Luckily for us, the standard is pretty high when it comes to their custom built motorcycles, and the BMW you see here today is no exception. Built on behalf of Bartek Prokopowicz, a Polish movie director and lifelong petrolhead, Grzegorz Korczak decided to do something different this time. What started out as a standard BMW R80 police style motorcycle, has been transformed into a cafe racer styled tracker. What makes this 1978 BMW even more special is the treatment all surface areas were given to get a very distinct look. Take a closer look and you’ll see what we mean. Some parts look a bit rusty, and maybe even a bit rough and dirty. Make no mistake, this was done on purpose, through a series of rigorous processes, to achieve this unique, patina look. As if this BMW was built a long time ago. Very cheeky!

It’s clear that this BMW R80 is meant to look a bit rough and used, but that’s just one part of the story. Underneath the surface, everything was redesigned. Let’s start with the most notable changes, like the rear subframe. Or rather, the lack thereof. We see that on top of the minimalistic subframe a beautifully stitches single seat is resting. It almost looks as if it is floating. Some of the worlds’ smallest LED brake and indicator lights can be found underneath the seat.

To keep a clean look, the battery had to be relocated somewhere less obvious; underneath the bike. A custom battery bracket was fabricated to allow for the relocation. This gives the BMW a clean look. The engine and air intake has been kept stock for a change, and we love that! Everything was done to ensure the 800cc boxer is up to snuff, thanks to a thorough inspection and service. At the front the suspension was upgraded to YSS springs and received a pair of fork gaiters. A set of YSS fully adjustable twin shocks take care of business at the rear.

But there is more! Although the rest of the front looks stock, most isn’t. First there is the Motogadget speedo, that looks a lot smaller than the factory cockpit. A black aluminium handlebar replaced the stock steel unit. The handlebar grips have been wrapped with leather, and at the end of them, a pair of Motogadget bar-end indicators have been mounted. A classic oversize black round headlight adds to the distinguished look. The custom short fenders, the blacked out exhaust headers, and the twin brushed end cans all add to the classiness of this R80. No wonder it took almost a year to complete this project!

In the end, UNIKAT managed to create yet another timeless looking custom motorcycle. It’s hard to imagine that they built another bike simultaneous to this project. And yet, they did just that! Stay tuned for more, here on BikeBrewers.

Photo credit: UNIKAT

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This time Grzegorz Korczak, the man behind Unikat, got his hands on a 2021 Triumph Bonneville Bobber. I know, I know, this looks like a different kind of bobber. Truth be told, there are different definitions of what makes a bobber, a bobber. There are European and American style bobber, there are also Japanese style bobbers. Regardless of the different styling exercises, one thing that they all have in common is the fact that they appear to be minimalistic. In a way, you could look at this like this: what a café racer is to a road bike, a bobber is to a cruiser. Same rules apply: get rid of all unnecessary parts to reduce the weight, and make the bike look as simple as possible.

Coming back to Unikat’s Triumph Bonneville Bobber, which has been name “K18”, we see that a number of stylish mods have been made to the original. No doubt did the original Bobber look great, but what Unikat did here takes the stock bike to a whole other level.

The original bobber wheels have been replaced with a pair of lightweight, black Takasago Excel 17” rims with stainless steel spokes. What’s interesting about the wheels is that they have adopted the BARTubeless system; transforming them into tubeless wheels. The rims have been wrapped by a pair of sticky Pirelli Dunlop Mutant tires.

The rear fender had been completely removed, while the front fender got a nice trim job and received a distinguished Unikat 1-of1 logo, kind of like an easter-egg, waiting to be discovered. Staying at the front, we can also see that the speedo and the headlamp have both been lowered for a sportier stance. There’s a set of Motogadget bar-end indicators, which have been combined with a set of bar-end mirrors. The handlebar grips have received a nice leather wrap treatment. Womet Tech supplied the sporty clutch and brake levers. A pair of fork gaiters keep the front fork clean and mean.

Moving a bit more backwards to the fuel tank, we spot a beautifully milled, gold anodized fuel filler cap. Underneath the fuel tank, the original factory airbox has been removed and a pair of free flow air filet, curtousy of K&N have been placed to take care of the breathing. The ‘faux-carburetor’ injection covers have been treated to the 1-of-1 logo treatment too. Underneath the engine, a stainless-steel exhaust system, in combination with Unikat’s very own in-house built exhaust pipes, ensure that the combustion gases leave the engine in an effective and dramatic manner.

