You searched for k100 - BikeBrewers.com https://bikebrewers.com/ Europe largest directory Cafe Racers, Scramblers, Bratstyles & other Custom Bikes. Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:38:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 Powerbrick https://bikebrewers.com/powerbrick/ https://bikebrewers.com/powerbrick/#respond Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:38:49 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=3820 Powerbrick, based in Schiedam, the Netherlands, is both a custom shop and a parts design and manufacture business. Besides building a couple of fully customised motorcycles a year, mostly BMW K-series so far - hence the name - Powerbrick produces and sells custom triple clamps, subframes, air-filter sets, headlight covers, tank caps, exhausts... All in all some 70 different parts, all designed in-house, and produced exclusively for Powerbrick.

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Timothy Somers is a relative newcomer on the motorcycle scene –  certainly compared to an oldtimer like me who got on a bike for the first  time in 1980… 

But he – and his company Powerbrick – have really started to make an  impression in this two- wheeled world, and certainly among aficionados of  the K-series BMW’s. That’s where the roots of the company are, the 80’s to  early 90’s K-bikes from BMW, with the big rectangular engine blocks  hanging under them – hence the name ‘Powerbrick’.  

Timothy started riding in 2018, got a motorcycle driving license and  bought a BMW K100 at a good price. This was at the same time as he quit  his job at his design agency, having worked on the design and  production of many different consumer goods.  

As the K-100’s styling was really not to his taste and he had the time, he  started customizing the bike in his shed almost right-away, designing and  then making the first specimen of the part himself. And put every stage of  the transformation on instagram, which pretty soon had a steady inflow of  followers, who then also started asking for him to sell them these parts he  had designed.  

Powerbrick – the company – was born. He started to have the parts  produced in larger quantities and selling them  though his insta page. As a professional designer, Timothy completely  develops his products on his computer in 3D-rendering. And these designs  can be sent right over to the factory to be moved into production!  

The parts-business actually flourished during the covid years. I guess as  lots of enthusiasts were stuck at home with a K-series bike in the shed, had the urge to make it perform and look better, had time to scour the Internet  for ideas, but then also the time to actually do something about it…

Most sales originate from Powerbrick’s Instagram presence, maybe a bit  via Facebook, but all without spending money on marketing! More  recently, Powerbrick started to promote the brand at motorcycle shows,  like the BMW Motorrad days in Berlin and the BikeShed MotoShow in  London this spring. 

As to be expected for an internet-era company, Powerbrick’s clientele is  truly international, with lots of orders from the United States and Australia,  and relatively few from its ‘home market’, the Netherlands. 

Over the past couple of years, more motorcycles were bought as a  development platform for his parts on one hand, and to show off the parts  that he is producing on the other. These motorcycles are then sold when  finished, making Powerbricks a custom shop on top of a parts design and  manufacture business.  

Last year (2022), Powerbrick realized two of such full custom conversions,  they are planning to do three this year and then keep on a steady but controlled growth path – 4 full conversions in 2024. Timothy wants to  keep full control of his customs, building them in accordance with the Powerbrick style and not limited by demanding customers. The Powerbrick set-up in Schiedam, in the Netherlands, reflects this very well: a spartan but well-equipped workshop – come office and warehouse – in a soon-to-be-torn-down industrial space, and just  Timothy and Sasza, his trusted sidekick, doing all the work…  

Powerbrick produces and sells custom triple clamps, subframes, air-filter sets,  headlight covers, tank caps, exhausts… All in all some 70 different parts,  all designed in-house, and produced exclusively for Powerbrick. Mostly for BMW’s K-series, but more recently they are expanding to the R-series  as well.  

And, right now, Powerbrick stands at the beginning of an exciting new  adventure, taking on Harley Davidsons. For the Amsterdam/Rotterdam HD  Dealer, Powerbrick is starting to convert 3 brand- new Harleys; a Sportster,  an adventure-touring model, but also an electric bike , the LiveWire. We  are excited to see what those bikes are going to look like!

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RTR Electric motorcycles – Startup presents scrambler with classic looks https://bikebrewers.com/rtr-electric-motorcycles-startup-presents-scrambler-with-classic-looks/ https://bikebrewers.com/rtr-electric-motorcycles-startup-presents-scrambler-with-classic-looks/#respond Tue, 11 Apr 2023 15:49:29 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=3616 ‘Retrorides By Lourenço’, who have a 30-year history of designing and building award-winning custom motorcycles, have decided to follow their desire to play their part in creating a cleaner and smarter future for humanity, and founded RTR Electric motorcycles. Their first model, the 799e, is an electric scrambler targeted at urban use. Its design is inspired by the iconic Scramblers of the 1970s - and it looks the part!

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The motorcycle industry, at least on the combustion engine side, has not seen a lot of new brands come to life the past few decades. Yes, we did witness the successful resurrection of famous brands from the past, like Indian and Royal Enfield, who are developing and pushing out impressive ranges of truly great motorcycles. But we haven’t seen many new brands of combustion engine motorcycles lately.

