Best Café Racers: New & Used 2024

Given the overwhelming subject matter of this site, it’s surprising this is the first cafe racer motorcycles list we’ve produced. Now with an abundance of modern classic racers available in 2024, the time has never felt more right.You’ll see on the list below that we’ve only included modern classic bikes and not neo-retro. (There IS a difference.) That said, there could be valid debate about two bikes that straddle the two retro sub-genres — hint: Scrambler Ducati and BMW R nineT. We’ll leave you to decide whether they do or not. We’ve also included used café racers alongside new bikes. The secondhand market is teeming with barely-ridden bargains bought by riders seduced by the luscious looks of these dapper, cafe hoppers.

1. Triumph Thruxton 1200 RS

First up is the Triumph Thruxton 1200 RS. Revealed in November 2019 and launched in 2020 it took on the mantle of café racer from the (2016) Thruxton 1200 R as the totem model in Triumph Motorycles’ Modern Classic range. (The R model didn’t get a Euro 5 ...

3. Royal Enfield Continental GT 650

Launched by Royal Enfield in 2019, the Continental GT 650 offers a more authentic café racer experience than some of the other bikes on this list.Its silhouette is decidedly vintage with stark straight lines running through the profile, reminiscent of...

Royal Enfield Interceptor Specifications at a Glance

4. BMW R NineT Racer S

BMW built the R nineT to celebrate the 90-year anniversary of the inception of its air-cooled Boxer-twin engine. The marque has since revamped the platform to mark its centennial year, with the R 12 nineT - released at the end of 2023. The original R nineT h...

BMW R nineT Specifications at a Glance

5. Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe MY2020 UK or MY2023 US

Kawasaki’s entry to the retro motorcycle segment was hotly anticipated and eagerly welcomed. Rather than build an entirely new platform it used the tried and tested Z900 platform to create the Z900 RS and the Z900 RS Cafe which is featured here. There we...

Kawasaki Z900 RS Café MY2020 Specifications at a Glance

6. Norton Commando 961CR

Launched just in time to make it onto this list is the new Norton Commando 961. Released in 2023, two new variants make up the model lineup: the SR (Standard Roadster) and CR (Café Racer).TVS purchased Norton in April 2020, following the collapse of the fo...

Norton Commando 961 CR Specifications at a Glance

7. Ducati SportClassic - Sport 1000 S

Ducati’s SportClassic range was conceived by former head designer Pierre Terblanche. The Sport1000, GT1000 and Paul Smart limited edition concepts were revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2003. The latter paid homage to short-circuit racing legend Pa...

Ducati SportClassic - Sport 1000S Specifications at a Glance

8. Moto Guzzi V7 Racer III MY20

Moto Guzzi’s current V7 range takes its moniker from the V7 motorcycle first manufactured in 1967. Relaunched in 2010, the range has undergone three iterations and is now fitted with the most powerful engine it’s ever had.The V7 Racer featured here is the 10th Anniversary edition launched in 2019 for MY20. It could be said that it’s styled after the 1971 V7 Sport. However, there isn’t any lime green in sight so perhaps styled in ethos but not aesthetic is more appropriate. It’s simply a sportier version of the V7 Roadster. Although it must be highlighted, the Rosso Corsa frame and swing arm echo the telaio rosso (red frame) of the 70s Sport.With its shaft drive, distinctive fuel tank and unique transverse 750cc v-twin engine, the Moto Guzzi V7 is an instantly recognisable and adored shape.The Racer model is of a more refined nature than the standard V7 Stone model. Most notable is the use of black anodised aluminium liberally across the bike.While its moniker may be Racer, speed is not necessarily found in its nature. The V7 Racer is at the more sedate end of the segment. With 52 hp at 6200 rpm at 60 Nm at 4900 rpm, much like the Royal Enfield GT Continental and W800, it’s suitable for beginners.Regardless the bar end mirror coupled with the bikini fairing with windshield gives this moto a mean look.

9. Scrambler Ducati 1100 Sport Pro

Next up is another Ducati. The good fortunes of Ducati in the last decade have been inextricably linked with the launch of its scrambler range through a dedicated subsidiary.Scrambler Ducati has been churning out a steady stream of street scramblers, plus a se...

Scrambler Ducati 1100 Sport Pro Specifications at a Glance

10. CCM Spitfire Café Racer

Only 250 CCM Spitfire Café Racers were ever built. That makes this lightweight, single-cylinder interpretation incredibly rare. Admittedly, the prospects of owning one are slim. Nevertheless, this list would not be complete without including such a ce...

CCM Spitfire Café Racer Specifications at a Glance

Editor’s Picks: Which Modern Classic Café Racer?

