“BMW Cafe Racer”

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Kevils

Kevils Erica

Posted by Dutch on Dec 5, 2012 in Kevils, Pro Builds | 2 Comments

Formerly known simply as a 1983 R100RS, this 1000cc Beemer is now more affectionately known as “Erica” by her new owner, put together by gurus of the flat twin cafe custom, Kevils, based down in Devon in the UK.

According to Kev Hill, this bike has had the full monty, being graced with twin-plug heads, and the sparks driven by Dyno coils and an ignition booster. Having burned the fuel more efficiently than the usual Boxer of that era, burnt gases exit through Supertrapp silencers with unusually long, sloped cones, slash-cut at the ends.

The standard RS already benefits from Brembo brakes, oil cooler and rear disc brake as standard so she’s a great donor.

Erica’s forks are stiffened with San Jose braces coupled with Kevils’ own shortie front mudguard, Kevils Alloy seat unit unit and Tuck and roll leather upholstery.

Raask rearsets take care of the riding position and foot controls, and here’s a better view of those unusual slash-cut extended Supertrapp silencers.

The battery is tucked away under the seat and OEM sidestand is swapped out for a Surefoot item while Koni rear shocks support Kevils’ favourite snowflake wheels, which are powder coated black to match the blacked-out engine.

Up top, a white-faced speedo is mounted on a Kevils’ brushed stainless top yoke plate, while the rest of the bike is finished in Lancia Bronze Pearl with white racing stripes and a BMW silver headlamp to light-up those twisty corners after dark.

Kev’s tells us his brief was a to build a proper minimalist cafe racer with humped race seat, and dropped bars, emulating the look and feel of clips-ons, but also having all the bells & whistles you’d expect on a useable daily ride that shifts when you pin the throttle. We say; job done!

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Kevils

Kevils Rooster

Posted by Dutch on Nov 21, 2012 in Kevils, Pro Builds | 2 Comments

This dark and majestic Beemer is the latest, and most different, bike to come out of Kevils‘ Devon workshop. With a sprung saddle over twin bullet-shaped indicator/tail lights combined with high brushed stainless pipes and ribbed fork gaitors it has a strange scrambler/chop look that reminds us a little of the brutal Galaxy Customs Beemer we featured a few weeks ago, but this is much more timeless… Or perhaps a bit “Victorian Steampunk from a parallel universe”?

I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything quite like it – yet it’s unmistakeably a Kevils’ bike with their snowflake wheels, clean lines and slim instruments.

Based on a 1981 R100T the bike also features a gel battery hidden in vintage leather conductors bag, with black satin mudguards and polished stainless supports all made in house.

Kev described the silencer as a “cocktail shaker” and combined with white-faced speedo, white grips and orange & white pin-striping painted by hand by tattoo guru, Simon Dent, from Exmouth in Devon, the whole thing comes together with stark contrasts in both shades and components.

It’s certainly totally individual and very different from the norm, and we suspect it will be a love/hate bike for most of our punters here and on Facebook.

Side mounted plate also adds to the complex mix of custom styles, neither cafe, scrambler, tracker or brat… We love it.

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Kevils

Kevils Magnum & Flame

Posted by Dutch on Aug 17, 2012 in Kevils, Pro Builds | 4 Comments

Kevin Hill’s gorgeous BMW customs seem to be generating plenty of commissions, and true to form, another two R100 based scramblers have rolled out the workshop doors and into the arms of happy customers.

Magnum – liveried in Gold – is a 1980 R100, featuring a fully upholstered seat, rear disc brake, brushed stainless side panels, black carb bodies and titanium wrapped down pipes, as well as all the usual “Kevils” refinements digital speedo etc, and painted in Chrysler gold

Flame – in Blue – is a ’79 vintage R100/7 and features a polished aluminium seat unit with leather upholstery, stainless mesh side panels, painted in blue, black and graphite – all BMW colours,

Check out Kevils Speedshop on Facebook for regular updates and bike banter.

