Cafe Racer | Wind Burned Eyes

What Motorcycle is in ‘Black Rain’?

In Ridley Scott’s gritty 1989 crime thriller Black Rain, the motorcycle that steals the spotlight, albeit quietly, is a Harley-Davidson XLCR—a bike as enigmatic as the movie’s neon-drenched Osaka underworld. Michael Douglas, playing the tough New York cop Nick Conklin, rides it with the kind of raw, rebellious flair that made the film a cult classic.

The XLCR’s presence isn’t front and center; it doesn’t need to be. It’s the machine that perfectly fits the film’s shadowy atmosphere, and it’s easy to see why the XLCR was chosen. This wasn’t just any Harley. It was one with a backstory as cool as its café-racer looks.

Kott Motorcycles Custom Turbocharged Honda CB750

You can almost smell the gasoline and hear the turbo spool up as Dustin Kott’s latest creation roars to life. He’s always had a knack for turning wrecks into works of art, but this time, he’s outdone himself with “Rocket Man”—a turbocharged Honda CB750 from 1975 that looks poised to set new speed records at Bonneville.

The 2025 Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe Gets New Colors

Ah, Kawasaki, you’ve gone and done just what I wanted. You’re bringing the right color schemes to the good old USA. Kawasaki’s latest green and black beauty, the Z900RS Cafe, is gracing American shores. Yes, the same retro-styled stunner cafe racer that made hearts race in Indonesia last summer is now ready for your garage.

A Beautiful Custom Honda CB200 Cafe Racer From Batakastem Workshop

Gold and green have never looked so good! The builders at Batakastem Workshop put together one of the coolest CB200 bikes I’ve ever seen. This is a truly beautiful custom Honda CB200 cafe racer. Let’s take a closer look.

Check Out This Ducati Multistrada Cafe Racer

When I think of custom Ducati motorcycles, I don’t think of the Multistrada, but that’s exactly what Tony Lloyd thought of. He built one of the coolest custom cafe racers I’ve seen in a long time using a Ducati Multistrada 1000.

MK Designs Full Fairing Kit for Royal Enfield Motorcycles

Give your Royal Enfield a whole new look.

If you’re looking for a way to take your Royal Enfield motorcycle’s style up a notch, specifically the 650 twins in the Royal Enfield lineup, MK Designs has the fairing kit for you.

This kit brings a fairing to the Royal Enfield Continental GT or INT650. And it looks freaking awesome.

Let’s take a closer look at this kit and what it can do for you and your RE ride.

Yamaha SR400 Cafe Racer by Purpose Built Moto

A super-cool and unique cafe racer worth ogling.

The Yamaha SR400 is a great bike to customize and this custom-built Yamaha SR400 cafe racer by Purpose Built Moto is a perfect demonstration of this.

Dubbed the Silver Surfer by Pipeburn, the bike is a beautiful and sleek demonstration of customization skills by Purpose Moto’s boss Tom Gilroy.

Let’s take a brief look at this unique machine and what makes it special.

Buell-Powered SR1 Roadster by RD Kustoms

To be completely honest, most customs look a lot alike, but this Buell-powered SR1 Roadster from RD Kustoms is something different.

This bike came to be out of an illness that the founder of the company had. To read that full story, head over to Return of the Cafe Racers.

The evolution of the machine is genuinely a worthwhile read, but let’s talk about what this bike has on it.

Katsu Motorworks Moto Guzzi Griso 1100 Custom

The Moto Guzzi Griso 1100 custom motorcycle you see here was built by the master Kenji “Katsu” Katsumoto of Katsu Motorworks.

The bike is based on a 2006 Moto Guzzi model but there’s little left of the stock bike to indicate that. The engine is the telltale sign.

Let’s take a closer look at this interesting machine.

A Beautiful 1974 MV Agusta 750S Is For Sale

Feast your eyes on this 1974 MV Agusta 750S. It is one of only 583 models ever built. It is currently for sale at auction with Car & Classic.

Typically, I don’t post about bikes for sale, but this one is worth it. The rarity alone makes it worth it, but this is a truly beautiful example, too.

Let’s take a closer look at this amazing machine.