However, the birth and subsequent rise of electric motorcycles has resulted in a whole slew of new manufacturers. Zero was an early starter in 2006, and especially in the last few years quite a few new entrants, like Energica and Cake, have emerged.

But for the motorbike enthusiast with a fondness of classic styling – like myself, I have to admit – many of these motorbikes just don’t look right… Mainly due to the necessity of big battery racks I guess, but it seems quite a few new builds either go for sportsbike-like fairings which hide these batteries (like Energica), or for quite radical new styling accentuating the difference with combustion engine bikes (Cake or Sondors). And the ones who take their styling cues more from ‘regular’  motorcycles, look, at least in this author’s admittedly biased opinion, clunky at best…

There are exceptions of course, like RGNT Motorcycles from Sweden, and now there is a promising new brand out of Brazil just starting up, called RTR Electric motorcycles!

Because what better base for a real commitment to classic lines than founders who share a 30-year history of designing and building award-winning custom motorcycles under the label ‘Retrorides By Lourenço’. You may know them from their book “The CafeRacer Bible”, a great “How to build” resource, and from their sublime proprietary suspension for the BMW K100…

So now, following their desire to play their part in creating a cleaner and smarter future for humanity, they founded RTR Electric motorcycles.

Their first model, the 799e, is an electric scrambler targeted at urban use. Its design is inspired by the iconic Scramblers of the 1970s – and it looks the part!

Pre-production exemplars are undergoing the homologation process in Brazil now, production of the RTR 799e is scheduled to start December 2023. They plan to start selling these bikes in Brazil, the United States and in Europe to begin with.

RTR are determined to preserve their custom DNA, their reputation for delivering great motorcycles, and their spirit of “handcrafted by hand”. 

They aim to accomplish this by offering full customization options on the website as part of the purchase process, by using the best high-quality parts and by completely hand-assembling the RTR 799e in Brazil…

On the website, customers will for instance be able to choose the colors, the type of seat, the type of tires, the type of front fenders, the type of headlight, to use side plates or not – making each motorcycle unique. 

High quality also means that these motorcycles are built with noble materials that do not harm the environment, and are built to last while also designed to be upgradable.  A really neat detail is that where gas would be stored before, the 799e has a 7-liter glove compartment to store your stuff!

While the 799e’s range is not stellar today at 120 km with a full battery, RTR are partnering with major battery developers to significantly increase this autonomy. You can charge it by just plugging into a regular 110/220V outlet.

Top speed of 127km/h is certainly acceptable for its intended mostly urban use. And the ‘kick’, as with all electric motorcycles, is the instantaneous torque thanks to the electric motor delivering “everything” at once, which propels you like a bat out of hell as soon as you twist the throttle!

So all in all RTR are well underway on this exciting journey. Driven by passion as they are, they still want to achieve their goals faster and more efficiently, so they are currently selecting investors to help them. But help them in a way that allows them to stay true to their starting points: Really change the way people get around, by providing a cleaner and more sustainable electric alternative, but also to construct these beautiful motorcycles in their native country of Brazil! 

www.rtrmotorcycles.com

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BMW K100 Scrambler by Moto Rebuild https://bikebrewers.com/bmw-k100-scrambler-by-moto-rebuild/ https://bikebrewers.com/bmw-k100-scrambler-by-moto-rebuild/#respond Thu, 15 Sep 2022 14:37:46 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=3276 A Different Kind of Build The 30-year-old Maarten Bressers has amazed us before with some beautiful custom BMW motorcycles. Although his preference usually went to boxer twins, the man behind Moto Rebuild decided to take a walk on the wild side, and to venture into the world of BMW inline engine motorcycles Realistically, we have [...]

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A Different Kind of Build
The 30-year-old Maarten Bressers has amazed us before with some beautiful custom BMW motorcycles. Although his preference usually went to boxer twins, the man behind Moto Rebuild decided to take a walk on the wild side, and to venture into the world of BMW inline engine motorcycles

Realistically, we have seen countless of gorgeous builds that were based around the R-series Bavarian pride. A K-series BMW however, is something completely different. When you think about it, where the R-series were meant as no-nonsense motorcycles, using the simplest of technologies, the K-series was nothing short of high tech when it first came out. No round, organic shapes on the K-series, but hard straight lines and a boxy design.

Fallen like a Brick
So why a K-series then? Maarten and his father, who is his partner in crime at Moto Rebuild, wanted to do something different this time. Were a boxer engine BMW allows for easy work, the K-series bikes require a lot more thorough thinking. Modifying a K75 or K100 and making it look balanced is not an easy job. But when Maarten saw a modified K100 on Instagram, the seed was planted and he wanted to have a go at one for himself.


