We were all well chuffed when Kawasaki UK saw fit to take on board the growing UK cafe/custom scene to the point where they gave the boys from Spirit of the Seventies a brand spanking new W800 to play with - and even better that it was destined for their official stand at the NEC Motorcycle Show. The guys created a few designs and the fans chose which bike would be built via facebook. What no-one expected was the size of the stand and the amount of attention the bike got - not just from bike fans but also from industry suits and the press. With so many modern bikes seemingly infected by a combination of me-too blandness and burdened by a combination of health & safety riders aids and EU nonsense it's a huge breath of fresh air to see a one-off custom bike making such a bog splash. Even Yamaha got in on the act with a "yard-built" FJR from the Wrench Monkees. With Enfield, Norton and MotoGuzzi already creating at least one factory built "cafe racer" in their range the absence of bikes in this genre is clearly being felt in the big Japanese factories. But it also begs a big question or three for Triumph and Ducati - who have genuine heritage in this space. i.e. Where the F*** are you? From Tim & Kev: Thanks to www.garethhacker.com for the great photography on our wall image and flyer. We’re considering making a limited run of bikes, each unique. If you’re interested in knowing more contact tim@spiritoftheseventies.com.