My choice - The Enfield. Used then toss on an 865 kit, cam, exhaust, intake and electronics. Used bike around $5500 US plus extras at around $2500 (if you can build an engine properly. Add for shop labor if you can't) and you're pushing 70 hp on a very unique bike. And yeah they have fairings like the BMW available for them, even retro full fairings. Like they say "Made like a gun since 1901".
But then you then hit the price of a used Thruxton , the Enfield will be way behind Thruxton for power , torque brakes , and handling , Enfield is great bike but Thruxton 1200 is a better looking bike in my opinion Don't forget you toss in an 865 kit, cam, exhaust, intake and electronics the clutch can't take it ,you also lose the super smooth engine
@@GrampsD63 Used market in UK for Thruxton 1200R starts at about £6000 and cheapest 650 Enfield I have seen was £4800 (sold pretty fast ) . So about £4000 for a used Enfield plus 865 kit, cam, exhaust, intake and electronics and clutch , you have gone way over the budget for a good s/h Thruxton R . I actually picked up my Thruxton1200 for £2900 but its done a few miles and seen a few winters , runs n rides nice though I do like the Enfield 650 twins and they are great value new but you got to accepted they ain't no super bike but have enough power for most riders
@@GrampsD63 Just found 1200R with lots of extras ABM handlebar conversion, decat x pipe, R&G crash protection, Vance & Hines Exhaust, Heated grips and LED Indicators , asking £6150
@@nounoufriend1442 I'll check over here. There just aren't that many used. Like I would love a 535 Conti GT but there might he 3-5 for sale at one time
About to go out on my gorgeous blue and white 2020 Vitpilen 701 from Husqvarna, powered by the most powerful single ever produced. 75 HP DOHC 4 valve head, pulling 350 pounds of cafe race with spoked wheels and Brembo brakes and adjustable front and rear suspension!
Love the Kawasaki z900RS cafe, especially in the green. Got to ride one for a day and was impressed by how torquey that inline 4 was and it sounded fantastic with a stock pipe.
Lol yeah , that's the best combo , as someone in mid20s used to dream luxury products but nowadays it feels like it not worth anymore .. gt is the best in the list .
@@aliwhitwell They were $19,600 last time I took my RE Classic in for service. I have a CBR1000RR I paid $6000 for that's a damn side faster than the Thruxton.
@@GrampsD63 My friend just bought one. It's a fabulous looking bike. It's not a pocket rocket like the Fireblade or R1 but it's a beautiful machine and can lift it's skirts to fast enough speed for Scottish twisties!
@vegasmike I absolutely love the sucker bike! I can afford it. Along with my Daytona 765 Moto2, Speed Triple 1200RR. Also soon to own the Street Triple RS Moto2 Edition. Suck it up baby!
Make a top "8" cafe racer motorcycle then put a scrambler on it and then score it a "B" because "it is not typical cafe racer style" WTF the name of the bike says it all
I've got a 9t roadster custom shaped into a cafe/bobber style ride, and with ABM handlebars I've been on multiple 900km rides, mostly on twisty rides (live in the Rockies) and it's a blast, no discomfort with a couple of short breaks. A day ride.
My favourite cafe racers are the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 (the new one with alloy wheels&LED light ) and the Kawasaki Z900 Rs cafe. Please do a review on the new version of GT 650.
Agree with the W800 but it should get bonus points for the bevel driven camshaft! In between the cylinders also has a gap for equal cylinder cooling (since no timing chain etc) plus it is a long stroke true 360 degree crankshaft parallel twin. Oh and the cafe version had M bars (clubmans)
I bought the Royal Enfield Continental GT and love it! Add a Booster Plug, Iridium spark plugs, low resistance high performance ignition wires, and modify the airbox for more air intake and it becomes a rocket 😉 I also installed a Metzeler Roadtec 01 tire on the front, and a Metzeler Roadtec Z8 tire on the rear. Mine has the S&S exhaust (baffles removed) and it’s a phenomenal sound. Just ordered a short wind deflector fairing as well. Definitely recommend for anyone looking into a beautiful vintage/clsssic cafe racer with ABS, electronic fuel injection, adjustable preload rear suspension and amazing clutch with smooth gearbox.
I have a 23' GT in the Dux Deluxe color scheme, S&S 2 into 1 qualifier exhaust (no baffles 😈🎶) K&N air filter, NGK spark plug kit plus more to come and this thing freaking rips man 🏍🔥 I'm also running a Michelin commander 2 rear tire 150/70 B18 👌
"7" making me feel pretty good about buying an 2020 RE Continental GT650 a couple of years ago. Yeah it's not a street sweeper, but damn I love my bike. The Norton is beautiful but has a CRAZY price tag. The Thruxton 1200 is overpriced also. I couldn't find a used Thruxton 900 or a Z900RS anywhere, and the W800 had zero appeal. So the GT650 is where I landed and I'm super happy about it.