Once the craftsman had made up his mind, a BMW K100 from 1987 was quickly sourced. He didn’t know exactly what the end result was going to look like, but he knew that the strength of this particular model lays in its angular design, so a robust front was a must. The biggest challenge was going to be to get the rear subframe to look nice and to allow the lines of the fuel tank to match with his design.

Community United
Maarten made a number of molds to create a custom set of fairings for his K100 project. We know firsthand that he regularly asked his followers on Instagram for their opinion. In a way, this has helped him to shape his project into what it is now. One could argue that this has been a collaboration between Moto Rebuild and his followers, which makes it quite unique!

Premium Parts
At the front we see a custom set of triple clamps, with LSL mirrors and a KOSO speedometer. The wide handlebar is also courtesy of LSL, as are the indicators and rear taillight. The side panels of the fuel tank are custom made by Maarten himself. The same goes for the custom subframe that now has a seat-pan from Cafe4Racer and a custom-made seat from Miller Kustom Upholstery. The LED headlight and handlebar grips are from the catalogue of Max Inc. A unique mounting system is used at the rear, which allows the shock absorber to sit almost horizontal, clearing the view to that beautiful rear wheel. The rear shock is from YSS, and ensures proper traction, as do the Michelin Anakee dual-sport tires.

When you look closely, you will see that this BMW has a ton of small details, like the 3D printed injection cover, ignition cover, and even rear wheel hub, courtesy of Motoism Custom and Raw Metal Racers. If you look closely you will spot built-in indicators on the front fork cover, built to spec by Motoism. All of this combined with the matt red/orange color, we think this is one of the best looking custom K100 we have seen passing the revue here on BikeBrewers. What sets this build apart from all other K100’s is that this scrambler looks very sporty, almost aggressive. Although a boxer twin has more “character” to its rumble, the K100 shines in smoothness.

FOR SALE!
And if you’re thinking “Hey this bike looks amazing, I want to own it!” then you’re in for a treat! Moto Rebuild is selling this BMW as well as another custom BMW R80. Send Maarten a DM on Instagram for more details.

Photo Credits: Maarten Bressers

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Suzuki Bandit Brat – Blackout Custom Design https://bikebrewers.com/suzuki-bandit-brat-blackout-custom-design/ https://bikebrewers.com/suzuki-bandit-brat-blackout-custom-design/#respond Wed, 16 Feb 2022 06:03:10 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=1972 From the Czech Republic with love We told you to remember his name back in November! At the time we published a post on his BMW K100RT and warned you that Marcel Galuszka would be back with more. Well, here he is. In just a couple of months he has yet again created a very [...]

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From the Czech Republic with love
We told you to remember his name back in November!
At the time we published a post on his BMW K100RT and warned you that Marcel Galuszka would be back with more.
Well, here he is. In just a couple of months he has yet again created a very nice piece of machinery.

Suzuki GSF600 Brat BCD
Marcel gave us a call last week to announce that he would be sending us material on his latest build. He told us: “I named this motorcycle Brat Cafe, but the final form deviated a bit from the original idea and it’s more of a Brat Tracker. But you know what, the boxing is not so important, the final decision of the owner was important here, so in the end the handlebars in the style of cafe racer exchanged for more comfortable heights, which allow for a smoother ride.”

Continuing: “This is a 2002 Suzuki GSF600 Bandit, which the proprietor had left outside for a couple of years, covered up but still left to battle all kinds of weather. It was very clear that the bike had been struggling to survive many seasons of rain, snow and trying not to melt when the sun was burning mercilessly. Your can say it really scarred the Suzuki.”

Worst case scenario
As you might have suspected our courageous Czech was challenged beyond his worst nightmare when he set out to rescue the Suzuki.
The motorcycle had really suffered from the lack of TLC. The tank was perforated on the left side and it was repaired very poorly. The frame was beaten on the same side also, crooked, which resulted in work on the motorcycle lasting way longer than anticipated. Unfortunately for the owner it began to affect the investment that he was ready to make to keep it at a reasonable level without having to face the wrath of his wife.

‘Make me a café please’
When work began Marcel had no idea about the condition of the bike. The owner bought this motorcycle as his first ride with the intent to learn to ride properly.
Once he had the hang of it and he had been riding the bike for years and left it outside as described, he thought it to be a good idea to convert to the Suzuki into a caféracer. When he briefed the builder he actually wanted just minor modifications to do the trick. On his wish list was the overall caféracer look, but still have room for a pillion passenger.

From caféracer to brat
Once the work began and the concept turned into a real bike, thoughts and ideas began to shift. And so from the classic concept of caféracer, concessions gradually emerged to this final form. It had become quite a bit of a struggle for Marcel. Apart from not being very please with the state that this bike was in to begin with, he commented: “It should also be mentioned here that this Bandit is not exactly a great donor for the transformation to a cafe racer! I have grown some extra grey hairs during work on this project hahaha!”

