As confirmed by leaked photos, Honda is set to expand its CB350 range with a Cafe Racer version.
Honda is set to add a cafe racer edition of its current CB350 range.
The CB350 Cafe Racer features a different body parts including a new single-seat.
The photos, reportedly taken at a dealer event in India, clearly show a CB350 with slightly different components. In this case, the new parts create a classic cafe racer motorcycle.
Firstly, we can see an entirely different saddle, particularly a single-seat setup with a seat cowl.
At the front, the CB350 Cafe Racer gets a headlight shroud compared to a more exposed headlamp on the base model. Unfortunately, while a proper cafe racer is equipped with clip-ons, the bike in the picture is fitted with a standard handlebar.
Powering the Honda CB350 Cafe Racer is likely the same single-cylinder 348cc air-cooled engine that is capable to produce a solid 20.7hp @ 5,500rpm and 30Nm @ 3,000rpm while matted to a 5-speed gearbox.
While we have yet to get further details apart from the leaked photos by RushLane, the CB350 Cafe Racer could make its official debut soon.
Bajaj Auto dan Triumph Motorcycles telah pun memulakan beberapa sesi ujian terhadap motosikal berkapasiti kecil hasil kerjasama kedua-dua pihak sejak setahun lalu.
Setakat ini, kami difahamkan bahawa terdapat dua model yang akan ditawarkan hasil daripada kerjasama itu membabitkan model 250cc dan 400cc dengan kedua-duanya dikuasakan enjin satu silinder.
Pada masa sama, laporan terkini mendakwa terdapat empat varian akan ditawarkan termasuk, scrambler, roadster dan cafe racer.
Perkembangan itu sudah pun dijangka dengan Bajaj menawarkan Dominar 250 dan Dominar 400 ketika ini. Sekaligus memberi bayangan model Triumph itu juga akan digerakan platform sama.
Hasilnya, kami jangkakan model 250cc itu akan menawarkan sekitar 27hp manakala varian 400cc pula sekitar 40hp, angka kuasa sama yang dihasilkan Dominar 250 dan Dominar 400 ketik ini.
Dalam pada itu, ciri lain seperti sistem ABS dwi-saluran, klac slipper/assist, panel meter digital, fork USD, rim 17-inci dan lampu LED dijangka didatangkan secara standard. Beberapa gambar ‘spy shot’ yang dkongsikan sebelum ini juga mengesahkan perkara itu.
Bagaimanapun, terdapat beberapa ciri yang dijangka membezakan antara keempat-empat varian itu seperti gambar yang disiarkan sebelum ini. Antaranya ekzos berkembar pada model scrambler dan ekzos tunggal pada varian roadster.
These days, Royal Enfield’s name appears almost every day on any two-wheel website.
Royal Enfield to introduce five new motorcycles featuring an all-new 450cc platform.
The Himalayan 450 could be the first to make public debut next year.
That’s because the Chennai-based motorcycle company has been busy introducing a range of new bikes in the last couple of years.
However, Royal Enfield will soon grow its portfolio with five all-new 450cc motorcycles.
According to reports in India, the 450cc range is likely to include an adventure tourer alongside a more off-road capable machine, possibly called the Himalayan 450. Also in the pipeline are a 450 roadster, 450 scramblers and a 450 cafe racer.
Royal Enfield has been caught testing an adventure tourer over the last few months, with reports claiming that it could be the first among the five to make its global debut next year.
Meanwhile, the Himalayan 450 will feature a single-piece flat seat, higher ground clearance and a longer travel suspension to boost the bike’s off-road ability.
Secondly, the roadster is a street-biased motorcycle, thus offering a lower seat height, sportier riding ergonomics and sharper bodywork.
The 450 scramblers and 450 cafe racer are similar to the roadster, offering slightly differing packages, including wired-spoke wheels, lower set clip-on handlebars, shorter fenders and a front beak.
In addition, all five models will boast LED lighting, including modern instrumentation.
After several teasers and leaked photos, TVS Motor Company has officially unveiled the Ronin in India.
Features 200cc single-cylinder engine that makes 20hp and 19Nm.
Equipped with Showa suspension and digital display with smartphone connectivity.
At a glance, the Ronin is a neo-retro scrambler style motorcycle thanks to the teardrop-design fuel tank and exposed bodywork. The circular LED headlight and a single-piece saddle further accentuate the retro appeal.
The Ronin also features an upright seating position to ensure better comfort for city riding.
Powering the Ronin is a 225.9cc air and oil-cooled single-cylinder engine that produces a decent 20hp @ 7,750rpm and 19.93Nm @ 3,750rpm. In comparison, the Bajaj Pulsar NS200 makes 24.5hp and 18.7Nm.
Power is delivered to the rear wheel via a 5-speed transmission with a final chain drive. TVS claimed the Ronin could reach a top speed of 120km/with the engine retuned for better mid-range and low-end torque.
While not much power is coming out of the 200cc mill, the Ronin still flaunts some fancy features, including a 41mm Showa Big Piston USD fork and gas-charged monoshock and dual-channel ABS.
