Days like these, when the temperature struggles to breach 22 degrees can test the patience of many a motorcyclist. Here at CRM, our idle minds drift back to warmer days when the only worry is whether rain may interrupt a nice, day-long ride or which bike needs maintenance before being kicked to life….

Few modern motorbikes can boast of the lineage and authenticity of Yamaha’s SR400. The venerable air-cooled single has been in continuous production since 1978, changing only a little in the nearly four decades hence. Yes, the 2016 models offer electronic fuel injection and maintenance-free batteries, but the kickstart-only thumper remains gloriously unchanged. As a result…

    We hear from some faraway riders customizing their bikes into cafe racers all over the globe, but our latest winner is perhaps the most unexpected of all.  22 year-old Hamza Azeem Butt hails from bustling Karachi, Pakistan,  a city with a burgeoning custom retro motorcycle scene. Hamza is well-connected, having helped organize last…

    More than a few readers have contacted us asking what’s on tap if they sign up for our prize giveaway at the Cafe Racer magazine booth at the upcoming Washington, D.C, and Cleveland IMS events so here’s a sneak peek. Some of our advertisers have chimed in with some boffo prizes that one…

OK, at first we promised to run a Bike of The Month in our regular blog, but in the weeks since our initial announcement, things have changed. The overwhelming response to the online competition has brought in so many amazing responses, that we’re now planning to run a different reader’s bike every two weeks. Just…

It’s always a buzz to catch up with our readers and reveal the latest custom builds from deep within the skunk-works that is S.H.A.M.E. (Sewickley Home for Aged Motorcycle Engines, by the way.) We’ll be doing just that when the Progressive International Motorcycle Show rolls into the Walter Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. come…

Oops, They’ve Done It Again! In my column appearing in each issue of CRM, I often lament the general lack of skill, diligence and just plain common sense displayed by the car-driving public. Most drivers, especially those under 40, seem too addicted to their so-called smartphones to pay attention to the very serious business of…

Lots of technically inspired, downright beautiful motorbikes rolled into CRM HQ after we announced the creation of a Bike of The Month contest, and after careful deliberations over several pints, a winner has presented itself for the month of December.  This clean, customized DOHC Honda CB750F was built by Shawn Chase of Chase Custom Cycles. He…

It’s been the better part of five years since we completed the comprehensive rebuild of our 1973 Norton Commando and we’ve nothing but good news to report. The Commando, Norton’s last and final production machine is still popular with both restorers and custom Britbike enthusiasts for many reasons. Out machine started life as a raggedy…