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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

Builder details:
UNIKAT Motorworks
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Regular guests
It may look as if UNIKAT have a subscription on our platform. Nothing of the sort, but the Polish team just keeps on churning out pure art that we simply cannot ingnore.
This time it is a 2001 Moto Guzzi California 1100, which was transformed from a nice bike to a ‘living room worthy’ object of desire.

Take apart and rebuild
The motorcycle has been completely restored and rebuilt, with nothing more than the wheels, the beautiful engine and part of the frame remaining from the original design. According to our Eastern European friends “such a dramatic rebuild requires a massive amount of time and UNIQUE skills”. We second that motion, after all ‘UNIKAT’ is Polish for unique and you have to live up to that promise.

Director’s chair
The owner, Pawel, was very much involved in the project. It is not very often that BikeBrewers get such elaborate insights from the clients themselves. Here’s what he has to say: “My adventure with motorcycles began when my grandfather gave me a light green mini motorbike. It was a life-turning moment for me and something that made me feel special. Already then, I was very much drawn to personalize this small moped, of course everything was done using whatever materials were available to me, so I applied stickers, wraps, painted lettering on the tires, trimmed the fenders.

In the following years the passion developed with more motorcycles, i.e., Simson, Yamaha and Honda the crowning moment of which being when I finally parked a Harley Davidson in my garage.

For a few years I’ve been watching how motorcycles are customized all over the world, and already then, I knew that I would like to build such a motorcycle, but the possibilities and number of available places in Poland were limited. I could not make up my mind, and I wanted this project to be unique, stunning design-wise but also in terms of technical solutions. I wanted it to be professionally executed by a team of professionals.

I once read that there is a place in Wrocław that is quickly gaining recognition because of the projects it puts out of its garage.
When I arrived at their doorstep, I met the team, Grzegorz, Michał and I knew that this is a place full of passion, professionalism — and this is how we’ll build a brilliant project.”

Teamwork
The modifications were done under the watchful eyes of Tomasz (mechanic) and Grzegorz (designer) with the bike’s charismatic owner Paweł in his Director’s Chair.

Grzegorz: “In order to achieve the perfect look and beautiful lines of the café racer, we completely changed the geometry and design of the original frame. This required us to shorten the front suspension and use new rear shocks from Bitubo, for which we made new mounts. To complete the look, two fairings (front and rear) were made from scratch by our mate Tomasz.”

Continuing: “The use of a new accessory fuel tank was also linked to the modification of the frame by making new mounts. Since this Moto Guzzi model features a fuel injection system, we had to use an external pressure regulator and redo the whole fuel system.”
As the team were using a custom pressure regulator as mentioned above, they were able to modify the intake and exhaust system. The factory air-box was ditched in favor of a pair of K&N performance cone fitters. Out went the original exhaust to make room for minimalist slash cut tail pipes, which combined with the Guzzi V-twin, produce a unique sound!

Café racer in true style
As befits a true flesh-and-blood café racer, clip-on handlebars were mounted. These new handlebars, along with the changed frame geometry forced the Polish outfit to relocate the rider’s footpegs. As the original ones were completely unusable, a decision was made to use a set from a sports bike with a racing pedigree.

All switches on the handlebars were replaced to go for a clean and minimalistic design. Buttons and turn signals in the handlebars are from Motogadget. A new Motoscope Tiny speedometer, a LED headlamp concealed in the fairing, and a full LED rear lamp dictated creating nearly a full new wiring harness, powered by a battery that currently sits under the swingarm in a box which was custom made for this purpose.

The engine, including the transmission, did not require a complete overhaul and tuning. A proper paint job to make it shine was enough.
Wheels are from the legendary Borrani company, completed with thicker stainless-steel spokes. With such magnificent objects you obviously need a new set of tires .

Most of the parts have been polished or mirror-finished, including the wheels, front and rear suspension, valve covers, exhaust system, handlebars, triple clamps and swingarm, as well as a number of other small components. All bolts were re-galvanized or were replaced with new ones.

The bodywork, front and rear fairing were perfectly painted by Marcin, creating a coherent whole with polished and chrome-plated elements.
The entire project was finished off with a warm touch of leather elements, such as the upholstery on the seat, the construction of which was made by us from scratch, and hand-wrapped handles.

