Customizing the BMW R nine T can be tricky. It’s a handsome motorcycle out of the box, so most owners are content to just swap out a few bits or tick the options sheet.
But to truly transform it, you need to go deep. That means custom bodywork, and circumnavigating the electronics that invade every corner of most modern motorcycles.
It’s a tall order, but Chun Hung was unfazed. Based in Taipei, Taiwan, he operates under the nom de plume ‘Onehandmade.’ He’s called his R nine T custom ‘Paranoia’ and it’s one of the sharpest we’ve seen—dripping with exquisite, hand-made bodywork.
This R nine T custom was a commissioned project, built for a customer looking for a café-styled bike. Winston was roped in to advise on the final finishes, since Onehandmade is “more obsessed with metal work than he is with finishes.”
You’ve actually seen Onehandmade’s work before on these pages: he’s the go-to guy for all of Rough Crafts’ fabrication. He speaks very little English though, so we had to lean onRough Crafts‘ Winston Yeh to get the story.
This R nine T custom was a commissioned project, built for a customer looking for a café-styled bike. Winston was roped in to advise on the final finishes, since Onehandmade is “more obsessed with metal work than he is with finishes.”
All the aluminum bodywork is new: from the tucked-in nose fairing to the angular fuel tank and waspish tail. Incredibly, these flawless lines went straight from the builder’s mind into the metal.
“I design something first,” says Winston, “then I try to make it happen.”
“But Chun builds it first, and if it’s no good, just makes another piece. Sometimes he can’t imagine the shape before he’s made it.”
It’s art, but it’s functional art: the tank now houses the BMW’s two computers, battery and ABS module. All to keep the lower half of the bike as hollowed-out as possible. (The airbox has been tossed as well.)
There’s layer upon layer of handcrafted bits. The clip-ons, front fender and gas cap are all one-offs, as is the racy stainless steel exhaust system.
Everything’s beautifully connected. Just look at how the nose fairing mounts where the handlebar clamps usually would, and how well integrated the Motogadget dash is.
The few bolt-on parts that have been added are all from the top shelf. Like the BST carbon fiber wheels, the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires and the Öhlins rear shock.
Other well-chosen goodies include rearsets from Sato Racing, an LED taillight and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget, and Behringer controls. The headlight’s from the Rough Crafts catalog, and the cylinder head guards are Wunderlich parts.
Tying everything together is a subtle paint job by Air Runner Custom Paint, with just enough raw bits to show off the aluminum. The Onehandmade logo is displayed in various places as brass badges—neat.
