Don’t have a motorcycle license and you love Cafe Racer motorcycles? Don’t feel like spending a fortune on a modified motorcycle? Don’t worry, today we bring you the best motorcycles to make a 125 cc Cafe Racer.
If you are one of those who get discouraged when they see a transformation of the large Cafe Racer workshops , discovering that in the best of cases, you would have to take the time to sign up for the driving school and pay the €500 that the driving license can cost you on average. motorcycle, and in the worst of them, having to wait two more years until you can ride large displacement motorcycles, today is your lucky day. We have compiled the best motorcycle transformations that you can drive with a car license, that is, the best 125 cc Cafe Racers!
It is true that in the world of Cafe Racer, large displacement motorcycles take the cake, however, you can rest easy: there are numerous options that can serve as the basis for a 125 cafe racer project, in fact we have manufactured one .
Before showing you the best 125cc Cafe Racers that others have done, have you considered doing it yourself? We have written a book about Cafe Racer in which we tell you everything you need to know.
Finally, and I’ll stop giving you the ember, if what you’re looking for is a stock Cafe Racer , you can find the best 125 cc stock Cafe Racers here .
Now yes, we review the best motorcycles to make a 125 cc Cafe Racer:
1) Honda CB125
If there is any brand of 125 cc motorcycle that takes the cake in Cafe Racer transformations, this is without a doubt the Japanese one with the wings. We have chosen two “best sellers” models to make it easy for you to find them second hand: the Honda CB 125 and its sister the Honda CG 125 .
There are numerous versions of the CB, since its release on the market back in 1969. With any of them you will have a magnificent base for your Cafe Racer transformation, but keep in mind that the most modern ones have less flat chassis and less suitable tanks for a modification , so you will have to spend more time and money.
The ones from the late 70s are our favourites, reliable bikes with a very good base. They have increased in value a lot in recent years, so that their cost is somewhat higher than that of other classics of their displacement: you will find them working perfectly for around €1,500 .
2) Honda CG125
Everything said for the CB 125 is applicable to its sister, the Honda CG 125 . Even the biggest garages in the world have their own CG Cafe Racer. The one that we bring you here is one of the essential Cafe Racer Dreams.
It is somewhat cheaper than the CB: you can easily find it for around €1,000 and for much less if you dare to restore it.
3) Yamaha SR 125
It is the Japanese that dominate all the rankings, there is no doubt. They are the most reliable, economical and immensely sold on the market, and it shows.
Yamaha was not going to be less, and its indestructible SR 125 is also one of the most coffeeed. Its classic lines in itself will mean that you only have to transform a few elements, making the modification substantially cheaper. You can find it second hand for around €1,000 .
We are aware that the Yamaha that we bring you here is not a normal motorcycle, it is an authentic brown beast from the Japanese Ask Motorcycles.
We have done something more normal with our 125 cc Cafe Racer, Torrefacta.
4) Suzuki GN 125
We continue with our particular review of the cafe racers that you can drive with a car license. It is the turn (of course!) to the third Japanese, Suzuki. In this case we have chosen the GN 125.
We present you a creation by the Costa Rican Arnau Sanjuan Román, from Psycho Racers, an ideal scrambler for days at the beach: it even includes a support to carry the surfboard. This workshop is specialized in the transformation of 125 and 250 cc Suzukis.
5) Suzuki Thunder 125
From Jakarta another Suzuki 125 arrives, in this case a Thunder that is quite scary. The crazy “Mad Max” by Katros.
6) Kawasaki KE 125
We love what they have done at Werks Motorcycles with a Kawasaki KE and we wanted to close the review of Japanese brands with them. We are aware that the KE may not be easy to find in Spain (we have found one in perfect condition for €800 ) but there are other Kawas that can be a good base for your transformation.
7) Ducati 125 TS
We are passionate about the following four motorcycles, they are pure Spanish classics. They are cheap and relatively easy to find, and I assure you that if you see (or hear) them on the street they will not leave you indifferent. Their biggest problem: they are classic, with all that that entails. Let me explain: you should have a minimum notion of mechanics if you dare with them. The years do not pass in vain and it is possible that, from time to time, they suffer from an ailment.
We start with the work of art of the Madrid Radical Ducati with a beautiful Ducati 125 TS . This bike was made by Mototrans (the Spanish branch of Ducati) between 1961 and 1966 and you can find it from €1,000 .
8) Bultaco Mercury
We continue with another of the most successful brands in Spanish motorcycling, in this case with its Mercurio 125 model . It left the Paco Bultó factory between 1960 and 1966 and is one of the most emblematic models of the brand. You can find it in good condition starting at €1,000 , and if the Mercurio doesn’t convince you, the Tralla 101 is also a good base.
I am not going to deceive you, this transformation of Pepo (the soul of Radical Ducati and now of XTR Pepo) you will not be able to drive it with the B license, since a 250 cc engine has been mounted on the basis of the Mercurio, without However, it is just one example of how much the Spanish classics still have to give.
9) Montesa Brio 110
We’re finishing up now, so we’re going to downshift. This 125 cc Montesa was made between ’59 and ’63 and is the predecessor of the mythical Montesa Impala .
At Vallmoto they are specialists in Montesa, and they have modified this Brío 110 that we love.
10) Derby Torch
We reach the end of our path and continue reducing to the minimum displacement. It couldn’t be any other way, we couldn’t forget the most successful Spanish brand in history, with riders like Ángel Nieto, Jorge Martínez “Aspar” or Marc Márquez.
In 1965 the mythical Derbi Antorcha 49 was born , a Derbi bestseller that would put up to 500,000 units on the street. The key to his success was getting a moped that looked like a motorcycle. Such was its use by the workers that it was affectionately known as “Derbi Paleta” or “Derbi Mason”. Even Manolo Escobar had a Torch!
It is a motorcycle that makes fun of everyone, and that is how it has been conceived in Cafe Racer Obsession, the Derbi “Come Pitos” .
We reached the end of our particular ranking. We wanted to show you what, in our opinion, are the best bases to create a 125 cc Cafe Racer . We love getting our hands greased and restoring or transforming our bikes. However, if you don’t have the time, or simply don’t have a place to do it, there are some very cheap stock 125cc Cafe Racer style bikes appearing. Some of them are the Hanway Raw 125 Café Racer (€1,500), the Mash Cafe Racer 125 (€2,345), Sumco Ace 125 (€2,466) or the Hudson Boss 125 (€2,470).
Find 125cc Cafe Racer motorcycles for sale
Finding a second-hand 125cc Cafe Racer motorcycle is not easy:
- There are few : most of the transformations are made on motorcycles with a larger displacement.
- They are expensive : the law of supply and demand, and the possibility of driving them with a car license make them prohibitively expensive.
- There are no specific sales portals for converted motorcycles, not even filters on the main second-hand websites.
- They are ugly: let’s not kid ourselves, there are times when we find ourselves real junk when looking for a second-hand 125cc Cafe Racer. Since they are small, they destroy the poor ones.
This is all, we have already put honey on your lips, you no longer have an excuse, if you have a car license you can have a Cafe Racer. Now it’s your turn to choose the one you like the most and start looking for your base. You dare?