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Kevils

Kevils Siren

Posted by Dutch on Jun 28, 2012 in Kevils, Pro Builds | One Comment

Kev Hill, AKA Kevils Speedshop, has whipped-up another lovely custom Beemer, based on the trusty old R100. This lovely little scrambler was commissioned by Matt Bardock and has been given the catchy moniker “Siren” which could be because she is a seaside beauty that will tempt you to your doom, or perhaps it’s the sound of the Police chasing the owner through town after some over enthusiastic stunting on the Queen’s highway?

Either way, she’s a beauty, and an one of the few options for owning an affordable unique custom motorcycle that you really can ride every day and in all weathers. Keep it up Kev.

Gotta love a side-mounted plate when it comes to keeping the tail pure and clean. Very naughty in non-DOT approved silver & black tho. Nee nah nee nah…

That grill on the end can will keep the mice from nesting over winter…

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Kevils

Kevils Sparky Beemer

Posted by Dutch on May 18, 2012 in Kevils, Pro Builds | 3 Comments

Here’s another fine scrambler boxer twin from the West Country’s Kevils Speed Shop, this time given the moniker, Sparky.

The build was commissioned by John in London, and is based on a 1980 BMW R100 featuring a chrome powder coated tank, custom high level stainless two into one exhaust, retro rocker covers, polished aluminium side panels, fully upholstered cafe seat and digital speedo

Personally speaking, I can’t get enough of he current crop of Beemers being turned into custom scramblers and cafe racers. There aren’t many bikes that provide such a versatile platform that’s cheap and easy to work on, with a plentiful supply of donor bikes and interchangeable parts, which will all bolt or weld together to provide a custom you can use all day, every day, come rain or shine, and chances are you’ll still be riding it in twenty years.

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Kevils

Kevils Ruby Beemer

Posted by Dutch on May 16, 2012 in Kevils, Pro Builds | One Comment

Kev Hill at Kevils down in the West Country has had a busy few months getting a couple of new customer bikes ready for the spring, including this gorgeous Ruby Helmets inspired Cafe Racer.

Commissioned by Marek from Poland, the bike is based around a 1983 BMW r100 with the usual Kevils cafe treatment, and a genuinely striking custom paint job. Marek will have no trouble picking his bike out in the parking lot.

As well as the usual detailing on a Kevils custom, the bike features a Bonita style seat, Raask rearsets, Floating rotor, Digital speedo and wrinkle finish, blacked-out engine.

As usual Kev has been upfront about his pricing, and this custom is sensibly priced at a genuinely attainable and affordable £6000… Get saving, and then go see Kevils.

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Kevils

Kevils Beemers Re-Born

Posted by Dutch on Jan 19, 2012 in Kevils, Pro Builds | No Comments

Way down in deepest darkest Devon you’ll find Kevils Speed Shop, run by Kevin Hill (see what he did there) who appears to have mastered the art of re-shaping old BMW Boxers into desireable – and affordable – cafe racers and flat trackers.

Not only do these bikes make brilliantly practical customs (as we’ve seen with our very own Untitled MC’s bikes) they are also reliable, solid and, with donor bikes aplenty, they’re an extremely keenly-priced way to own a peice of something unique.

This is Kev’s latest creation – the Snapper is based on an R100. Most of the custom parts are locally sourced and there seems to be a ready supply of unused old parts available too.

The bikes are properly strippped and refinished, with new filters and seals, stainless bolts and rewiring, and build time is aroung 6 weeks per bike. I have to say that the Snapper is our clear favourite, but the Spider runs it a close second and would make a killer town bike.