From tank to bottom
The whole tank is completely overhauled and painted with beautifully pearl paint. The frame is completely repaired and entire rear part is redesigned to accommodate two passengers. It is sandblasted and powder-coated to stand the test of time and weather.

LED light in front, miniature Kellerman lights in the rear combining rear light and brake, but it also comes with integrated turn signals.


Nice little touches are:
– Motogadget MO.Blaze Disc turn signals in the handlebars
– Motogadget grips
– Motogadget Tiny speedometer
– Custom seat
– All electricity hidden in the space under the seat.

In short, everything that needed to be mended and taken care of was done and some nice modifications were added.
The result is a city motorcycle, which should be fun to take out on longer rides.
When compared to its original state it looks diametrically different and is very pleasing to the eye.

Says the builder: ‘Most important of all, the owner is satisfied and is riding around town with a big smile on his face. (The opening picture of this post is featuring Marcel Galuszka, not the owner – ed.) What else can I say? I’m very excited about the way the Suzuki turned out and I like it a lot!”

Builder details:
Builder: Blackout Custom Design
email: blackout@blackoutcustom.cz
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
YouTube


Above: the Suzuki GSF 600 Bandit before and after

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BMW K100RT Cafe Racer by Blackout Custom Design https://bikebrewers.com/bmw-k100rt-cafe-racer-by-blackout-custom-design/ https://bikebrewers.com/bmw-k100rt-cafe-racer-by-blackout-custom-design/#respond Tue, 23 Nov 2021 09:03:31 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=1957 Blackout Custom Design Somewhere in the small town of Karvina in the Czech Republic, that’s in Central Europe, is a garage which was found only a few years ago. It’s called ‘Blackout Custom Design’ and it is run by a man named Marcel Galuszka. We would like you to remember that name, because he is [...]

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Blackout Custom Design
Somewhere in the small town of Karvina in the Czech Republic, that’s in Central Europe, is a garage which was found only a few years ago. It’s called ‘Blackout Custom Design’ and it is run by a man named Marcel Galuszka. We would like you to remember that name, because he is about to send waves in the café racer building scene. Like most builders, Marcel comes from humble beginnings. What started out as a hobby with the build of a 1979 Suzuki GS550E Café Racer, turned into a full-fledge motorcycle custom operation.

The Flying Brick
We’ve been noticing a strong trend in the past year or so, a revival if you will, of café racers that are built around BMW K-series motorcycles, a.k.a. the flying brick There is a reason for that. They can be sourced cheaply to begin with, since they were sold by the bundles from 1982 till 1996 (K75 and K100). They also have a reputation of being bulletproof. And to be honest, they weren’t really good-looking bikes to begin with, so a little make-over can improve the aesthetic appeal. We have to say that it isn’t the easiest bike to turn into a smashing café racer, still there are quite a few builders out there that manage to amaze us.

Classic meets Modern
This 1985 BMW K100RT turned Café Racer is a fine specimen of what is possible with the right vision and skills. This bike was rebuilt from the ground up, which meant that no bolt was left unturned. The frame was chopped and coated with a fresh layer of paint. On the newly built subframe sits a custom leather seat with a classic café racer hump. Marcel created a see-through frame by getting rid of any excess wiring and moving the battery lower into the frame. Kellerman Bullet indicators also serve a tail- and brake-lights, they fit the bike nicely. A custom license plate bracket was also made to keep the BMW road-legal.

Technology
Moving to the front and we spot a Motogadget speedo (Motoscope Pro). However, when we look more closely, we see that Motogadget has provided a lot more than just the speedo such as the front indicators, handlebar grips, switches, and even the controller for all the electrics (m.unit blue). It goes without saying that all the wiring is new too. At the front we have a large round LED headlight with a matt black finish. The bar-end mirrors are a nice touch and add some flair to this BMW.

Subtle
The engine stayed mostly stock with the exception of a rebuild and some fresh paint. The exhaust got chopped and fitted with a small lightweight free-flow unit. The headers received thermal wrapping for the café racer looks. What’s interesting is to see that the footrests have been moved slightly forward to expose the beautiful rear wheel which is suspended in a single swingarm. The modified geometry makes the riding more comfortable too.

More to come…
We absolutely love the color of this bike. The deep dark blue color is so classy and fitting to this bike, we find it hard to imagine how this café racer would look like in any other color. Combined with some really tasty details, such as the custom BMW logo that can be found all over the bike, it truly is a sexy café racer. This build by BCD has the right mix between modern and classic, and it sets an example on how simplicity is often the best way to go. We can’t wait to see what the future will bring, but we are 100% convinced that it will be amazing again.

