected to the m.unit are a Motoscope tiny speedometer, mo.blaze indicators, minimalistic Motone handlebar switches, and the head and tail lights. To accommodate for all of this, a completely new wiring harness was designed and built.

Factory-style
The show ain’t over until the fat lady sings, or in this case, no build is complete without a well-thought of colouring scheme. And the paint job on this Ducati Monster is something of a statement, even if we have to say so ourselves! The combination of black, gold, vintage Porsche orange and gray fits the Monster and the lines of the bodywork really well. It almost looks like a factory option.

Photo credits: Lennart Stolte

Builder details:
Moto Adonis
Website
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Humble beginnings

High in demand
All of this meant 2 things really: 1. There are a ton of old BMWs still riding around, since they were built to last. 2. Owning a second-hand BMW was something of an acquired taste for most people, well, mostly young people. This lack of desirability made them cheap to buy as a pre-owned vehicle. Enter the mystical realm of cafe racer building. With a doubt, one of the most popular base motorcycles to build a custom machine out of are, hands down, BMW motorcycles. Because of their popularity with builders, the old boxer has become one of the hottest bikes in the scene. Don’t just take our word for it, just make sure to check out all the other BMW bikes we have covered in the past, oh I don’t know, year or so.

The Builder from Dussen
Which brings us to the subject of the matter. The BMW we see in front of us today is the prized possession of Ferry Westerlaken. The 45 year old Dutchman who, until recently, owned Ace-Cafe Racers Parts, and founder/owner of Beemer Boys, which is a private label he created for custom BMW parts, built this BMW from the ground up. Did we forget to mention that he also runs a company that trades classic motorcycles? It’s called Altena Classics, make sure to go check it out. He also has a family with three daughters. We find it incredibly difficult to imagine how and where he finds the time to juggle all of this, truly impressive. It isn’t the first time we covered a bike that was built by Ferry. Who remember this Moto Guzzi?

Barn-find!
It all started with a 1985 BMW R80, which was found in a shed only a couple of hours away from where Ferry lives, covered in a thick layer of dust. It was clear that doing a standard cafe-racer job wouldn’t suffice; Ferry wanted to take things to the next level. Not just because he likes to keep his standards high, but also because the bike needed to showcase all the cool new parts he offers through his private label Beemer Boys. The list of mods is very long, however, the most notable piece of work on this R80 has to be the custom exhaust system. It definitely looks unique, almost menacing.

Where there’s a will…
We asked Ferry what he found most challenging about this build: “There were quite a few challenges. The greatest challenge was finding the time to do things. I have a full time job, two webshops, a motorcycle shop, and a family with 3 awesome daughters. So quite a busy life. In addition, the exhaust system was a thing. I didn’t want something standard, but a system made of segments that would run along the top instead of the bottom. Some of the problems to deal with the exhaust is the heat emission along carburetors, tank, fuel hose from the fuel taps. Oil level checks also had to remain possible, and the exhaust had to follow the lines of the motorcycle. The motorcycle had to be built in a minimalistic way with as little fuss as possible around the clip-ons. The BMW is a widely used motorcycle to build a cafe racer or bobber. Despite the differences, they often look like each other. I like the exhaust the most. The lines are good, the looks of the tubes are great, the segments are mint, and the sound is fantastic. I must admit that it rides better than stock. When the motorcycle was ready, she went on the dyno for optimal tuning. This gave the R80 a little bit more horsepower. The handling has also improved with the right adjustment of the suspension. I wanted something different, and I’m very happy with the result!”

Despite the fact that Ferry is very capable, he couldn’t have done this without the help of Ace13 and Hakky Motorsport.

The mods:

• Complete engine and transmission rebuild
• New wiring
• Tank cleaned and re-sealed
• Frame + subframe powder coated
• Vonzeti Subframe
• Handmade Vonzeti seat
• Vonzeti Monza fuel cap
• Powdercoated wheels
• Tarozzi rear-set
• Kawasaki ZZR front fork
• Aluminium engine cover
• Siebenrock valve covers (limited edition)
• YSS MZ366 TRL 410mm shock absorber full black
• Motogadget M-unit blue with smartphone app
• Motogadget m-Lock RFID ignition lock
• Motogadget motoscope mini odometer and tachometer black
• Motogadget 2 Button M Switch
• Harley Davidson (1967) headlight
• LSL headlight brackets
• Side-mount Curved LED Tail-light
• Beemer Boys battery box stainless steel
• Beemer Boys handmade segment exhaust system
• Akrapovic exhaust muffler
• Tomaselli adjustable clip-ons
• Custom made top yoke
• Brembo brake calipers
• Mikuni carbs

Photo Credits: Willeke van Oudheusden

Builder details:
Ferry Westerlaken
Beemer-Boys
Altena Classics
Instagram

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Lately we have been seeing a trend in the café racer scene. More and more builders are starting to look at the venerable Honda CB 750 to use as a base bike. We think that this could be the revival of the Honda café racers and we are digging it! Don’t get me wrong, we love seeing Triumphs, BMW’s and Moto Guzzi’s being chopped and rebuilt into tasty café racers and scramblers. But there is something about the shape and style of a JDM inline-four that catches our interest. After all, they did deliver super-bike performance for moped prices back in the day.

You may remember the name Jeremy Duchampt from some time ago. The Frenchman is responsible for two Ducati’s and a Yamaha TR-1 that we featured here on BikeBrewers not so long ago. When we received a message from the main man behind Jerem Motorcycles that he had built a Honda CB 750 Rothmans café racer, we got warm and fuzzy feelings in our bellies; we knew it had to be good! Oh boy were we in for a treat. This Honda is so elegant, the proportions are so well-balanced, it looks like the CB is doing 100 mph at stand still!

The foundation of this project is a Honda CB 750 F2, as it is officially called. A model which was produced by Honda from 1992 all the way up to 2007(!). Honda’s R&D department must have been very pleased with this, no doubt. On paper, the CB 750 produced around 75 hp and 65 Nm of torque, with a claimed weight of around 210 kg. No mind boggling specs, but there is more to it. The Seven Fifty stands out in it’s a simplicity, reliability, and overall reputation of being bulletproof.

What Jeremy did to this bike is extraordinary. The list of modifications is long, so here’s a brief summary.

• Custom front fender
• Modified subframe
• Custom café racer leather and Alcantara seat with stitching (Irina: Point saddler 34)
• Custom made cowl with integrated LED taillight (FFPro Design)
• LED bar-end indicators
• Bar-end mirrors
• LED vintage-style, round yellow headlight with custom brackets
• Keyless ignition (KAIROS RFID)
• Vintage speedo (FIVEACES)
• Laser-cut top triple clamp yoke (USVracing)
• Clip-ons with brown handlebar grips
• BREMBO brake master cylinder and levers
• Powder coated rims
• Modified rear shock absorber
• Air box removed to with DNA pod filters
• Blacked out engine, frame and swingarm
• Custom 4-in-1 exhaust
• Carb tuning
• Custom painting Rothmans Style (FFPro Design)

The way this café racer turned out is mesmerising. Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, cigarette companies often sponsored race teams, one of which was Honda. Who remembers the NSR250, NSR500 or RC30? This Rothmans inspired design brings back memories of those days, where small displacement, high revving engines dominated the tracks and the streets. It’s not a secret that we would love to get our hands on this Honda. For now, we have to do with the pictures.

Builder details:
Jerem Motorcycles
Instagram
Facebook

The post Rothmans inspired Honda CB 750 Café Racer by JeremMotorcycles appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.