Reliable Cafe Racer/Custom Motorcycle Manufacturers in UK

[TSR]

Hope it's ok to post here.

I really like the cafe racer look, anything that's tastefully customised in a retro style. However, I do not have the tools or know-how to build anything myself. Are there any reputable builders in the U.K. that anyone here knows of or has used?

 

[Hippo-Drones]

All depends where in the UK you are. The UK has loads of custom bike builders that will take your money.
To chop down the rear subframe of my Moto Guzzi and make the custom seat for it I used a company called P&D Custom Bikes in West Sussex, they did a fantastic job of it too.

Really the only difficult parts of putting together a custom bike are the frame mods and paint, the rest is pretty much just bolt on replacement parts. I did the rest of mine myself with not a huge amount of tools, basically could have been done with a socket set and screwdriver set.

What would your base bike be and what would you "like" it to look like when built?

 

[TSR]

Thanks for the reply. I live in Surrey and tbh I'm not 100% sure of the end product that I'm looking for. I like moto guzzis though, do you have a pic of it? I think what I'm looking for at this point is examples and prices so I can get an idea of whether it's something I want to pursue or not. I guess it makes sense about the Fran and paint needing specialist work. I'll do some more research for the time being. Cheers

 

[Hippo-Drones]

here is a pic of my V7 before any work:

and here is it now:

It isn't a cafe racer but rearset footpegs and clipon bars are about all that would need adding if I was interested in going that route.

 

[Hippo-Drones]

Paying other people to do stuff is not cheap, customising bikes is not cheap, so you need deep pockets or a credit card with a decent limit. This cost almost 100% of what the bike cost new to make the mods.
Why not get your next bike but keep the VanVan and customise that? There are some proper cool custom Van Vans:

 

[TSR]

Looks great! Colour is good too. How much did it cost you all roughly?

 

[Hippo-Drones]

Just the wheels were £2.5k. Frame work was around £1k as was the paint. The clocks were nearly £700. The front forks were £1200, the rear shocks £500. Then there was all the little bits and bobs, which add to the details.... The bike was only £7. 5k brand new.

 

[TSR]

Just the wheels were £2.5k. Frame work was around £1k as was the paint. The clocks were nearly £700. The front forks were £1200, the rear shocks £500. Then there was all the little bits and bobs, which add to the details.... The bike was only £7. 5k brand new.

Wow yeah that's not cheap. It doesn't look cheap either though so I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[Hippo-Drones]

Had I had to pay labour on the bolt on bits it would have cost a lot more too. Def worth getting yourself some tools