The Spider

The Baron

Chino

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1980 BMW R80 - Tarmac Custom Motorcycles

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

I’m sure many of us know the situation. A complete bike in pieces, a vision of the end product in our head, and trying to work out how wrong you will be about the budget required for the build. Tarmac Custom Motorcycles encountered the first two of these ideas, and the latter ended up being no issue, as whatever they spent on it was worth it. Javi Pacheco and Jano Valiente, a classic bike enthusiast and a seasoned mechanic respectively, joined forces in late 2011. Since then they have completed 12 bikes, with a handful more to finish. Their latest offering comes in the form of a 1980 BMW R80 flat tracker, which showcases the Tarmac workshop’s talents beautifully.

As mentioned, the bike found it’s way to the Tarmac workshop in pieces. This only made the start of the build easier, the engine being stripped down and carefully rebuilt. A coat of matt black paint covers the engine, one part of the dark aesthetic of the frame section of the bike. In place of the the stock carburettors sit a pair of Keihins, which according to Javi will ‘make for really smooth driving and more punch at high revs’. To keep an eye on how much punch, a universal speedo has been wired up and mounted on the handlebars.

The rear frame is all new, a shorter hoop being welded to the bike frame. Beneath the custom hoop sits a pair of smaller passenger footpegs than the ones the factory fitted. The factory front footpegs were ditched as well, a set of BMX pedals replacing them. According to Tarmac, this helps with better access to the rear brake and gear change levers. This bike rolls on Avon Classic tyres, the short rear guard a custom make by Tarmac, fashioned inhouse on an English wheel.

The Beemer’s handling hasn’t been neglected, with Tarmac putting their touches on the bike, so it can be as fun as it is goodlooking. The coiled rear shocks, donated by a Triumph Thruxton, sit inclined forward on the rear frame. At the front end, the forks have been lowered and treated to a set of handlebars from a Bultaco Sherpa. To raise the performance of the front brakes, a Honda ST1100 master cylinder pumps stopping power through stainless steel braided hoses.

It’s the neatness of the build, almost clinical in it’s manner that stands out the most. The lack of inhibition used when choosing the parts allows the bike’s lines to just flow, an example of this being the Montesa H6 headlight unit being used in the build. After less than two years in the bike building scene, Tarmac are producing bikes with the same level of skill as (or better than) builders who have been in the game for a lot longer. And with a handful of bikes waiting to be finished, we can be sure to see more bikes built by Tarmac Custom Motorcycles in the time to come.
So next time you are looking at a deconstructed bike, use Tarmac’s R80 as inspiration, and remember you will always be wrong about the build budget.
Photography by Yanka from Unopuntouno Fotografia

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Rudy Banny’s '86 BMW R80RS - “Brafé Racer”

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Rudy Banny's college career began with Petroleum Engineering. That's the art of getting crude oil out of the ground and in to pipes. But that was only for about ½ a semester, after which he found out that several calculus classes were involved, and promptly dropped out. Amen to that. Afterwards, you could say he did complete u-turn and got into a little Petroleum Deconstruction. “I've always been a huge fan of Brat Style. After landing a job in advertising, I fell in love with BMW's when a buddy of mine let me ride his 1965 r60/2 and 1972 r75/5 for a week when I was shooting in LA. That was it. I fell in love with airheads. I wanted one, but just couldn't get into the purist mentality that seems so prevalent with Bimmer owners. I’m more of a custom guy. So, I started looking for the cleanest, most pristine airhead I could find, so I could deconstruct it.”

“I was intrigued by Nicholas Damen's Bee Emm Brat posted on Pipeburn, so I used it as my inspiration for this build, except I went ‘Brafé’ Style...”

The bike started out as a fully dressed 1986 R80RS. After stripping it down to a motor and a frame, Rudy started by powder coating the wheels, forks and driveshaft flat black. He then installed an Acewell Speedo, a new headlight and fork ears and brake lines from Spiegler Performance Parts and left the RS cafe bars in place.
“Because I removed the fork brace so I could put a fatter tire on the front, I replaced the stock top fork plate with an aluminum triple clamp from Boxerworks to keep the forks from twisting."

