Café racers ideally sit between sport bikes and naked motorcycles, but with lovely retro looks. Since they are based on naked bikes, they are also quite a lot more comfortable than sports bikes. This makes them a great combination of retro looks and comfort. The styling also means that they will not go out of fashion anytime soon.Today, however, there aren't too many manufacturers dipping their toes into the café racer segment, as things get more and more specialized. This is sad because these embody so much of what is great about the motorcycle: they look good, appeal to a massively wide audience, and can be ridden by an equally broad target audience. What are your options then? Here are 10 we'd recommend and we've mixed used and new bikes. 2019 Suzuki SV650X Café Price: $5,000 (used) A Suzuki SV650X in gray parked in a garageThe SV650 remains a popular motorcycle even today because of this combination of low price, low maintenance costs, and really high fun factor. The SV650X injected a little bit of extra dynamism into the styling with its small fairing for the headlamp and blacked-out driveline and chassis. It also had clip-on handlebars and an old-timey tuck-and-roll seat. Other than that, the SV650X café is mechanically identical to the regular SV650. That means you get the smooth torque of the V-twin that revs to 10,000 RPM, and ABS was standard on the X.Suzuki Triumph Thruxton 400 Price: $6,295 TriumphThe Thruxton 400 is Triumph's newest single-cylinder machine. It has liquid cooling, fuel injection, and enough modern electronics to keep the rubber side down; namely, switchable ABS, traction control, and an assist and slipper clutch. It does not overcomplicate things with a six-axis IMU, but that fits really well with its retro ethos. It does have modern engineering elsewhere, because the wheels and swingarm are aluminum, and the frame is the perimeter type. Triumph Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Price: $6,349 Royal EnfieldThe Continental GT 650 is an amazing throwback motorcycle. It literally has an engine and chassis that could have been engineered a few decades ago. That said, it does have the quality standards of a motorcycle of today, which gives it a refreshingly different perspective on the term ‘neo-retro’. It isn't particularly quick, but it gives you all the right sensations, and that is all we can ask for from a good motorcycle.Royal Enfield Suzuki GSX-8TT Price: $11,149 SuzukiThe GSX-8TT uses the age-old formula of taking an existing naked bike and then clothing it with a pretty neo-retro café racer design. It has the engine and chassis from the GSX-8S with an identical power output. The suspension is provided by KYB, and we have to say that the GSX-8TT is one of the better-looking cafe racers in its segment, even if its power-to-weight ratio does not quite match up to some of the others.Suzuki Kawasaki Z900RS Café Price: $13,299 KawasakiThe Kawasaki Z900RS is the retro-styled version of the Z900 middleweight naked bike, but the Z900RS Café takes it a step further with the quarter fairing for the headlamp. This is accompanied by appropriately retro graphics on the tank, but otherwise, it is the completely modern middleweight naked that we know and love. Unfortunately, Kawasaki only offers the café racer with the fairing in one colorway. There is a Z900RS SE with a lovely two-tone paint job, gold rims, and great hardware like an Öhlins rear shock, but that is not available with the fairing.Kawasaki Ducati Scrambler Nightshift Price: $13,395 DucatiThe Scrambler is the most affordable Ducati, and it still runs the air-cooled engine with the Desmodromic valvetrain and two valves per cylinder – a rarity today. The Nightshift is the café racer variant and commands a premium over the base model by virtue of a few additional things. Those include spoke wheels, a flat handlebar, bar-end mirrors, bobbed fenders, and an exclusive colorway. It’s almost as though you don’t need to add any mods to it!Ducati 2024 Triumph Thruxton RS Price: $14,457 (used) Triumph MotorcyclesThe Thruxton RS was discontinued in 2024 because there was not enough of a market for an old-school café racer at such a premium. It retailed at around $18,000 when new. If you are lucky, you might find a new one at a Triumph dealership, and it is well worth the money. It looked the part, had the pace to put a big grin on your face, and was overall such a great motorcycle that it was our favorite café racer of 2024.Triumph BMW R 12 S Price: $17,245 BMW MotorradThe BMW R12 slots in below the R18 full-size cruiser, but this middleweight wears many hats. One is the R12 S, which is one of the best-looking cafe racers available in the market today. BMW has stuck to its traditional longitudinal boxer-twin engine and given it a quarter fairing. It hasn't skimped on other hardware, which explains the premium price. There is a fully adjustable suspension, brakes with monobloc radial calipers at the front, and a full electronics suite with a by-wire throttle and six-axis IMU.BMW Motorrad 2024 Triumph Speed Triple RR Price: $18,060 (used) TriumphThe Speed Triple 1200 RR is a bike caught between two worlds. It has café racer styling, but under the skin, it is so modern that it could almost give liter bikes a run for their money. Among its features are an aluminum twin-spar frame, fully adjustable electronic Öhlins suspension, Brembo Stylema monobloc front brake calipers, and a full electronics suite. If you are a fan of styling that does not age easily, the Speed Triple 1200 RR will be right up your alley. It is a pity that it had dismal sales, which forced Triumph to pull the plug on it.Triumph Triumph Speed Twin Café Racer Edition Price: $18,895 TriumphIf you miss the Thruxton RS, Triumph has released the Speed Twin 1200 Café Racer Edition for 2026. It does cost a pretty penny, almost $19,000, but it offers the same engine as the Thruxton RS in the same state of tune. It does not offer the quarter fairing as standard. But for what it is, it is amazing to look at, and it has the full electronics package underneath. It will be very difficult to top the Speed Twin 1200 Cafe Racer Edition today with the looks, feel, and electronics that it has.TriumphSources: Triumph Motorcycles, BMW USA