That Norton for 77hp? Eeck! Sticking with my Speed Twin 1200. Although I do like the Z900. The Enfield I had for a bit. But not worth it. I’d rather pay more, for better. Great vid!
Being a BMW GUY,( have a 74 R90/6 and a 07 R1200 G/S),I would do the R9T. Best part of owning a BMW is, if you can turn a wrench(spanner) you can do all of your maintenance. Two wheel Volkswagen all the way makes them super cheap to own. The parts are only slightly more than a bike from Japan.
I had my heart set on an r nine T. I use my bike to commute and as a weekender. Rode the Ducati, then the r nine. Ducati is just more practical and fun. Have had the 2023 full throttle a month / 1000 miles! No issues, and I love it. The R9 does sound amazing though🤷♂️
Thruxton RS... all the way ! Back here in India, Thruxton is no more on the catalogue and hence I had to pick a Speed Twin 1200 instead. Not truely into a cafe racer attire but it comes pretty close to how relishing Thruxton are. And they are a head turner indeed.
Every time RU-vid channels dismiss the best looking cafe racer ever built (my 2019 Honda CB1000R), I thank my lucky stars. It means fewer people will buy one, and it becomes a rare classic …even while it’s in production!
Hmmm... I have several questions & I should note I am NOT trying to make you look stupid or biased. You have already done an admirable job of that all by yourself. - Why was the Ducati on the list? It clearly says "SCRAMBLER" on the side. - Why did the Thruxton get a bonus point for having a fairing when it obviously doesn't have one? - Have you never heard of a small Italian company called Moto Guzzi? They have been churning out genuine cafe racers for some time now & deserve a place on this list more than at least 2 bikes you mentioned. I could tell from your accent which bike would be your favourite before any were shown. I hope the money you were paid to put this list together went to a good cause. Like a nice little car...
Nice reviews. I 've just ordered a 2019 - R9T, should really know better at my advanced age (had a Dunstall Dominator in the 60s). Uncomfortable, but what the heck it's such a beauty. After being introduced to cancer years ago and encroaching arthritis, the bucket list needed some attention... i.e. ~ dilligaf ! ~ Short rides in the sun 🤔🤞will do nicely. 😀👍
The Thruxton is by far the best, not only for looks, quality and power but also because you can ride it every day. The Bmw cannot do that as you are too stretched on it. And thats why its discontinued. Other RnineT are a great success and produced to this day.
I have the best one not on the list - Harley Davidson Sportster Roadster with Roland Sands. Barebone 2016 model (no ABS, no aid) - will be replacing pipe with VH. Absolute roar, and so much fun just throttling - absolute ball rattler.
Hi Bob, my first post to you, though I have been subscribed a while. I'm a Harley rider in Australia, though I enjoy all your reviews. For me it's the Norton based purely on looks, absolutely gorgeous bike. Thanks for the review, love your work Cheers Steve
Don't they still make the Thruxton RS ? , Street Cup great bike but think the Street Twin is worth paying the extra , I have a Thruxton 1200 s myself because it was good price second hand and think its the best looking bike
I loved the comparison of Triumph Thruxton with the Fender Stratocaster! Clever and to the point! I do wish Triumph built a 900 cc Thruxton too, though.
Interesting comparison as a lot of Fender's are now made in China. I think Triumph dine out on their English heritage and as such should continue to make bikes here and not Thailand pretending they're British
I strongly disagree with putting the enfield over the w800. The w800 has a lot of potential with one of the more beautiful modern engines which coaxes you into prettying up the rest of the bike.
I ride the Z900rs Cafe in black and its such a fun ride, a perfect motorcycle that takes you back in time and so stylish, that you cant ignore people’s reactions on streets. Handles like a charm despite being so beefy.
ive owned both the Thruxton and the RnT and while they're quite similar in specs on paper, the Thruxton is more lively in terms of spirited riding. Its got more punch down low and its much lighter overall. While the BMW has a much more RAW visceral experience, more meaty exhaust note, the bike rocking to the right when blipping the throttle at a stop, minimal tech (2023 and it doesn't have a fuel gauge), in my opinion, still not as exciting to ride than the TTR.
Cafe Racers don't require fairing of any kind. The majority were, and are naked bikes, as they were intended. You want modern Vintage, the Royal Enfield Continental GT is the best example, a REAL PIECE OF HISTORY!👍👍🏁
Exactly He is giving score on the basis of fairings Even without fairing 650 GT looks best among the retro cafe racer bike I think only power and displacement is less Otherwise it is simple and very good looking bike without any stupid tech ❤
I went for the Enfield. At 5 and a half grand new, if you look for deals, it’s a bargain. My heart wanted the Norton, just to sit and look at. But at three times the price, sadly, I just couldn’t justify it.