Photo credits: Nikolas Stergiadis

Builder details:
Blackout Custom Design
Website
Instagram
Facebook

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Top 10 BikeBrewers Café Racers Hall of Fame: Part 1 https://bikebrewers.com/top-10-bikebrewers-cafe-racers-hall-of-fame-part-1/ https://bikebrewers.com/top-10-bikebrewers-cafe-racers-hall-of-fame-part-1/#respond Tue, 15 Jun 2021 19:00:27 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=1929 No introduction needed. It is time again for a Top 10 list, and this time we've decided to split it up into 2 instalments. Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to present to you, the totally arbitrary, BikeBrewers Top 10 Cafe Racers Hall of Fame: Part 1! 1. BMW R nineT Café Racer by K-Speed [...]

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No introduction needed. It is time again for a Top 10 list, and this time we’ve decided to split it up into 2 instalments. Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to present to you, the totally arbitrary, BikeBrewers Top 10 Cafe Racers Hall of Fame: Part 1!

1. BMW R nineT Café Racer by K-Speed
In 2018 K-Speed broke the internet with their incredibly elegant yet mean looking BMW R nineT Café Racer. It is safe to say that since then the Thailand based outfit K-Speed has grown out to be one of the industry top-tier bike builders.

The BMW R nineT is one of those machines that can be put under the famous words “Veni, Vidi, Vici”. Right from the introduction back in 2014, it was clear that BMW aimed at a big piece of the retro bike scene as we know it today. Next to an impressive catalog of custom parts, big brands started created complete lines of parts, especially for the R nineT. And BMW bootstrapped different editions of the Beemer, like the Racer and Scrambler. Nevertheless, I think we’ll be stuck to this popular boxer the next couple of years (probably decades). But is that a problem? Of course not! It’s a very good bike and I love to see them getting customized.

2. BMW K100 Cafe Racer by Retrorides
Another oldie but goldie: a BMW K100 Café Racer by Retrorides. With this bike, the Brazilian brothers Gustavo and Rodrigo Lourenço showed what they are capable of and that they were able to redefine the standards for building cafe racer, still the #1 bike for cafe racer projects. With so many unique creations it’s hard to stand out, but the K100 simply hit a sweet spot. While Gustavo and Rodrigo have a long-time history in building hot rods, they sure know how to make something special out of a two-wheeled machine.

3. YAMAHA TRX850 Café Racer by Seb Hipperson
It was no secret that the Yamaha TRX850 was meant as a direct competitor of the Ducati 900SS. Just like the Duc, the TRX850 had a 2 cylinder engine in a tube frame, a sporty riding position and a bikini fairing. The most exciting about the TRX was its engine. It was based on the Yamaha TDM850 and had 5 valves per cylinder (3 in and 2 out) but the TRX was the first production motorcycle with a 270°  crank (or 90° if you prefer) with the so called “crossplane” technology. With this the parallel twin produced sound and feeling of a V-twin. A technology Yamaha also used for the Yamaha XSR700 which results in a great power band. The 80hp and 85Nm are available at very low RPM’s.

Unlike the 900SS, the TRX was not a big sales hit, but amongst motorcycle lovers the bike is called one of the “best kept secrets” and a “forgotten gem”. Bespoke furniture maker Seb Hipperson from Londen had that same love for the TRX and decided to build his own TRX850 Cafe Racer. Watch and enjoy! The bike was showed to the public at the Bike Shed London back in 2015.

4. Honda CB250 Café Racer by Black Bean Motorcycles
The Honda CB is and always will be a great base bike for a café racer. Especially the 4 cylinder bikes with the CB750 and CB550 being dominant. Pretty obvious, since these were real sales canons in the 70s, 80s and even 90s. But Honda also produced CB’s with a parallel twin cylinder like the CB500(t), CB400 and CB360. The small Honda CB250G, which you see below, was mainly produced for the European market and is only produced between 1974 and 1976. This little machine puts out 30hp and had a six-speed gearbox, which was pretty odd those days. Honda claimed it to be “one of the finest sport-touring motorcycles available”. 

The Honda CB250 Cafe Racer you see here is built by Blackbean Motorcycles, a German workshop in the heart of Munich.

5. Moto Guzzi California Café Racer by Radical Guzzi
Born on the drawing table of Sylvain Berneron, better known as the Holographic Hammer and executed by Radical Guzzi from Germany: a real muscle bike café racer based on the extremely bulky Moto Guzzi California 1400 8v.The plan was to create a high torque café racer, so the idea was to use the massive 1400cc engine of the California. But to lose the bulky character, they had to strip down the weight of this machine, which originally is 322kg (dry). They’ve managed to reduce that fat to 195kg! A lot of high end parts and custom parts where uses like: seat and frame, wheel hubs, triple clamps for the 58mm Marzocchi front suspension, Brembo brakes, Öhlins rear shocks, custom exhaust etc. The standard power outpot and torque of 96hp and 120Nm were tuned to 105hp and 138Nm, thanks to Keihin FCR 41 carbs and custom exhaust system.

