The Ultimate Guide to Customizing Your Cafe Racer eBike
Summary:
- A true cafe racer is about its uniqueness—the custom additions that transform it into something beyond a showroom model. Michael Blast eBikes are designed for this level of personalization, just like the classic motorcycles they’re based on.
- To qualify as a cafe racer, an eBike should have certain features: minimalist design, vintage style, an aerodynamic riding position, and plenty of ways to make it your own.
- Michael Blast offers several models that make great cafe racer platforms—including the Vacay series, the Outsider 5.0, and the Greaser Classic.
- Personalize your cafe racer eBike with seat and "tank" upgrades, suspension adjustments, aesthetic additions like whitewall tires, and practical enhancements such as luggage racks and leather panniers.
As any classic motorcycle enthusiast will be happy to tell you, there’s no such thing as a factory-production cafe racer—not really, anyway. Part of what makes a cafe racer authentic is its uniqueness—the fact that its owner has spent time making it their own by adding custom bits and bobs to create a ride you can’t just buy from a showroom.
That’s why Michael Blast’s cafe racer eBikes are designed for easy customization—just like Harley and other major moto brands, we provide the platform so that you can modify it to your heart’s content. Below, our team shows you what an eBike needs to be considered a cafe racer, how we set out to create ideal base models for the cafe racer crowd, and how you can customize yours.
Defining the Cafe Racer Style
Historically, cafe racers were stripped-down custom motorcycles that combined classic aesthetics with aggressive street-riding performance. Read more about the cafe racer bike and motorcycle subculture here.
When it comes to creating eBikes that fit into this distinctive niche, there are a few essential bases to cover. Here’s what we consider a must for any electric bicycle calling itself a cafe racer:
- Minimalist Design: Stripped down to the essentials for weight reduction.
- Vintage Style: Inspired by classic European motorcycles from the 1950s and 1960s (think Norton, Triumph, and BMW).
- Aerodynamic Riding Position: Often via swept-back bars and long frames or “fuel tanks” (batteries).
- Single Seat: A streamlined seat for solo riding.
- Short Front and Rear Fenders: For a clean, uncluttered appearance.
- Performance Upgrades: Brakes, johand suspension, and other systems are often upgraded for better performance.
- Simple Paint and Color Scheme: Typically, these bikes feature simple, classic color schemes.
- Round Headlight and Minimal Gauges: Emphasizing simplicity and retro style.
The Best Michael Blast eBikes to Use As a Cafe Racer Platform
You can turn more than a few of our models into absolutely ripping cafe racers, but here are the ones we recommend using as the basis for your build:
Michael Blast Vacay Hi-Step
Price: $2799 USD
Key Cafe Racer Features
- Strong but simple A6061 aluminum TIG-welded frame to keep the build minimalist and lightweight
- Swept-back handlebars and long top tube for aerodynamic riding position
- Plush Velo solo saddle
- Short fenders to lower weight and keep the design simple
- Powerful and large retro LED headlight
- Handsome color scheme with black paint job and whitewall tires
- Wide variety of custom upgrades and accessories available
Moto Inspo: Norton 961 Commando, Triumph Thruxton
Michael Blast Vacay Lo-Step
Price: $2799 USD
Key Cafe Racer Features
- Strong but simple A6061 aluminum TIG-welded frame to keep the build minimalist and lightweight
- Swept-back handlebars for aerodynamic riding position
- Rider-friendly step-thru frame geometry for lower center of gravity and increased stability
- Plush Velo solo saddle
- Short fenders to lower weight and keep the design simple
- Powerful and large retro LED headlight
- Available in vintage black, green, or sand color schemes
- Wide variety of custom upgrades and accessories available
Moto Inspo: Triumph Bonneville T120, Royal Enfield Continental GT
Michael Blast Outsider 5.0
This one’s technically a scrambler—but you can turn it into a cafe racer with a little ingenuity. Read more about why the Outsider 5.0 is one of the best scrambler eBikes you can buy under $3000.
Price: $2899 USD
Key Cafe Racer Features
- Strong but simple A6061 aluminum TIG-welded frame to keep the build minimalist and lightweight
- Short, narrow handlebars that keep the rider on top of the bike for maximum control
- Compact frame geometry for maneuverability
- Padded extra-long saddle
- Short fenders to lower weight and keep the design simple
- Powerful and large retro LED headlight
- Available in vintage black, green, grey, white, or yellow color schemes
- Wide variety of custom upgrades and accessories available
Moto Inspo: Ducati Scrambler, BMW R nineT
Michael Blast Greaser Classic
This one was inspired by early board trackers—but like the Outsider, you can modify it to fit the cafe racer style pretty easily.
Price: $2999 USD
Key Cafe Racer Features
- Strong but simple A6061 aluminum TIG-welded frame to keep the build minimalist and lightweight
- Short, narrow handlebars that keep the rider on top of the bike for maximum control
- Long top tube for aerodynamic riding position
- Plush Velo solo saddle
- Short front fender to lower weight and keep the design simple
- Powerful and large retro LED headlight
- Available in vintage black or green color schemes
- Wide variety of custom upgrades and accessories available
Moto Inspo: Triumph Bonneville T100, Royal Enfield Bullet 350, early Harley-Davidson board trackers
Popular Cafe Racer Style Upgrades for eBikes
Buying the platform for your cafe racer is only the first step—you’ll also need to mod it out with parts and accessories that distinguish it from stock models. Here are a few of the easiest ways to do that with any of the eBikes above:
Seat & Tank Upgrades
Changing the appearance of the seat and fuel tank is one of the first things most riders do when creating a custom cafe racer, so it makes sense to do it for your eBike as well.
Of course, our electric bikes don’t have fuel tanks per se, but our Outsider series integrates their batteries into the top tube with covers that look just like a motorcycle fuel tank—and these can be purchased in a variety of eye-catching color schemes:
Seat Upgrades:
Tank Upgrades:
Suspension
Adjusting the suspension on cafe racers is vital for making sure they’re tailored to your weight and riding style—allowing you to feel one with the bike when you ride.
Upgrading the suspension on our Greaser Classic is easy—just purchase a fork converter kit that instantly brings it into spec with our newer Greaser Springer model.
Suspension Upgrades
Whitewall Tires
Whitewall tires are an aesthetic upgrade you’ll see on plenty of classic cafe racers, and it’s easy to get them for your Michael Blast eBike as well. We offer whitewall tires for the following models:
Greaser & Vacay Whitewall Tires (Also Fits Soda)
Luggage Racks
Finally, even though cafe racer eBikes are supposed to be stripped down and streamlined, it’s never a bad idea to have some carrying capacity on your eBike. We made it easy by producing genuine leather panniers that attach to the rear racks on multiple models:
Luggage Panniers
Rear Racks
Make Your Cafe Racer Uniquely Yours
Technically, every eBike can be modded if you’re brave (or reckless) enough—but not all of them were designed with accessories and upgrades specifically engineered to evoke the timeless style of cafe racers. When you’re looking for an eBike that oozes vintage moto charm and gives you a platform for self-expression, you’re looking for something by Michael Blast. Check out our models in person by finding a dealer near you, or contact us for specific questions about anything we offer—models, parts, and more.