It also features two riding modes, Urban and Rain, that adjust the power and traction accordingly.
Other notable features include:
17-inch alloy wheels
160kg (kerb)
795mm seat height
fully digital instrument display with smartphone connectivity
Ducati Malaysia also launched the 2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon, Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle, Ducati Scrambler Café Racer, Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled as part of the Scrambler 800 range.
Ducati Scrambler line-up offers bikes for carefree and joyful riding, and self-expression.
The 2019 line-up feature multiple updates.
In addition to the other five 2019 Ducati models, Ducati Malaysia also launched the 2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon, Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle, Ducati Scrambler Café Racer, Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled as part of the Scrambler 800 range.
The Ducati Scrambler line-up offers bikes for carefree and joyful riding, and self-expression; all wrapped up in a modern-classic outlook. All four bikes share the same platform, with distinctive features to differentiate them.
For 2019, the Scrambler 800 underwent what Ducati calls a “Joyvolution.”
The shared new features are:
803cc, air-cooled, 2-valve, 90oV-Twin which produces 73 hp (54 kW) at 8,250 RPM and 67 Nm at 5,750 RPM.
Hydraulically-actuated clutch with self-servo feature.
Adjustable clutch lever.
Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) assisted Cornering ABS.
Premium LED daytime running light (DRL).
Self-cancelling turnsignals.
More ergonomic switchgear.
Revised suspension.
Machine-finished 10-spoke alloy wheels, 18-inch front and 17-inch rear.
Updated instrumentation and Ducati Multimedia System ready.
2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon – From RM 52,900
The Icon started it all. This is where variations and customizations begin from.
And it’s all up to you: To ride it as it is, unburdened by anything unnecessary – just jump on and go. Or build it up to express your inner desires, your cool.
The Scrambler includes the above features and more under an unassuming exterior.
2019 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle – From RM 62,900
As the name suggests, the Scrambler Full Throttle is the “muscle bike” of the line-up. It’s as if someone fed the Icon with A1 grain but laced with hormones.
Highlights:
New black-and-yellow colour scheme inspired by California racer Frankie Garcia who took part in the 2018 American Super Hooligan Championship.
New seat with passenger colour-coded seat cowl.
Side-mounted number plates.
Termignoni dual tail-pipes.
Cut front mudguard.
Low-positioned tapered handlebar.
2019 Ducati Scrambler Café Racer – From RM 67,900
What modern classic line-up is complete without a café racer?
But the Scrambler Café Racer takes it to another step by using the Silver Matt Ice livery and blue frame from the 125GP Desmo racer of yore.
Highlights:
17-inch Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres.
Low-rise handlebars for a sporty crouch.
Colour-coded passenger seat cowl.
Mirrors are mounted on the handlebar ends.
Dual tailpipe exhaust.
Distinctive nose fairing.
Stubby front mudguard.
Bruno Spaggiari’s Number 54 race number.
2019 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled 67,900
What’s a desert sled? Back in the 60’s and 70’s, American bikers in California and Baja stripped bikes of parts to reduce weight and fitted off-road tyres, spoked wheels, modified suspension and engine skid plates, and raced them in the desert.
Thus, true to its name, the Scrambler Desert Sled is the off-road variant in the line-up.
Highlights:
Adjustable Kayaba forks with 200mm travel.
Adjustable Kayaba rear shock with 200mm travel.
New seat maintains seat height of 860 mm.
Removable passenger footpegs.
19-inch front wheel, 17-inch rear wheel, shod with Pirelli Scorpion Rally MTR tyres.
The Kawasaki Z900RS Café caters to the classic café racer look.
Changes are cosmetic while everything is shared with the naked Z900RS.
However, the riding experience was rather different.
“Café racers” originally bikes modified from stock which owners bring to cafés to show off. There were no Starbucks in the 60s and 70s but restaurants and cafés such as Ace Café were the haunt of modified motorcycle riders. That’s in London, but we have plenty of mamaks here, intead. However, are bikes the Kawasaki Z900RS Café factory fads to milk the nostalgia?
First off, the Z900RS Café is the factory café racer variant of the Z900RS modern classic. Kawasaki calls the latter the soul successor to one of the most iconic bikes of all time, the 1972 Z1.
Conversely, the Z900RS Café is the tarted-up version with a headlight cowling, windscreen, forward handlebar and stepped-up seat. Kawasaki has (officially) called it the soul successor to the Kz1000R which dominated the AMA Superbike series in the hands of Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, John Pace and of coure, Eddie Lawson.
1982 Kz1000R
The Z900 RS Café shares everything else including the engine, suspension, chassis and electronics. The 948cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 16-valve engine produces 110 bhp at 8,500 RPM and 98.5 Nm of torque at a low 6,500 RPM.
The new handlebar puts the rider in a sportier riding position, hence more weight on the front wheel.
Firing up the engine let loose stirring “vroom” from the exhaust. To recap, Kawasaki made the exhaust system to mimic the note from the Z1. It even has that sound of a tuned inline-Four… “vroom… pause… vroom… pause”. Blipping the throttle returns a howl mixed with a growl.