"When I decided to keep the cafe bars, I felt the need to get a nice rear set, which I picked up from Flatracer. I kept the stock pipes, wrapped them and capped them off with some sweet stainless steel reverse-cone shorties that I picked up from Dime City Cycles.”

“I had the tank painted flat black to match the wheels and slapped some new badges on it as well as a Monza gas cap from Flatracer.com. I cut down and narrowed the rear sub-frame to take the Nitroheads Bratstyle Thin Seat that I purchased from Pipeburn. And finally, I cut down and powder coated a steel rear fender and topped it off with an old school tail light from Dime City Cycles.”

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1986 BMW R80RT - 'Bopper'

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Australia has a tendency to claim things and people that are actually originally from our closest neighbours, New Zealand. For example, Russell Crowe and Keith Urban, who most people think are Australian are in fact both born in New Zealand. So when Michael Dobson sent us this radical R80RT build, part of the conditions were that we made sure our readers knew the bike was built in Australia New Zealand. Of course we reluctantly agreed.
Michael has one impressive resume, which includes being a motorcycle mechanic for 34 years, specialising in servicing and primarily building BMW police bikes for over 20 of those years. That in itself is impressive, but the list also includes a stint as a successful race mechanic in BEARS and production racing, a workshop foreman at Motorad and a "semi famous Ural pilot". So if there was one guy who we would choose to build us a custom Beemer, Michael is the perfect candidate.

Michael started the project with a 1986 NZ Police R80T which he helped assemble many years back. "It was one of 120 that a younger me helped assemble and deliver" he says. "After a disposal auction, passing through the hands of several friends and many miles, it became “my next project”. It is now an example of what happens “when good cops go bad”.

"Originally I intended to loosely follow the bobber style but having read far too many chopper magazines in the early 70's, I found it evolving into a mix of bobber and chopper which I have called “Bopper Style”." Michaels personal requirements for the bike were that it needed to have good brakes, lights, tires and mudguards with a comfortable riding position. "This I have achieved" he says.

"Throughout the two year part time build I have kept in mind the guiding words I read in Garage Magazine – “Respect the line, observe classic proportions and dammit, possess some taste”. Later I also discovered a quote from Collin Chapman – “Simplify then add lightness”. While my bike isn't especially light in weight, it is simple and I have added the illusion of lightness."

Mike has used many different BMW parts on this bike. The front wheel is a 21” BMW R80GS, and the rear wheel is actually a standard R80 mag with polished sheet aluminum discs glued on. The forks are from a R100CS with 2” over stanchions. Head light is from a R1200C and the handlebars (in garage shots) are from a K100RS which have been reversed and dropped forward. The frame is a standard R80 with sub frame and pillion peg hangers removed.
The bike also pays homage to the older BMW's, with HT leads coming out of the top of the engine, single (Ural) seat, old logo and classic black and white paint.

The engine has been fully rebuilt and fitted with Siebenrock 1000cc kit. Also adding Dellorto PHF 36mm Carbs. Speedo is a Motogadget chrono classic. The petrol tank is surprisingly from a Keeway Cruiser much modified by Kiwi Race Cars who also ribbed the british rear mudguard. The exhaust is a one piece stainless by Cycleworks who also made the battery box and rear guard support. Airbox has been replaced by a custom cast alloy cover made by Ken Howe conceals electrics. The tail light is a slash cut exhaust pipe with Hella trailer light attached. Lastly the metallic black paint job was by Todd Moffat and the beautiful hand pin striping and air brushed pre-war BMW logos were done by Kurt from Juniors Kustom Rides.

Michael has done a sterling job turning this 1986 BMW into a timeless bobber cross chopper. It may have taken him two years to build this amazing bike part time, but usually it takes time to do it right. He tells us he has worked at a much faster pace building Beemers in the past. "In 1985 we once uncrated and assembled 90 BMW R80RT bikes in a week for the local NZ police" – now that is one productive week.
Photography by Ireen Demut