Moto Adonis

Popular Bike
In all honesty, we can list the factory bike specs here again, but that would be pointless at this stage. Yes, the BMW R80 is probably the most popular motorcycle to use as a base bike for a myriad of projects. Be it a café racer, scrambler, tracker or even a resto-mod; there is something about the simplicity of the airheads that inspires creativity. But there is more to it than that. The overall build quality and availability of new parts, considering the fact that these aren’t new motorcycles, inspires confidence.

Project “BIG Dude”
It was no different with this build. A customer called the workshop and asked a simple question: “Can you build me a BMW R80 Scrambler?”. The answer Arthur and Job had for him was “Sure!”. All seemed fine, until the customer paid them a visit. It became clear that they needed to take a few things into consideration. The “biggest” one being the customer’s size. The dude was bigger than most BMW riders, measuring in at 2 meters, the builders knew that they had o make some serious modifications to allow for a bigger rider to enjoy the ride. Hence the name “BIG Dude”

A few ground rules were set before the project started. The most important one being the motorcycle had to be comfortable to ride, without making it look like he was riding a kid’s bicycle. This is a problem many riders face, and of the reasons why big guys ride big bikes. And let’s be honest, most café racers, scramblers and trackers look quite petit.

Taller is Better
The modification was made to the rear subframe. It got chopped away, and a new subframe was fabricated with 2 things in mind: it had to be minimalistic, and it had to raise the rear a bit higher. It goes without saying that the complete subframe had to be very strong to deal with the weight of the rider under all conditions. A taller rear shock was added, as well as a taller front suspension, only to increase the overall height of the BMW. One of the benefits of adding the taller front forks, which are upside down, is that they can accommodate for double disc brakes. Not a luxury considering the projects aim.

Modifications
On the subframe sits a new custom-made seat, courtesy of Miller Kustom Upholstery, with built-in taillight, finished in a beautiful brown leather. Moto Adonis has collaborated with MAD Exhausts before, and they have yet again provided the crew with a one-off custom exhaust. A bunch of off-the-shelve gear has been used to enhance the riding experience. A Motogadget m.unit has been adopted to simply electrics. An Acewell speedo provides all the critical info, while we also spotted a set of mo.blaze bar-end indicators on the handlebar together with a set of bar-end mirrors. The original BMW cookie-cutter wheels got a new layer of black glossy paint, and are now wrapped in Continental TKC80 rubber to add function to the form. The matt black color with white stripes brings everything together.

Happy owner
Like all custom-built motorcycles, they are built in the image of its creator. This particular R80 was built with a very specific goal in mind. Its new owner is very pleased with his scrambler, and we can clearly see why. The BMW looks great; the Moto Adonis team can be proud of how this turned out.

Photos: Lennart Stolte

Builder details:
Moto Adonis
Website
Instagram
Facebook

The post BMW R80 “BIG dude” by Moto Adonis appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Smiles-per-mile
When Royal Enfield unleashed their 650 twins into the world, nobody had expected that they would take over the world by storm. It was and still is the bike Royal Enfield owners were craving for. Not only that, the classic design of the twins has stolen the hearts of many new and old motorcyclists, including myself! Royal Enfield has proven that more horsepower, and a higher price tag don’t automatically mean more smiles-per-mile. Many motorcycle magazines have awarded the Interceptor 650 the “Motorcycle of the Year” award for that particular reason.

Builders choice
The simplicity of the Royal Enfield 650 speaks to many, especially in an age where more and more motorcycles are drenched with technology and computers. Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t against hi-tech bikes, but the no frills no non-sense experience out-trumps tech any day, especially if you love working on your motorcycle.

Racing pedigree
Then there is Pepo Rosell. If you don’t know who that is, make sure to check out some of the articles we have written before. The Frenchman who has been living in Spain for a long time now, is known for his radical designs; a craftsman of the first-degree. Pepo maintains an almost scientific approach to building motorcycles. And when we say build, we mean BUILD, as in, from the ground up. Pepo has a passion for racing too, so it comes as no surprise that most of his builds are race inspired, often replicas of real racing machines.

Replica
Everybody agrees that the Continental GT 650 isn’t the fastest or the sportiest bike out there. The handling is good, and the power is more than adequate. What we see here today looks completely different than that. The “Lilith” as Pepo has dubbed this build, looks like it just came off a race track in the 1970/80s. Probably a street track too! When you take a look at the extensive list of modifications below, it is clear that an incredible amount of work has been put into this. This isn’t a café racer; this IS a RACER!

