Being a custom motorcycle aficionado immediately qualifies you as a nostalgic dreamer. We look back through rose-tinted spectacles at those simple, handsome machines and yearn for the no frills times before motorcycles became computers with engines. The trouble is that those glasses often seem to drain the vibrant colours from the past. A dark monochrome palette has become the staple visual of the custom scene, yet the decades that inspired us were a riot of colour. Sunburst orange over vintage bronze, now that is a proper 70s scheme.
When Julio approached the guys at Cafe Racer Dreams he didn’t even own a bike, but by courting the prolific Spaniards he was off to a winning start. Pedro and his team have reached 64 not out with this latest build and each one has been just as glorious as the last. We are huge fans, and so was Julio. Based in Menorca he wanted a classic motorcycle to enjoy day after day, Pedro did warn him of the inevitable cons that go hand in hand with the pros of classic ownership but Julio was adamant that his donor would not come fresh from a dealer.
On Julio’s behalf CRD acquired a solid R100 on the Sevilla second hand market and together they set about brainstorming the finished article. CRD#51 was the initial point of reference that Julio brought to the table but eventually the lure of the CRD back catalogue distracted him and they settled on cues from the CRD#1 ¨Evo¨. That early Honda CB900 featured a classic half fairing and a simple full fabric cafe seat, Julio was sold.
Pedro went away with the team and came back with the concept of the machine you see here.
“A tribute and our interpretation of the legendary BMW R90S. The way Cafe Racer Dreams would have liked that model to be. At first, he liked, but was not convinced by the colour. He did not know why we chose the colours. It was a matter of explaining the mythical reasons then he gave the green light to what is now a reality.”
Work began. The engine received a thorough mechanical rebuild and the original Bing carbs and air box were refreshed and maintained to instil the everyday reliability that Julio required. The battery was swapped-out for a smaller item, hidden out of sight to keep the new, stepped and looped subframe clear. Aftermarket shocks dictate the purposeful stance while Motogadget electrickery keeps everything super tidy and accurate around the dropped Renthals.
A classic Ducati Imola style fairing hugs the front end and provides the perfect canvas for that stunning tribute paint job. The CRD guys carry out their own painting duties and have executed the design beautifully, a quick google search attests to the accuracy of the colours and reminds us just how groovy those BMW designers were back in ’73. Can you imagine the factory offering this design on the R nineT?
The finished machine is, as we have come to expect from the Cafe Racer Dreams team, a stunner from every angle. More than just a hat tip to the models that inspired it, this BMW has diluted none of its forebears character while bringing it bang up to date. Julio is one happy customer and CRD are equally proud of their efforts. Let’s bring back some more exuberant colour schemes shall we?
via PIPEBURN