A lot of work has been put in cleaning up this bike by hiding as much of the wiring as possible. Part of that is the Hi-sider 3-in-1 taillight, that have built in indicators and license plate holder, and is in fact completely road-legal. The special thing about is, is that it is integrated into the single-seat. The finish of this Triumph in a gorgeous dark green color in combination with glossy black, with all the little gold-colored details really distinguishes this build from any other Bobber we have seen so far.

Builder details:
UNIKAT Motorworks
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The bike is so nice, they made it more than twice!

Polish Powerhouse
If you have just tuned in to BikeBrewers, here’s short summary of who we are dealing with. UNIKAT is a motorcycle customizing workshop in Wrocław, Poland and is specialized mainly in café racer and scrambler style motorcycles. It was established to combine the passions for speed and visual arts. As you may find in some of our earlier posts, the founder of UNIKAT, Grzegorz Korczak, is actually a cinematographer, OSCAR nominated (you know, Hollywood!) special effects director, and visual artist whose work has been exhibited in some of Poland’s most prestigious museums. Since 2013 he’s been using his skills to create some of the most visually and aesthetically pleasing motorcycles we have ever seen.

Good start!
The base bikes for these builds are the most powerful Triumph modern classics to date. In 2020 Thruxton RS is an adrenaline factory disguised as a classic motorcycle. Each piece of the bike is of superior quality. The engine is powerful, it has great stopping power, and the suspension is top notch. The first three Thruxton RS’s delivered to Poland went straight to UNIKAT! The new respective owners wanted a personalized motorcycle; they came to the right spot.

But not good enough!
Although Triumph did an incredible job manufacturing the new Thruxton, there are still some things that could be better. This is inherent to anything that is mass produced – fact. Then there are the things that make your head itch. For instance: an excess of silver painted plasti…ahum parts. That was the first point of order for Grzegorz. The second point were the large indicators. Too bulky. Third, the massive factory fitted tail light. Good to illuminate in dark rainy weather. An eye-sore for the enthusiast. Despite these points, the most important thing that needed to be addressed was the sound; too soft for a machine with this level of riding characteristics.

Uncorking the Triumphs
Modern exhaust emission and noise standards are so strict that all factory motorcycles sound like a moped. Don’t get us wrong, we are not preaching for superloud exhausts that wake up the neighbors and make kids cry. However, part of the riding experience has always been sound for us, and these Thruxtons deserve to be heard. It is probably the only thing these three bikes have in common, that’s it.

3 Flavours
Different owners have different tastes. One owner was convinced that he wanted his bike to look aggressive and cheeky; “The motorcycle must be matte black with red accents.” The second owned wanted something rather sporty but elegant – “glossy metallic deep black combined with golden elements!” To Grzegorz’s delight, both of them also opted for the tubeless Kineo wire-spoke wheels. Fitted with a set of Heidenau sticky rain tires, that also happen to perform excellent in dry condition, and in combination with the lower rotating mass, the handling has been seriously improved. Owner number three on the other hand, wanted his motorcycle to look “as vintage as possible”. Starting with old-school tires, and finishing with a top-fairing as a nod to the classic racers of yesteryear. Golden pinstripes, leather grips and classic diamonds on the upholstery are another retro details.

Perfecting imperfections
Building these bikes took more work than meets the eye. For instance, in order to remove the entire exhaust of the RS, you have to dismantle the lower sway of the frame. Sandblasting of the each part and getting the paint job just right proved to be a tedious and time-consuming job. Not that Grzegorz complained, it’s just that there is no room for error. Especially since any imperfections will pop out in matte black. More than a few times parts have been sent back for sandblasting and painting. Details make the difference!

Bling Bling
The easiest task was probably the assembly of the fairing, which is a one piece uni. The LED indicators and brushed steel bar-end mirrors are just a few of the fine details we like on these builds. Another detail are the handcrafted leather grips with threads in the color of the upholstery, which has become something of a UNIKAT trademark. The rear of the bike looks scary thanks to two LED tail lights. They are, allegedly, the smallest tail lights in the world, and they are EU approved (DOT in the US). The black and gold RS received a gold-colored DID chain. The red RS is equipped with a Bitubo suspension set; custom made to the riders’ specs. A great piece of accessory are the quality levers, provided by Poland’s own Womettech.

All three Thruxton are full of hidden Easter-eggs; little details that you may not notice at first, but the more you look at the bikes, the more you find. UNIKAT has done an exceptional job creating these three seemingly identical Thruxton RS’s. Although they look the same, they really are individually unique in many ways.

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