Manual labour
Some of the mods that immediately stand out have to be the front fairing with the twin protruding headlights, just like the old racing bikes. The fuel tank with the quick-fueling system doesn’t only look mean, it has a function too. It is made out of fiberglass and is, obviously, hand-made. Neat feat is the fuel gauge “window” on the side, that allows for a quick visual on the fuel levels. There are loads of details that pop up the longer you look at the GT. Another example of Pepo’s skills is the unique racing solo/dual seat. Then there is that beautiful red paint finish. Nothing screams speed more than that bright red colour.

We really like the way this Continental GT has turned out, and would love to hear and see this one in real life. In the meantime, we will have to make do with the stunning pictures that were sent to us from Spain. Salud!

PICTURES by Belen Piqueras

Mods list:

• XTR glass fiber fuel tank with fuel level stripe
• ACC Endurance gas cap
• Modified subframe
• XTR Solo/Dual seat (XTR design)
• XTR upholstered seat
• XTR rear light
• XTR led turn signals
• XTR licence plate support
• YSS adjustable rear shocks
• Turbokit Megaphone mufflers
• Shortened exhaust lines
• CNC RIGA aluminium chain tensioner
• K-Speed foot-pegs and brackets
• 17″ aluminium rims
• DNA air filter
• DOMINO quick throttle
• XTR machined clip ons
• XTR machined bar-ends
• CNC RIGA aluminium CNC machined top yoke
• RR oil temperature gauge
• XTR front fairing and windshield
• XTR CNC machined adjustable brake and clutch levers
• BREMBO Gold front brake pump
• XTR endurance lights
• HIGHSIDE mirrors
• Modified front fender and support
• FULBAT LIPO battery
• ARTENRUTA painting

Builder details:
XTR Pepo
Website
Instagram
Facebook

The post Bombastic Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 “Lilith” by XTRPepo appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Sailing solo

First we take an Interceptor…
He started off his solo career veering away from all the Ducati’s and BMW’s he had been busy customizing in the last decade. Luckily for him Royal Enfield has created an ideal tableau to lay down his view on customizing motorcycles with the 650 Interceptor.

Since the launch early 2019 both the Interceptor as well as the Continental GT have become favourites among builders the world over. And rightfully so. Both models are perfect canvasses to get creative on. They are well built machines with a very strong retro reference. You will have to be totally talentless to create something that does not look good using the 650 platform as a base. Although the specs look modest, with only 48hp and weighing in at a 202kg wet, the 650 mill delivers its power smooth and hassle-free. The low center-of-gravity affects handling in a positive way, making it feel more powerful and lighter than it actually is.

For our English mate it was a local Royal Enfield dealer just down the road in Sheffield who supplied the bike Shaun used as his ‘épreuve d’artiste’.

View on the future
When we question the builder about his vision for this project he answers: “I wanted to show a different stance and style to what’s out there so went for the 16” wheels completely different bars hand controls and a wider set of trees to get the bigger wheel in there the rest is just how it ended up going.”

We probe on with a silly question about the inspiration for this build. He laughs out loud and with a wide grin he continues “Inspiration you say? After building over 150 bikes over the last 15 years I have plenty of inspiration now that I can do exactly as I want! But I could have done much more than this, if it were not for the budget restrictions I gave myself for this first endeavour.

So there will be much more from where this has been coming from. Don’t you worry about it.”

Help wanted?
There was no real need for outside help to finish the build. According to Shaun about 90 percent of the work was done by himself and it was just for some work on the wheels and the paint job some assistance from experts was required. The latter was provide by ‘Kustom Paint’. We strongly suggest visiting their page. There are some gorgeous examples of their work on display!

Doing it all in house meant quite some chores with the following set of changes:
• New bar and risers
• Internal wiring in bars and micro buttons
• Side panels
• Fat wheels
• aluminium mudguards
• YSS rear shocks
• YSS front fork internals
• Head light and brackets
• Motogadget bar end indicators
• Kellaman rear indicators with built in stop light and running light
• Sump guard
• Cogneto moto speedometer

Happy man?
“Are you happy with the results of your work during your first solitary shed confinement?” BikeBrewers continue the interrogation. “Absolutely!” Shaun reports. “It’s light looks tough and sounds awesome. From a riding point of view, it’s very good and crisp. It serves the rider with loads of fun man! Looking ahead, we are very happy with the build and are doing a range of parts for the Enfield hand made in our own workshop.”

Builder details:
Shaun Walker
Instagram
Facebook

The post Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 by Sold Out Motorcycles appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.