@@davidkeppler56 I thought that too initially. But for me, on occasion I want to yank the throttle back and go f.....................k! Best of luck with yours though.
@@fasthracing What did you swap it for? I came the other way, had a KTM690Enduro which was stupidly fast and wheelied everywhere. But I knew I’d either hurt myself or get caught!
@@davidkeppler56 I replaced mine with a BMW R 9T. The so called "classic" version with the better (which it isn't) suspension. Still trying to bond with it.
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Perfect lineup... That 10 on the nineT does mirror my affections also, but reaching 50 years old I need to start looking into my back pains.
I went with the Enfield GT and absolutely love it. If and when I outgrow the performance, I'd love the Z900 RS if I can swallow the cash pill. Thruxton is a close second. Guess I'll have to ride them both.
Some nice bikes. The tester for me would be the height. And just how uncomfortable they are. A mate has a thruxton. He never goes far on that. Not comfortable for him. Some say the enfield is tall. The Norton is beautiful and nostalgic. But the price is very modern. Might pick the Kawasaki. I have owned a few in my time. And ridden more. Usually reliable. And it's Kawasaki green. Brings back memories. Now on old age pension. Do they do a matchbox version.
Bob! You are paying attention to the frosting (clipons, bum stop saddle, etc.) Don't overlook the cake--the WEIGHT! "The bike handles well because it's a Triumph (?). Not if it weighs over 180 kg/400 pounds. You tend to forget your countryman, Colin Chapman, who said "ADD LIGHTNESS!" Many if the retros are cafe racers only in appearance. Excess weight means they are "cafe," but not "racer."
I’m reluctantly selling my 2020 Continental GT right now, as it’s great for short hops to town but on wrists and my lower back, crippling on anything longer than 30 minutes. It’s a shame as the noise is intoxicating and it rides beautifully, but needs must.
z900rs cafe is not discontinued, they just did not sell well in the UK so they no longer bring them over here, over in the US and Canada they sell loads, lots of colour choices as well, 2023 sees a black and gold accent to match the old JPS colours and 2022 had a cool looking grey number. Thruxton tries to hard with its fake carbs imho.
I realize you already had a Triumph 1200 on this list bit I'm seriously considering the Triumph 1200 RR (electronically adjustable damping). Ducati Streetfighter is direct competition. It's wonderful to live in a world of choices. Enjoy what you ride.
I've recently been looking at the BMW r9t. They run about 12k usd so that's not a bad price. You said it's a little hard on the body after an hour but I think it would fit my needs for back and forth to work and maybe a quick jaunt through the countryside here in Oklahoma. I already have a honda vtx for longer cruises. Gald to know the BMW is a good choice. Thanks for the video. You've helped me make up my mind
As an owner of the Ninet Racer, I’m happy it’s been so praised but let’s be fair it’s the only one in this list that has no passenger seat. That can be a dealbreaker for many
And to be fair, a cafe racer shouldn't have a pillion seat. Its a purely selfish thing :-). So, in effect, you have the only true cafe racer in the list!
Take it easy guys RE decent looking and as it's cheap you save money for customisations and yeah it pretty reliable but the handle bar isn't that strong..I have seen a lot of continental GTS with broken front
The moto guzzi v7 racer is also not bad, at least on the used market, it's cheaper than the Enfield and has better looks, brakes and engine. I'm.waiting.for.the newer 850cc cafe raver tho
@JackMihoff6969 that it's called that way does not mean it's true. :-) Scramblers are a compromise between on and off-road while café-racers are uncompromisingly designed to be fast on the road, so the two approaches are totally incompatible and a mix of both things impossible. :-)
@@JackMihoff6969 it's pure newspeak: war is peace, black is white and so on... They are totally opposed concepts: a compromise between on and off-road in the case of scramblers, and an uncompromised design for racing on the road on the other. And it does not matter that Ducati has blended the names to bend to a stupid hipster fashion... If it's a compromise, it's not a café-racer, and a scrambler is a compromise by definition, just as a café-racer is uncompromised by definition. 🙂
@JackMihoff6969 which is misnamed, as both concepts are incompatible: a scrambler is a compromise between on and off-road, while a café-racer is an uncompromised design for to race on the asphalt between cafés. :-) That Ducati does it, does not make it right. It's a question of vocabulary and semantics, simply. A café-racer cannot ever be a scrambler and viceversa, no matter Ducati. 😀
This is an interesting diversion from the norm of reviews, etc. Thank you. You really put into perspective how overpriced the Ducati scramblers are. No wonder a Chinese built bike is the most popular in Italy. Anyone paying £11,000+ for such a bike would really need some advice, or imprisonment.
