Wayne Rainey won his third straight GP championship, Shakespeare’s Sister outstayed their welcome in the pop charts and BMW continued to sprinkle nostalgic glitter on their now tired R100. You guessed it, 1992, remember like yesterday don’t you. Well, it was so long ago that Marc Marquez was merely a twitch in his father’s under crackers when this bike rolled off the Bavarian production line.
It would have had the latest Japanese forks and eight pots gripping floating discs, how very modern. Maybe then, but this is now and frankly most of us are now used to proper stoppers, fat rubber and forks that don’t flex like Sergey Bubka’s pole. Thankfully custom builders are addressing this issue and fitting uprated front ends as a matter of course. Pierre from Motorieep in Paris is one such customiser adding phwooar to bikes that are otherwise overlooked, this R100 might be a mainstay among these pages but some of his previous builds utilise the more ugly of duckling donors.
The ’92 R100R donor used here was given a complete overhaul before the resurrection could begin. First to hit the recycling bin were the forks and brakes, replaced by beefy Showa RWU units with trick uprated internals. 300mm floating discs and Tokiko calipers force the chunky Dunlop Mutant into the Tarmac.
Wide LSL bars coerce the R100 into submission while switchgear and levers from a Yamaha R6 are a more svelte option than the stock clunkers. A Daytona speedo maintains simplicity and a Harley-Davidson headlamp lights the way.
With the wider clamps came the option of fatter wheels so a 17 x 3.5″ Excel rim runs up front and a 17 x 4.25″ in the rear, hence the possibility of fitting sticky supermoto Mutants. (Dear Mr Dunlop, please make other sizes, immediately).
The Paralever setup lends itself to minimal styling and this solo seat appears to levitate over the rear end and a minimal custom subframe. Pierre’s friend Stéphane from La Sellerie Cognacaise took care of the upholstery, adding Alcantara inserts to grip one’s trouser during bouts of exuberance.
The 998cc boxer engine was in fine fettle and needed only a through inspection and service before being recommissioned. The sluggish Bing carbs have been replaced by a brace of 40mm Dellortos and BMC pod filters. The stainless exhaust is Pierre’s handiwork, snaking around to one side before crossing back again courtesy of a SBK spec carbon end can. This has the makings of a fruity sounding combination. Just in shot here is the stock airbox which now contains a lithium battery by French company Solise, alongside part of the brand new wiring loom. The rest is neatly hidden away under the Beemer’s cavernous fuel tank.
As you can imagine we are sent dozens of BMWs every week and despite trends morphing all the time there seems no end to the boxer’s appeal. One thing that makes Pierre’s bikes jump out of our inbox is the physical balance he achieves. That lardy engine is now matched by wide tyres, chunky forks and a tidy rear; all adding to that “I want a go on that one” factor.
If you speak foreign or don’t mind buying a mag just for the photos, grab a copy of Café Racer Magazine, the next issue features the Motorieep Voxan Scrambler, if that doesn’t induce man noises then perhaps you’ve arrived at the wrong website.
via The Bike Shed
