Californian Larry Romestant is a man with a unique vision for custom motorcycles. In the BMW world he’s known for his ‘Special Ks’—restored and modified water-cooled K-series bikes. The bike shown above is ‘The Beast,’ and it’s an apt moniker.
Larry’s taken the frame from a 1986 BMW K100 and fitted a motor from the mighty K1200RS. The internals are stock, but aspiration is through 45mm velocity stacks and the exhaust is 4-into-2, a reproduction of the exquisite sounding Contis fitted to Ducati Desmo twins.
To extract the very last ounce of power, a K1100 Motronic module is enhanced by a Dynojet K1200RS Power Commander. According to Larry, “The engine fires easily and throttle response is immediate and crisp. The air/fuel ratio is tightly controlled throughout the rpm range, and remains closed loop for combustion efficiency and optimal performance at all speeds. The sound is unlike any made by a flying brick. When on the pipe, it’s reminiscent of the howl of a Honda CB750 Four—but more menacing and deeper.”
Other mods include lowered suspension and later-model 305mm floating discs—which is probably a good move, given the 130hp output of a standard K1200RS straight four. So what’s with that headlight, Larry?
“It’s my interpretation of the famous (and rare) Rauch item built in the 50’s in Der VaterLand. I call it the ‘Romestant 3 Hole Bucket’. It houses three digital gauges: speedo, tach and fuel level.”
Mounted under the seat are two additional gauges, oil pressure and engine temperature. It’s a striking look and if you fancy one of those buckets for your own BMW, Larry can make one for you.
See more of his bikes here.
Images by Thomas Bloch.