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Smooth Sailing – K100RT by Joel Rosado https://bikebrewers.com/smooth-sailing-k100rt-by-joel-rosado/ https://bikebrewers.com/smooth-sailing-k100rt-by-joel-rosado/#respond Tue, 25 May 2021 03:00:43 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=1926 Not your average army green We have had a number of army men building bikes in the past. Last year we had Chris Roffey who brought us his Yamaha XJR 1300 as well as Daniel Martin and his Honda CB500T. Both servicemen are from the United Kingdom and built bikes had an army look ‘roughness’ [...]

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Not your average army green
We have had a number of army men building bikes in the past. Last year we had Chris Roffey who brought us his Yamaha XJR 1300 as well as Daniel Martin and his Honda CB500T. Both servicemen are from the United Kingdom and built bikes had an army look ‘roughness’ to them.

The 1985 BMW K100RT that Joel Rosado is presenting us with has much more smoothness to it. Joel has an education in industrial chemistry and works in the US Air Force Satellite Communications division.
With the builder being born in Cayey, Puerto Rico we understand why this bike has a more silky smooth touch to it, rather than the ‘battle ready’ machines from his colleagues at the other side of the Atlantic.


A new home
The donor vehicle (picture below story) was found online in Sandisfield Massachusetts and changed ownership for $ 3.200. Over the course of the project another $ 3.000 was spend to come to the result we present you with in this article.
The bike was completely disassembled the first day arrived at Joel’s home in Puerto Rico. Without a test ride or engine pre-check our man just started off building it into a café racer. Every component from the motorcycle was disassembled, even to its most simple part, brass brushed, sand blasted, polished, painted or powder coated.
All broken parts were replaced with genuine ones, “failure is not an option in this project” Joel says.

Stimulus
His inspiration for the built came from Trevor ‘Ditstang’ Ditson whom Joel had been following on Instagram. With the bikes of this fellow builder in mind, the protagonist of this story lighted his blowtorch and started operating on the donor vehicle. Nice detail in this story is the help and advice Trevor provided any time Joel came across issues he could not resolve on his own. That’s what shed building should be all about; helping each other out in creating magnificent projects.

When we talk to Joel he explains: “I have always been looking for something new and unique to create I started searching what café racers really are all about. Digging on Instagram I spent hours every day to find which one of all different styles fills my expectations.
After all this research I found the astonishing BMW K100 “The Flying Brick” built by Ditstang. The first time that I saw it I got this I got this weird itch. I knew that I just wanted to uild that bike right away.
So I contacted him and right from the start of the build he has always been there to help me with this project. It is something that I never going to take full credit for it because this is for a large part his creation too.”

Changes
The rear suspension came from a 2005 Yamaha R1. Its length gives the BMW the damping our builder was looking for to satisfy his personal craving. For the front end he stayed a bit closer to the birthplace of the bike, as the forks of a 2014 BMW S1000R are now leading the way and give the bike an amazing handling.
Our Puerto Rican friend is especially proud of the personal touch he added by figuring our how to fit the original wheel into the S1000R forks. A custom axle and rotors spacers had to be fabricated in order to complete this task.

Puerto Rico being an island, there is water all around you. Blue is a dominating colour whenever you are at the outer edge. The magnificent blue tone of the BMW pays homage to the place it was given a second life. ‘Santorini blue’ not only matches the surrounding sea, but the golden forks as well.

Three times a charm
With every build there is always that special moment when you fill up the gas tank and press the starter button. You can only hope everything you thought of works as intended. We firmly believe that this is probably the most magical moment any builder can think of.

It took three pushes on the button to make this baby blue bike growl to life. As it did a broad smile appeared on Joel’s face which only got broader when he climbed onboard for the first ride.
That is very likely to be the second most magical moment after finishing a project. Riding your bike and finding out how it handles in real life. Joel describes his experience as follows: “Riding this bike is stunning! It feels like a racing car with sport suspension bouncing up and down. Exactly as I had envisioned it.”

The K100RT as it arrived from Massachusetts

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MZ Scorpion by Mario Deuse https://bikebrewers.com/mz-skorpion/ https://bikebrewers.com/mz-skorpion/#respond Fri, 16 Nov 2018 09:16:03 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=1819 Cool submission from Mario Deusen from Germany of a rare custom built MZ Skorpion. Words by Mario: I screw on motorcycles as long as I can remember. First the moped Simson S51 then the MZ ES250 / 2 with sidecar from my father. It continued with an AWO 425 (Bikers News April edition 1992), followed [...]

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Cool submission from Mario Deusen from Germany of a rare custom built MZ Skorpion. Words by Mario:

I screw on motorcycles as long as I can remember. First the moped Simson S51 then the MZ ES250 / 2 with sidecar from my father. It continued with an AWO 425 (Bikers News April edition 1992), followed by an Yamaha XS650, followed by a 1972 Triumph Tiger (2nd place Custombike Reader’s Choice 2006) and a 1984 BMW K100.