If like me you wholeheartedly embrace modern classic style, you’d be pleased to own most of the bikes on the list above.I’m a Thruxton 1200 R rider so entirely biased about which of these motorcycles I’d buy (shh… it’s the Thruxton).Nonetheless, there wasn’t much air between it and the BMW R nineT Racer when I test-rode them. The TTR won because it fully embraces that modern classic motif despite the greater power offered by the R NineT.Nevertheless, I’ve often pondered whether I made the right decision each time I’ve found myself sitting next to the Beamer at traffic lights… while admiring its profile, listening to the delicious burbling idle exhaust note and then hanging back so I can hear the joyous sound as it accelerates away.If scarcity wasn’t a factor, then the Ducati SportClassic for its iconic style would be the bike for me. On (yet) another hand, if it were about value while rigorously sticking to the sixties silhouette, then the Royal Enfield would win. But for uniqueness, it would be the CCM Café Racer. Usually, the decision is made after a test ride but each of these bikes might win you over regardless.

Cafe Racer Motorcycle: Overview & Origins

In 2024 the term café racer is loosely bandied about. Pop onto any insurance broker’s blog these days and you’ll find a list of “cafe racers” populated with very upright, standard roadsters. Or alternatively, you’ll find bikes that merely purport to be retro/modern classic motorcycles but barely pay even lip service to classic styling.

1950s to late 60s: Ton-up Boys & Rockers

The group synonymous with this motorcycle genre was the anti-establishment Ton-up Boys (later Rockers). They were inspired by the style of RAF pilots, American movies, music and films, such as Wild One (although that particular film was banned in Britain until 1968). Nonetheless, stories and stills made their way across the Atlantic, which informed the gear worn by these new rebels.Apart from tinkering with their bikes, Ton-boys were known mostly for their love of Brylcreem, rock ‘n’ roll, leather jackets, reaching a ton (100 MPH) and the occasional spat with Mods.

New Wave Customs

Back in the 21st century, café racers are recognised worldwide but the term has taken on new meaning. Motorcycle manufacturers now build them. Some marques remain mostly true to the genre while others have their own contemporary interpretations. Regardless, all manufacturers can credit new-wave custom bike builders for their inspiration. Some people feel that café racers should be built not bought. Furthermore, major manufacturers have co-opted a subculture (Kustom culture) to sell more bikes and t-shirts. Others feel manufacturers are simply responding to the demands of the market and their customers.The reality is of course somewhere in between that. In any case, the relationship between manufacturers and custom motorcycle builders has always been one of symbiosis.

Manufacturers: Modern Production Café Racers

Manufacturers have forever released progressive new motorcycles that eventually evolve into genres. Bike builders adapt and fine-tune these bikes. That in turn generates new ideas for manufacturers who release new bikes. Builders then customise those bikes and inspire new manufacturer designs/styles. And on it goes.Several manufacturers hold annual competitions or run programmes to encourage further customisation of their neo-classic ranges.Ducati has its Custom Rumble competition and Yamaha has the Yard Built programme. And in recent years we’ve seen Triumph dealers compete with each other in custom build shootouts. It’s a cost-effective way to discover which way the wind is blowing in terms of styling/design and taste-test potential customers. That’s how neo-retro motorcycles have evolved in the last decade. Modern factory café racers were once arguably designed to generate incremental revenue through nostalgia marketing. With one exception (the Ducati SportClassic) the first motorcycles to be released in the genre struggled to compete against wholly modern equivalents. Nonetheless, riders bought them in droves but soon, demanded more. Manufacturers responded. There are now several retro bikes in production that pack as much punch (sometimes more) as their contemporary-looking counterparts. These bikes look like they’re from a bygone era and should go slower. But they don’t; not always anyway.

Modern Classic vs Neo-Retro

There is an important distinction to be made between modern-classic and neo-retro motorcycles. And it’s not entirely semantical. Respectively, they form two distinct sub-genres of the retro motorcycle segment. Modern-classic motorcycle models fervently emulate the design lines of the past. From a distance, machines in this sub-genre could be confused with historic models. Such machines can typically draw a direct line between a model from a manufacturer’s past — whether that’s through a moniker or emulation of design. The whole Triumph Motorcycles Bonneville range offers perfect examples of modern-classic motorcycle design. Neo-retro motorcycles on the other hand are contemporary in design. Their form, however, embraces some aspect of classic motorcycle design, such as a half-front fairing, single round headlight or a subtle reflection of classic design in the lines formed by the bike. Nonetheless, typically the design of these bikes takes a decidedly more progressive approach to the genre. An excellent example of a neo-retro motorcycle is the MV Agusta Superveloce 800.If you’re a young rider or looking for a more sedate bike in the same genre, then view our list of the best 125 cafe racers.