Although the vintage BMW R-series shows no signs of losing its appeal any time soon, owning an older motorcycle comes with challenges. The venerable boxer motor is tough, but it’s not getting any younger—so it demands more pampering than a modern machine.
But what if you wanted the style of a classic boxer, with the power and reliability of a newer one? That was the idea behind this remarkably slick BMW R1100 café racer from Motoizevro.
“I’d been thinking about building this bike for a long time,” says shop boss Nikolay. “I like the older BMW series, but they demand too much attention. So I decided to create a visually similar bike, but using the R1100.”
Motoizevro knows its way around classic K- and R-series BMWs, but turning a 1995 BMW R1100RS into a copycat of an older Beemer was uncharted territory—and, as Nikolay soon discovered, a lot more work. For starters, the BMW’s quirky Telelever front suspension was at odds with the racy aesthetic that he envisioned. And the more he stripped the bike down, the messier things became.
Removing the Telelever’s wishbone arrangement was an arduous task, but Nikolay persevered. Once all traces of it were gone, he retrofitted the R1100R with a set of BMW R nineT forks, held in place by custom-milled yokes. The R nineT loaned its 17” front wheel and twin Brembo brake calipers, too.
At the opposite end of the bike, Nikolay matched the original R1100RS swingarm and final drive to the laced wheel from an R1100GS. The bike’s original shock is still in play, but it’s bolted to a new upper mount that forms part of a bespoke subframe.
Mimicking a BMW R100 fuel tank was another mammoth task. “I made a scan of an original BMW R100 fuel tank, and, based on the scan, created a 3D model,” Nikolay explains. “I 3D printed it and measured it on the motorcycle, but it turned out to be too small.”
“I decided to increase it by 10 percent and printed it again—now it was huge. So I reduced it by five percent and it turned out perfectly.”
The final 3D-printed ‘tank’ was used as a mold for shaping the final part out of fiberglass. What you see is just a cover. The actual fuel tank—a custom-built aluminum reservoir that also accommodates the fuel pump and filter—hides underneath it.
A fiberglass tail section sits further back, creating the quintessential café racer silhouette.
Nikolay turned his attention to the motor next. New valve covers were sand-poured in aluminum to mimic the striped design of those on 1980s boxers. The airbox was ditched, and the space that it used to occupy was blanked off by a custom-made cover to create continuity.
The exhaust system was pieced together by trimming the R1100’s headers and mating them to a pair of aftermarket mufflers. Finished in black, the burly pipes add a smidgen of hot rod style to this otherwise modernized café racer.
The BMW R1100’s finishing kit includes an LED headlight, mounted on aftermarket brackets. Clip-on bars host Motogadget bar-end turn signals and mirrors, with a tiny digital Motogadget speedo taking center stage.
Look closely, and you’ll notice that Nikolay has integrated the bike’s warning lights into the top fork yoke. The rider’s view also includes a CNC-machined filler cap, and a quarter-turn fastener that enables quick removal of the tank cover.
Wrapped in black and gold (a timeless choice), Motoizevro’s BMW R1100 café racer is a tasteful fusion of modern and retro. And considering that the R1100 makes almost 30 percent more power and torque than its predecessor, it should be a hoot to ride, too.
Motoizevro | Instagram | Images by Dmitry Semenov
