If you’re anything like me, you would have noticed the increasing amount of Café Racers around Australia. Deux Ex Machina comes to mind for a lot of people who have graciously thrust these types of motorcycles into the forefront of popular motorcycling culture. On a smaller scale however, people like Raf Soloman from Mostyn Custom Motorcycles deliver these products, and they deliver them well!

Mostyn is a motorcycle workshop located in Capalaba in Brisbane, Queensland. Originally established in Melbourne by Raf’s Great-Grandfather as an importing service, delivering the ever-growing demand in Melbourne. Back then however, it was known as Mostyn Cycle Works.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with the current owner, Raf, who had humbled beginnings as a bicycle builder since the age of 12. The love for two wheels grew into a love for motorcycles through the age of 18, where his passion for motorcycle modifications was fuelled by his eager group of friends. True to café racer style and a meager budget of $300, Raf and his mates made anything work, and that to us, is what the Café Racing culture is all about.

Growing up through various motorcycle mechanic business, Raf took the reigns himself and re-established Mostyn as its current incarnation. I personally originally found Mostyn whilst scouring the market for parts for our project Honda CB125 Café Racer.

As soon as you walk into Mostyn and climb through the veritable jungle of bikes in various stages of completion that Raf has at his workshop, you will notice the huge selection of fantastic universal café racer parts. Imported from valued contacts in Japan, these parts serve as inventory for a fantastic online store Mostyn runs to cater for a nationwide fanbase.

Our baskets were full of handle bars, grips, heat wrap, and exhausts, but the service didn’t stop there. Raf has a genuine interest in all of his clients’ projects and is more than happy to offer advice and encouragement for your project.

Although the parts were great, we spent more of our time looking at the bikes he was working on. Anything you could imagine was here, including this rat-rod style Café Racer.

Recently, Mostyn has teamed up with a local motorcycle manufacturer named Braaap. This brand delivers a cost effective café racer named the Mercury for those eager to have a turn-key type project. Another motorcycle that caught our attention was the Heist – a matte black hardtail 250cc bobber by Cleveland Cycle Works.

Luke was quickly thrown a set of keys and took it down the road and came back with the biggest grin known to man. It’s true when they say that Motorcycles are a cheap therapy session.

We are keen to see what Raf and Mostyn produce in the future, and we have surely forgotten to purchase things for the CB125 so I’m sure we’ll end up back there, much to the chagrin of our bank accounts. His modesty and professionalism means he is the go-to guy for anyone delving into the curious world of cafe racer construction.

Words and Photos – James Greensill