The clutch take-up and throttle are still “eager.” Well, that’s a diplomatic way to say snatchy. You have to be vigilant otherwise the bike will just take off with your brain still sitting in the parking lot.
However, the sportier riding position lent a much better control over the front wheel. On the “standard” Z900RS, the front went light with hard acceleration.
Similarly, charging into corners was much easier on the Café. Now it’s not just sweeping corners but also those pesky sharp ones at intersections.
The suspension felt harsh and uncompliant at first, but it turned out that the previous tester had dialed in all the wrong settings. Imagine riding a bike with close to the forks adjusted to full compression damping and full rebound damping!
If that’s not enough, the rear shock had its preload set to the lowest (which gave the bike a low rear and high front akin to a cruiser). The shock’s rebound damping was also almost fully dialed all the way out. WTF!
Readjusting the suspension yielded a bike that’s easy to flick into corners and maneuver around traffic. Unfortunately, the rear suspension still hopped over sharp bumps. However, that wasn’t meant to say the bike’s suspension was bad. Instead, it as what we’ve always said that some Malaysian roads can be kidney-busting.
The inline-Four based on the naked Z900 is tuned for low-down and midrange torque, hence it shows especially when riding in heavy traffic. Filtering through at 60 km/h in fourth gear still leaves plenty of acceleration.
Blasting away was just a small throttle’s movement away, leaving everyting else to reverberate in the exhaust’s howl and burnt hydrocarbons.
Bad points? The fuel tank is old school as per the Z1 so it’s plenty wide between the knees. The uptick, though, it’s easier to grip it with your knees during hard braking and cornerning.
So, is the Kawasaki Z900RS Café merely a prettied-up bike? Well, depends on how you look at it. In our books, however, the revised riding position has made the bike much better. The snatchy throttle took lots of concentration at first, but you grow to manage it.
But its looks were definitely a head-turner. The headlamp cowling, plus the classic lime green paint with white stripe gave it that real old school Kawasaki look.
Just wished I had a Bell classic full-face and bomber leather jacket when I rode to Starbucks…
It’s priced from RM 72,372 (basic selling price inclusive of 10% SST).
Stile Italiano is based in Italy and specializes in high-end classic, collectable and exotics.
Launched in 1999, they create café racers for themselves.
This Moto Guzzi CR950 took four months to build.
This Moto Guzzi 950 from Stile Italiano had made café racer/custom bike news some time ago, but it’s just too beautiful not to share.
Stile Italiano was launched in 1999 and specializes in selling high-end classic, collectable and exotic motorcycles and cars, which include a Ducati 900NCR Endurance racer ridden by Virginio Ferrari, Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans Mk I, and, and, and, and…. Just too many to list! (Please click here to visit their website.)
But hidden in their workshop lies another passion – building exquisite, ball-achingly beautiful café racers.
However, Stile Italiano’s founder Gianluca Tieppolo, business parner Chritian Diana, skilled mechanic of 25 years, Loris Lession, and his team of skilled builders only build café racers for themselves. That way, they could pour their souls into their creations and conform not to what others want.
Courtesy of Max Trono
They work on mostly Moto Guzzis. This “950” here started from the Moto Guzzi 850 T3, first introduced in 1975. As Stile Italiano took the design cues from Honda’s legendary CR750 race bike, this project was then christened as “Moto Guzzi CR950.” Gianluca wanted this to be their most elegant project and chose a 70’s racebike styling.
First, the Guzzi’s frame was modified to it the revised bodywork. The stock forks were replaced with a pair of 80s-era anti-dive forks, while a pair of rare FOX air shocks took up the job of suspending the rear.
Courtesy of Max Trono
But take a closer look at that front brake. It was considered the ultimate drum brake of its time. This is a 300mm magnesium drum/hub Fontana item, usually found on the Triumph Trident racebikes of the 60’s.
Courtesy of Max Trono
Since the bodywork came from the aforementioned Honda CR750, it had to be modified to allow the engine’s transverse cylinders to poke through, creating an integral form rather than two separate “skin-and-bones” look. A new rear end was fashioned to complete the bike’s lines, instead of leaving the original 850 T3’s fender.
Courtesy of Max Trono
Other beautiful bits include clip-on handlebars and an original Moto Guzzi V7 tachometer. The tank is handmade from alloy and has a battery housing underneath it.
Courtesy of Max Trono
As for the engine, it has been modified from stock. The heads were ported, and the capacity increased to 950cc. The heads are twin spark using a Dyna ignition system. The original 30mm Dell’Orto VHB carburetors were changed to Dell’Orto 40mm items. Spent gasses exit through a custom Virex system whose muffler box wraps up tight underneath the bike.
Finally, when it came to completing the bike, Stilo Italiano would not compromise on the best paint scheme, fit and finish as a reflection of their shop being specialized in high-end classics. Gianluca chose the special “mirror effect” like what you’d see on a grand piano. There were touches of brass to complement the black and gold paint scheme.
It took the team a total of four months of painstaking work to complete the CR950. Worth it, in our books.
Let’s see what these guys can come up with next!
Source: Return of the Café Racers, photography by Max Trono
