With a love for the bikes and everything that was motorcycling in the 1970’s and Relic describing themselves as “experienced bike-builders who favour and restore Japanese bikes from the 70’s & 80’s,” a classic cafe racer based on a 1980 Yamaha XS650 made perfect sense.

Given the minimalist look and the period he was going for there was really only one headlight to fit and that’s a black Bates unit on a custom mount. Finally all the information Tommy needs out on the road comes from a vintage mini speedometer that is mounted into the custom CNC’d top triple tree. Modern motorcycles come equipped with so many switches, rider modes and fancy colour displays that it’s a wonder their owners find the time to keep their eyes on the road. But for Relic Motorcycles the feedback they prefer is that which comes through the grips, the throttle, levers and most importantly the seat of the pants. For Tommy it’s about staying true to his classic roots, keeping it simple and creating a bike “that I would love to ride even when I turn 60.” (pipeburn)

There’s something brilliant about a beautiful woman riding a beautiful motorcycle, we don’t have any backstory on this image but that just means that you’re free to make up your own.
credit: pinterest

The Netherlands may not be the first country you think of when custom motorcycles come to mind but to say the Dutch are kicking arse and taking names in the bike building world in 2015 is an understatement. The city of Utrecht is home to one such builder and although 33% of all journeys in the city are taken on a bicycle,Wrench Kings like their bikes to have more than one human power. This particular 1982 Honda GL500 is one of their best builds to date with inspirations coming in the form of a B52 bomber and a couple of beers.

The Yamaha XJ900R Seca is a bit of a unicorn in the USA, it was only imported by Yamaha for one year in 1983, before its relatively low sales numbers forced the Japanese manufacturer to pull it from the market. There were a few reasons for the dismal sales, Yamaha was competing directly with the Kawasaki GPz1100, the Suzuki GS1100E, and the Honda CB1100F – all larger capacity motorcycles and all chain driven as opposed to the shaft used on the XJ900.

Despite the odd location, 6/5/4 Motors serves up some fine Scandinavian design in two-wheeled form. They hooked us a few weeks ago with a sharp Ducati 860 GT, and now they’re back—with this clean and minimal BMW R75/5 built for a local pyschologist.

The rest of the R75 is black, with just off-white for the lights, and a mix of raw and polished finishes for the engine. The tank is matte black with a white pinstripe, and there’s a 6/5/4 logo in place of the usual BMW roundel.

The heavily customised BMW R80 RT you see here is the work of the Portuguese team at Ton Up Garage – they’ve established themselves as one of the major international players in the retro custom scene. This bike was built for a French client who lives in London – They specified that they wanted a low profile, dark custom that could be used as a daily commuter.