The owners perspective
Being heavily involved with the project the BikeBrewers team was interested to hear his reaction to the end result.
Pawel: “We talked a lot about the technical possibilities, aspects of working with older motorcycles, what should be included in such a project and where it needs to be included to make it unique in every way possible.
We agreed that we want to choose a motorcycle that would be an excellent base and the potential to be unique, and here it is — the Moto Guzzi California 1100.

Was it worth it? For all intents and purposes, the design was great, but it was the execution that knocked me off my feet. Perfection and pure design in every element. The motorcycle impresses with its light, simple, yet detailed design, as well as with the technical solutions.

If we can call anyone artists in the custom scene it is undoubtedly the crew of Unikat Motorworks. I am incredibly happy with the end result and the roads in Poland have just gotten a bit more beautiful with this Moto Guzzi gracing them with its presence.”

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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.

Builder details:
UNIKAT Motorworks
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BOOMING business

People’s favorite
Dawid loves simple motorcycles, and frankly, so do we. No fancy computer to complicate things, no rider aids to forgive you for your mistakes. There is something elemental about such motorcycles, you either love or hate it. Now, Yamaha XJR1300’s are becoming increasingly popular with bike builders lately. And why not? They are easy to work on, powerful, reliable, and parts are available in abundance since it is one of Yamaha’s longest running models. This particular model a 20th Anniversary edition.

Too hot to handle!
Although this Yamaha looks like it just left the floor of the dealership, it is far from stock. At the front the first things that we notice are the front wheel and upside-down forks. They came from a Suzuki GSX-R 750. The rear shocks are a Yamaha original factory Öhlins, sourced from the SP-version of the XJR. A set of sticky Pirelli Phantom Sportcomp tires wrap the rims tightly, adding a bit of nostalgia and performance to the Yamaha. Another feature that is an improvement over the original bike is the brakes. They are from a GSX-R as well and they will slow the XJR down like a sledgehammer!

Modern Cafe Racer
A company called Highsider delivered the LED lights at the front and rear. The subframe received a trim and a loop to accommodate for the custom-made seat. Talking about the seat, it looks very comfortable in that soft brown Alcantara. The seat nestles nicely in a hand-made cowl, adding some flair to this modern café racer. A minimalistic speedometer replaced the old twin dials to add to the overall sleekness of the bike.

All Black
At the heart of this motorcycle is the air/oil-cooled engine. It received some TLC in the form of maintenance and a check-up. No engine modifications were done since it still has plenty of grunt. These 1300cc engines are bullet-proof. Pushing out a very healthy 106hp and 98Nm of torque, there is not much left to desire. Some fresh black paint, and an upgrade of all the nuts, bolts and screws to galvanised units, is all that the engine needed. The exhaust headers have been wrapped with thermal wrap and were finished off in black as well. Overall, the Yamaha looks very serious. An interesting fact is that Dawid built this motorcycle on his own. Not a single job was outsourced, and for that we tip our hats.

Everything in-house
It is clear that Dawid puts a lot of heart in his motorcycles, you can see that the quality really matters. The combination of upgraded suspension and tires really improve the handling of the Yamaha, especially when it gets a bit bumpy. The upgraded brakes inspire confidence, and the riding position is perfect; a bit sporty, but not too straining. The sound the Yamaha makes is the stuff that makes baby angels weep, and according to Dawid, the Yamaha always attracts a crowd. This Yamaha has been received by a new owner in Paris, so make sure to keep your eyes open if you live there. We would love to see more from build from Dawid!

Builder details:
Mission Custo Moto
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Unusual suspect

Café racer meets brat
Behold, a not so boring 1981 Yamaha XS400 arises from the ashes in Poland! Built by Marfil Moto, which is owned by Maciek, we see an XS400 that looks anything but dull. This café-racer meets brat mash-up looks intriguing, more noticeable because of its perceived simplicity. Interestingly, the story behind this build resembles the build in more than one way. Maciek built this bike for his wife, because she felt it was time she got her own custom motorcycle. Instead of spending months on doing research and trying to find he “perfect” base motorcycle, Maciek decided to work on the bike he had in his shed: the XS400.

It’s not the size of the tools that matters
Inspired by some of the brilliant machines he has seen on the Bike Shed London, Maciek was fully aware that he didn’t have all the tools and equipment he needed to build this XS400. However, he did have faith, and he knew that all he needed to do, was to just get started. First, the Yamaha got disassembled and stripped from all unnecessary components. The engine and carbs underwent a thorough mechanical overhaul and were subjected to glass bead blasting to achieve a raw aluminium effect. The frame got shortened and powder-coated in black satinThe front forks received a service and remained unchanged. The bulky original cockpit got removed, only to be replaced by a small MMB speedometer to achieve a minimalistic look of a café racer. The handlebar is a one-off. We are most intrigued by the stainless-steel grips. We don’t see those that often, but we definitely dig them! A single Halcyon 830 bar-end mirror finishes off the front.