I was born and grown up in East Germany and MZ was always part of people’s life.
When I saw the MZ Scorpion of Jeff Lamb from Australia, it had happened to me and I thought, there was something. I remembered the MZ as an outstanding motorbike. Without further ado and with a heavy heart I sold the triumph to fill up the conversion fund. I did not ride with it for ages and having a renovation project was more important to me in the end.

What was done:

  • Frame, rims, fork tubes, rear frame and swingarm are powder coated,
  • The tank came from a Suzuki RGV125 Gamma (I burned some bigger holes when I tried to fix the new brackets, then had the tank welded by a pro. I decided to do a coating inside for safety, which was not planned).
  • Fuel tap is from a Yamaha FZR.
  • Oil tank is completely new made of aluminium sheet metal, bended and welded
  • Side covers on the oil tank carry my “start number” from the last century.
  • The rear fenders at the rear frame are designed with CAD-Onshape and CNC milled. I can recommend Onshape as an intuitive free CAD software that´s easy to use. In the beginning they were planned as stand-alone rear fenders but the TÜV refused and requested a separate steel rear frame. So the fenders act as covers now. Rear frame is newly built from the parts of the original rear frame.
  • Seat is completely new with a cover of Alcantara. The gold and green stitching should pick up the stripes from the tank and continue.
  • Electric is completely new with m-unit by Motogadget and a super small LiPo battery in a welded aluminum box under the tank.
  • Footpeg mounts and switch armatures on the handlebar were designed in CAD with Onshape. I´m doing CAD every day at work so it´s not an issue. A local manufacturing company then CNC-milled them. The surface finisher around the corner did the anodizing.
  • Footpegs are from Tarozzi.
  • Tank and the front fender are painted in traffic white RAL9016.
  • Front fender is made of two front origin MZ front fenders using only the front side of them. The strip was printed by an advertising company and glued onto. Then everything was covered with clear coat. The stripes are in the MZ colors gold, gray and green to continue the great history of MZ a little bit.
    The tank carries on the sides the later MZ logo without the small “u”. (artistic freedom)
  • In the new airbox is covering a K & N filter due to the loudness restrictions in Germany.
  • I made the cladding for the ellipsoid headlamp out of a universal aluminium fender and crimped the hole in the middle with hammer and wood.
  • Speedometer is from Acewell with I supose one million functions. Cool!
  • Muffler comes from GRP Italy. I hve had a lot of trouble getting the muffler quiet to fulfill the legal demands here in germany but getting an approval for the bike is more important at the moment.
    Throttle grip is from Domino from Italy.
  • Turn signals at the front are “Kellermann” and rear ones are “Highsider” acting as a taillight / brake light / turn signal combination.
  • Handlebar stems are from LSL
  • …..a lot more!

I cannot get all the small stuff on the screen, but I think it’s enough. The bike weigh is roadworthy (full tank!) 165kg. This is very noticeable in comparison to the dry weight of 173kg in original condition. The thing is a real curve finder. With other wheels are again 6kg in it, but now it is enough first. I have to take more time for my wife and children again. They endured it long enough that I spent almost a year in the garage for hours.

 

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BMW K100RS by Motochef https://bikebrewers.com/bmw-k100rs-by-motochef/ https://bikebrewers.com/bmw-k100rs-by-motochef/#comments Tue, 12 Jun 2018 06:26:09 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=1794 I don't have to explain that the BMW K-series quickly became adopted as one of the most popular base bikes for cafe racer projects. We see a lot of builders, both pro's and shed builders take their K's up to speed. In fact, one of the most popular bikes last year was this K100 by [...]

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BMW K100RS Cafe Racer

I don’t have to explain that the BMW K-series quickly became adopted as one of the most popular base bikes for cafe racer projects. We see a lot of builders, both pro’s and shed builders take their K’s up to speed. In fact, one of the most popular bikes last year was this K100 by Retrorides. It melted down our servers here…! Today I got another cool Flying Brick cafe racer in my mailbox. This one is built by Motochef from Sweden and is based on a K100RS. This machine is literally stuffed with high-end parts and for most aftermarket parts they’ve shopped at Caferacerwebshop.

The powerful 1000cc has been modded with a custom DNA Filter air filter and custom made intake chamber. The machine runs on full Motogadget M-Unit blue electrical wiring system controllable via Bluetooth on your mobile phone. The Motogadget Motoscope Pro decorates the instrument panel with its many available options like 0-100km/h acceleration and so on. The paint job was made by a professional in its industry TJ studio with a gas tank cap from Italian manufacturer Studiofibre Handmade.

The bike is road legal and TUV ready with its original exhaust being customized to blow from the side of the custom hand-made footpegs and gear levers.
Front suspension was fitted from a GSXR1000 with its rotor discs and brake calipers and the rear shock on the mono-swing arm is the high-end fully adjustable model from Ohlins!
Brembo front brake pump and rear Brembo caliper.

