In July, these five custom motorcycles rose above the noise to become the most viewed builds on Bike EXIF. From radical engineering to timeless style, these machines didn’t just turn heads and drop jaws—they sent our servers into overdrive.
They also show an encouraging trend in the custom scene: whether you’re building a classic café racer or a modern streetfighter, form and function can co-exist.
#5: Yamaha MT-09 by Purpose Built Moto
Torquey, lively, and versatile, Yamaha’s MT-09 triple is one of the best engines of the last decade. But there’s always been a glaring omission in the MT-09 lineup—an adventure bike to sit alongside the smaller Ténéré 700. Enter Purpose Built Moto and their Yamaha Ténéré 900.
Starting with a 2019 MT-09, PBM beefed up the suspension with KTM 1190 forks and a custom rear shock, re-engineering the frame to handle the added travel. Off-road-ready Excel wheels and chunky Motoz rubber transformed the bike’s stance, while a new rally tower and fabricated aluminum side fairings dialed in the look.
A Yoshimura exhaust system snakes under the seat, and the bodywork—much of it handcrafted in aluminum—includes a new fender setup, LED lighting, and heat shields near the rider’s legs. Crash protection, luggage mounts, and an MX-style seat round out the build.
Resplendent in a custom Yamaha speedblock-inspired livery, PBM’s Ténéré 900 is an excellent look at what could be—if Yamaha were to give the people what they want. [More]
#4: BMW R80 by 46Works
While some custom builders run bustling shopfronts with coffee counters and merch, Shiro Nakajima of 46Works operates differently, quietly crafting machines, furniture, and more from his rustic home workshop in the Japanese countryside. A former founder of Ritmo Sereno, Nakajima-san builds bikes with a level of detail and balance few can match—like this handsome 1987 BMW R80 café racer.
The build was commissioned by a Tokyo-based architect who wanted something black, simple, and refined. Shiro boosted the boxer engine to 1,000 cc with Siebenrock internals, added Keihin carbs, and routed hand-bent titanium headers into a muscular oval muffler. The result is both classic and performance-minded—just like everything Shiro builds.
Ducati-sourced Öhlins forks sit up front, with a matching Öhlins shock out back, all adapted to fit. A reshaped tank, handmade tail section, and sleek subframe give the bike a tight silhouette, while small touches—like a pop-off seat that reveals storage space in the rear hump—highlight Shiro’s obsession with functional elegance.
Finished in gloss black with polished metal accents and subtle BMW branding, the R80 is designed to be as capable in tight Tokyo traffic as it is on winding mountain roads. This is the kind of bike that rewards close inspection—and even more so, time in the saddle. [More]
#3: Kawasaki Z1000 by HB-Custom
Transforming an already customized bike into something cohesive is no easy feat—especially when the existing mods clash with the new vision. That was the challenge facing Holger Breuer of HB-Custom when this 1978 Kawasaki Z1000 rolled into his workshop in hodge-podge streetfighter trim.
Holger took the Kawasaki back to basics, reintroducing the OEM swingarm and dialing in a classic stance with lowered forks, YSS shocks, and 18” spoked wheels. A Royal Enfield tank sits alongside the Z1000’s original side covers. A new subframe supports a sleek two-up seat with refined automotive-style upholstery, framed by minimalist fenders and tidy lighting.
The cockpit balances form and function, mixing OEM Kawasaki parts with premium aftermarket gear from Magura, Domino, and Motogadget. Under the hood, the air-cooled four now breathes through Mikuni RS38 carbs and K&N filters, backed by a Dynatek ignition and a four-into-two Shark exhaust that hits just the right tone.
Visually, the bike is a masterclass in restraint; mostly blacked out, with polished metal, subtle gold pinstripes, and period-style logos for just the right vintage flair. It’s equal parts café racer and practical classic, with all the rough edges smoothed out. [More]
#2: Triumph Bonneville by STG Tracker
In the air-cooled era of Triumph’s modern classics, models like the Bonneville, Thruxton, and Scrambler were near identical, distinguished more by style than substance. That’s the spirit STG Tracker tapped into with their latest build—a 2011 Bonneville T100 turned Thruxton-inspired café racer.
The dream team of Marcelo Obarrio and Germán Karp lowered the Bonneville’s front end with a 17” wheel, then lifted the rear with new piggyback shocks. The silhouette is defined by a handmade fiberglass fairing, which, remarkably, is one continuous piece. The subframe’s been shortened and cleaned up, sporting a tailored fiberglass tail unit wrapped in Alcantara and leather.
Tiny LEDs handle lighting duties, while relocated components like the ignition and rectifier preserve the fairing’s clean lines. Triumph Thruxton rear-sets bring the rider triangle into proper café racer territory, while a stubby fender with a diamond-shaped bracket adds visual punch up front. The engine remains mostly stock—aside from a remap, DNA air filter, and SC-Project cans.
Finished in layered black tones with goldleaf accents, the bike is elegant but assertive. STG Tracker didn’t go overboard—they just nailed the essentials, combining purpose-driven changes with striking visual harmony. [More]
#1: Harley-Davidson Pan America by Powerbrick
Few expected the Harley-Davidson Pan America to become a custom scene staple, but workshops like Powerbrick saw its potential early. After building their first custom Pan America—a brutal streetfighter that melted our servers—they decided to keep going, using the Pan Am as a platform for developing parts under their CNCPT Moto brand.
CNCPT Moto now has a full plug-and-play custom kit—and they’ve built a striking pair of Pan Americas to show it off. Built on the 1250 Special and the newer 1250 ST platform, the bikes are nearly identical under the skin, with upgrades like 17” carbon wheels from Rotobox and subtle suspension tweaks.
Up front, the CNCPT kit drastically reworks the fairing, replacing bulky plastics with a minimalist stainless-steel bracket system that drops the TFT display lower. Handlebar risers, LSL bars, and LED turn signals clean up the cockpit, while tank mods leave exposed welds artfully smoothed and repainted.
The real showstopper is the bolt-on tail section—a machined aluminum unit that ditches bulk for sleekness without needing a full teardown. Twin custom exhausts, dyno tuning, and lightweight upgrades push performance past 165 horsepower and shave nearly 100 pounds. These two machines prove just how good the Pan America can be—if you tweak it just right. [More]
