The ‘airhead’ flat twin boxers and R-series motorcycles are great choices for BMW cafe racer projects. More recently, we’ve seen the rise of modern-day specials based on the BMW R nineT, which was designed to be easily customized, with a bolt-on subframe and modular electrical system.
Here you’ll find traditional 60s-style cafe racers based on the BMW R75 and R100, plus neo-retro builds based on newer models including the K100 ‘flying brick’.
It’s a good starting point to find the parts, seats and performance upgrades that’ll take your own BMW to the next level—and get inspiration from other BMW cafe racer builders on the custom scene.
From the minute it hit the custom scene, the BMW K100 has been an underdog. With a brick-like motor, overly angled bodywork and a kinked subframe, it’s a far less appealing option than the more handsome R-series boxer. But that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a surprisingly popular choice. The key lies in how you…
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Turning motorcycle customization into a sustainable business is hard enough, but Marcus Walz has taken it to another level. His company, WalzWerk, has been in business for 32 years—and in that time, they’ve built no less than 1,000 custom motorcycles. You read right: one thousand. Marcus is sure of that number, because WalzWerk is registered…
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Old BMW airheads have always been easy targets for customization. The motors are simple and easy to work on, the bodywork is modular, and there’s a solid two-decade production run of interchangeable parts to pull from. One might even say they’re the easiest bikes to build—though we’d dare anyone to call this custom BMW R69…
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It’s no longer uncommon to see old K-series BMWs go under the knife. But that doesn’t mean that every custom K is a home run. It remains a tricky bike to customize—and it takes a keen eye to get it right. There’s no doubt that Chris Scholtka, better known as Motocrew, has cracked the code.…
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Building one-of-one customs for a living would be most motorcyclists’ idea of heaven. However, like an author trying to write the sequel…
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We kick this weekend’s edition of Speed Read off with two very different BMW K100 customs. Then we bring you a Yamaha…
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It’s amazing how versatile the classic BMW boxer is is. Do you want a long, low and mean drag bike? A rough…
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BMW R nineT owners are spoiled for choice when it comes to personalization options. The bike has been out long enough that…
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In the mid 90s, the K1100 RS sat at the top of the BMW range. It was the sport tourer par excellence,…
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You don’t often see custom shops collaborating. But as they say, a rising tide lifts all ships—and a joint venture between two…
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When a workshop focuses very tightly on one model of bike, it’s usually a good thing. They get to know what to…
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If there’s anything we like better than discovering a new builder, it’s discovering a young builder with potentially decades of work ahead…
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