New Avon tires, Highsider front and rear lights, custom-made number plate holder, and many other hand-made details will leave you impressed with the attention to details of the build. The bike has been fully disassembled and powder coated, renewed and restored.

Follow Motochef on Instagram

Photo’s by Evaldas Virket

BMW K100RS Cafe Racer 2 BMW K100RS Cafe Racer 3 BMW K100RS Cafe Racer 4 BMW K100RS Cafe Racer 5 BMW K100RS Cafe Racer 6 BMW K100RS Cafe Racer 7 BMW K100RS Cafe Racer 8 BMW K100RS Cafe Racer 9

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BMW K75 Cafe Racer by Tom Racing Designs https://bikebrewers.com/bmw-k75-cafe-racer-by-tom-racing-designs/ https://bikebrewers.com/bmw-k75-cafe-racer-by-tom-racing-designs/#respond Tue, 29 May 2018 09:27:51 +0000 https://bikebrewers.com/?p=1789 Where the classic airheads are a very popular base bike for building a BMW cafe racer, the search for a used bike became more difficult every day. Prices have risen to astronomical heights so builders with a tight budget had to look for other base bikes. A logic step was to look for the BMW [...]

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BMW K75 Cafe Racer (2)

Where the classic airheads are a very popular base bike for building a BMW cafe racer, the search for a used bike became more difficult every day. Prices have risen to astronomical heights so builders with a tight budget had to look for other base bikes. A logic step was to look for the BMW K-series. Maybe not as charismatic as the R-series, it’s still a BMW, which means reliability, comfort, rideability and easy to work on. The bike you see here is built by Tom Racing Designs. And if you’ve never heard of it, that can be right: it’s Tom’s first build. We’ve pitched six question:

Why did you build this bike?
I always loved cafe racers and building things, I love DIY in general and always want to do things by myself when possible rather than buying things. Loving motorcycle and that kind of bikes, I wanted to build one of my own, something unique.

BMW K75 Cafe Racer (10)

Why did you pick this base bike and where does it come from?
I chose the BMW K75 because I loved its engine and massive fuel tank. The engines of the BMW K series were pretty uncommon in their configuration: a flat 3 (for the K75, or 4 for the K100) with the crankcase and cam cover on the sides, I just love the look of those massive covers with the BMW logo and found this engine unique and beautiful, plus its 3 cylinders sounds awesome. The fuel tank also looks really good, it’s huge and fit perfectly the lines of a cafe racer in my opinion.

The bike I got came from Germany and was imported in France by its second owner, a third one then bought the bike a few years ago and I bought it from him in the suburbs around Paris. The bike was running fine although it needed some care with many corroded parts and some oil leaks.

BMW K75 Cafe Racer (9)BMW K75 Cafe Racer (3)

What was your idea or vision?
I wanted to put all the attention on the engine, especially on those crankcase and camshaft covers, so the rest of the bike had to be pretty light, so I went with a slim cafe racer/flat tracker seat painted in the same color as the tank. I also chose the clip on bars to keep everything not too high.

The K75 RT is a very, very heavy bike so the goal was also to make it lighter, so it’s easier to ride and to put on its central stand haha

Any interesting challenges?
Well the biggest challenge for me is that I do not have any sort of garage or workshop… nor access to electricity (so no power tools). All I have is a parking spot in my basement so I had to figure out ways to build this bike with very basic tools (a hacksaw to cut the frame for example). I also had to choose ways to install thing that did not need any welding, or angle grinders, etc.
Thing is, I recorded the entire transformation process with my GoPro to make a timelapse, you can watch the whole build process here to have an idea:

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUmLLVutpg0″ width=”740″]

Did you got help from others or did you outsource any work?
Nope, not really, I did everything myself, I just asked a guy from Canada to build an Arduino module (like a BEP) in order for my speedometer to work properly so he made it send it to me and I installed everything.

BMW K75 Cafe Racer (10) BMW K75 Cafe Racer (4)

What modifications are made and what parts are used?
The main modifications I made (and not general maintenance or paint job), were the flat tracker style seat, the new exhaust system, clip-on bars installed above the triple clamps as I lowered the front forks, a new small digital speedometer, homemade aluminium side panels, homemade aluminium front mudguard, new headlight, etc. Obviously, I also got rid of all the fairings and luggage and I’ve repainted the wheels and engine in black.

And most important: how does it ride?
It rides like a charm! It sounds awesome, has plenty of power and is now much lighter than the original bike! What I love about this bike is that every biker loves it, no matter if they ride a sportbike, a chopper, a naked bike, etc… they all stop to have a look at this bike! I also have many people on sidewalks asking me to stop to look at it :)

Moreover, this bike was my very first build and it made me want to keep going so I already made 2 other bikes and I’m still working on some :)

BMW K75 Cafe Racer (5)

 

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