Nip and tuck
The complete electrical system, together with the battery mount, have been modified and minimalized. The seat has been re-made and covered with black leather. The tank received an anti-corrosion treatment and got painted in a shiny grey color, leaving in the original Yamaha emblem intact. The exhaust received a thermal wrap treatment for that old-school racer look. Combined with the chrome shotgun-style mufflers, this XS400 is bound to sound like a bomber.

Fruition
The original black rims are fitted with classic shinko tyres. The main focus of this build was to stay true to the simplicity of form. Sometime we even say less-is-more. Maciek did an incredible job in completing this build, which is in fact a shed-built bike. We’ve said before and we’ll say it again: keep an eye on the Polish custom builders, for they are true masters of building incredible motorcycles. Not just the big names, but also the little guys like Maciek.

Photo credits: Pawel Magiera

Builder details:
Marfil Moto
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I’m 31-year-old IT specialist who found his passion in real steel 70’s and 80’s motorcycles. I got a lovely and very patient wife and two kids. I work alone and only in my extra time because I nee a day job to cure home finances. My workshop could be called semi-professional. I got some really cool stuff there because I work on bikes for over three years, but it’s all financed from my own back pocket. My workshop is located in a building on the 1st floor, so I have to pull up the bikes with a self-made crane through the window. With this massive 1983 Yamaha XV920 is was pretty extreme!

This XV920 Cafe Racer was made for one of my clients. We’ve met in October 2016 made some vision and define some basic routes we’d like to follow with this bike. Then we’ve started to pull some ideas from the web. It’s obvious there were few bazillions of Viragos out there but we’ve wanted to make it stand out and be more refined than the bikes we see on the internet. My client was very aware of what he liked and got a very good taste of color matching and features he wants and the ones he wants to skip just by a simple law of budget.

I’ve made it clear that the donor bike got to be in a mint condition if he wanted to make the build fast. Next day he saw this 1983 US-model online, just 100km from Gdańsk where he lives. He went there and made a good deal with the owner.

After I’ve picked up the bike, I’ve set up a clean and fluid process build, it was easy enough because I’ve made XV750 just one year ago. First I’ve needed to place the original bike on the new forks. I’ve bought ZX12R ones which are huge and stiff enough to pick up 240 kg of bike weight. I’ve got very talented lathe craftsman as a friend so he made all the conversion (ZX12R fork to XV frame). Then I’ve decided that upper triple clap was crap with integrated clip-ons so I’ve made a new one and added “traditional” fork mounted clip-ons. Then I’ve used Honda CBR 954RR rear shock to get rid of the leaking original gas shock and make the stance more aggressive. It was welded to a new frame mount. Next step was to fit the tank and design rear frame. I had a vision for that in my head for a long time. Simple and clean: 1 inch tubes with minimal frame mod, and integrated LED tail light.

After that, we’ve made this 100% custom exhaust. This job was made by another friend of mine who is one of the best welders I know. He joins stainless steel like it’s made from one piece. I always like to underline that we got very good craftsman’s here in Poland. Then I’ve made the seat from Italian leather. At last I’ve focused on the gas tank. To make it as raw and man-made, I’ve tried a new technique which was to zinc raw steel. I’ve made olive-gold stripes and cover it with a clear coat. It looks raw and nice with grinder marks here and there but in the sun it shines like a diamond.

I guess the design process was the easiest part, I’m saying that not to flatter myself, but with this model biggest challenge is to make it technically work well. We all know what happens to the starter motor in old Viragos. I know some XV’s start pretty good but it’s still in another universe to let’s say how Honda GL500 (from the same era) starter works. I’ve ordered almost every starter motor part from Yamaha dealership and then it worked fine and reliable. XV’s had some problems with carburetion but it was also fixed.

The best part of this project, in my opinion, is that the bike is a collective of all the ideas and refinements I can imagine from the projects I see all around the world. Even if you look at the exhaust you might say it’s like others one Web but look at the front 2in1 collector from a side. It lines up and makes the bike looks even cleaner. Another good part is that I’ve managed to build this bike in fairly low budget and only 3 months.

Photos by Bartosz Mokrzycki

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