SON OF A GUN: BMW R69S ‘THOMPSON’

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The Thompson submachine gun is a legend in artillery and gangster circles. In the 1920s, the ‘Chicago Typewriter’ cost half as much as a new Ford car, thanks to the intricate machining of its metal and wooden parts.

It’s also the inspiration behind this new build from Slovenia’s ER Motorcycles. “Criminals endorsed the Thompson because of its compactness, reliability and ergonomics,” says main man Blaž Šuštaršič. “They’re features you’ll also find in this BMW R69S.”

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The bike is a commission from a German doctor, who wanted his own version of ER’s acclaimed ‘Mobster‘ build. The first four letters of the doctor’s name are ‘Thom,’ and so the train of thought was set in motion.

The first job for Blaž and his crew was to figure out how to go one better than Mobster. “Our challenge was to use it for our inspiration, but we had to surpass it in many ways. We wanted to build something that speaks of history and craftsmanship, but also modern technology.”

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They decided to use warmer, natural materials as a counterweight to the metal details and the blue of the classic BMW Schorsch Meier fuel tank. There’s more leather this time, and even wood—the seat is cut and shaped from a slab of teak.

Mechanically, the bike is a veritable smörgåsbord of vintage BMW components, although the R69S frame remains. The engine and transmission, thoroughly overhauled, are from an R100. An R80 supplied the swingarm and upper triple tree.

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The rear wheel is from an R50/5, while the front is a Borrani with Inox spokes (and a Menani drum brake). Both rims are 18 inches.

Virtually everything else is custom, from the fenders to the saddlebags to the exhaust headers, which are finished with Spark MotoGP mufflers.

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The bars are Renthal, and the new wiring loom is hooked up to a full complement of Motogadget parts—a digital control unit, an RFID ignition system, a Motoscope Classic speedo and miniature push-button switchgear.

Right at the front is a Roland Sands Design Vintage Black Ops headlight. It’s all very classy, in a dramatic way.

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Further (unscheduled) drama arrived during the photo shoot. “We chose a dark tunnel in Italy, to paint the mood and atmosphere,” Blaž says. “Then the undercover carabinieri[Italian criminal police] arrived and gave us a hard time asking what we were doing there. And worse, we didn’t have the bike’s papers with us.

“But after we explained the situation, they started taking pictures of the bike and forgot about everything. Words can’t describe how relieved we all were!”

ER Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | ER Motorcycles’ previous BMW ‘Voltron‘ is now for sale. Enquire via the website.

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“LE CAFFAGE”: DUCATI 848 BY APOGEE MOTORWORKS

There’s a definite formula when it comes to customizing motorcycles. After all, there are only so many ways you can change the look of a bike without resorting to extreme (and expensive) fabrication.

But there are a few builders who throw the rulebook out of the window, freely experimenting with new shapes and styles. In Europe, Fred Krugger and El Solitario spring to mind; in the US, Revival Cycles and Max Hazan frequently push the limits.

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Gustavo Pena of Apogee Motoworks is another one of those pioneers. The LA-based cinematographer builds extraordinary Ducatis that look like nothing else on earth. This is his latest creation, “Le Caffage”—a 2009-spec Ducati 848 worthy of a starring role inTron.

Gustavo set out to design a bike that looks futuristic, but has elements of neo-classic style too. “As if Ducati produced a bike in 2050 paying homage to a bike from 2030,” he says.

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The design elements are very deliberate, dominated by an oversized gas tank with vintage café proportions. Gustavo has also modified the trellis frame to edge it closer to traditional lines, flowing into an minimalist but comfortable saddle.

The twin exhausts—handcrafted in stainless steel—mirror the voluptuous curves of the upper bodywork. But the most attention-grabbing aspect is the headlight, an aggressively lidded design that also houses the speedo and adds an air of menace to the machine.

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“A normal round drum headlight from eBay would just not cut it!” says Gustavo. Guided by the volume and silhouette of the fuel tank, he’s shaped the carbon fiber headlight to accentuate the 848’s predatory stance—”Like that of a lion, a bull, or a shark.”

Gustavo also found inspiration from his Russian girlfriend: her cheekbones suggested the delicate lines and chiseled side profile of the headlight. Eagle-eyed petrolheads will spot that the LED light unit itself is lifted from a BMW i8.

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The 848 engine has been heavily upgraded with NCR parts, including titanium valves, a slipper clutch, and a full set of titanium bolts and fasteners. The pistons are from Ferracci and the titanium connecting rods are from Pankl.

Rather than hide the typical superbike radiator, Gustavo has designed carbon fiber structural intakes with the help of a composite specialist from F1. They neatly blend with the 848’s immense radiator and the imposing gas tank.

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South of the radiator is more carbon fiber, this time a belly pan that shrouds the oil cooler and lower part of the engine.

Then the entire front and rear suspension was disassembled. Every single aluminum part has been polished to a jewel-quality finish, and then sprayed with a 3M sealant to keep it maintenance free.

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Many other parts have been powder coated and then treated to a ceramic coating on top—including the entire trellis frame, the swingarm, rear sets and the forged Marchesini racing wheels. Both wheels are shrouded with custom carbon huggers.

And the name “Le Caffage”? It’s a neologism, a made-up word alluding to the café style, and came out of a conversation between Gustavo and a French friend.

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If your appetite is whetted, you’ll be glad to know that a limited run of Apogee Ducatis has just started. The donor bikes are not only the Ducati 848, but also 1098s and Streetfighters. And each will have its own distinctive characteristics.

To put a true original in your garage, drop Gustavo a line via his website.

Apogee Motorworks | Instagram

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1973 BMW R75/5 ‘Lil Doom’

Words by Martin Hodgson.

This is the story of three friends who get by on wheels, good looks and attitude to burn. They dress the same and they work together but all perform very different functions for their automotive crazed owner Stan. “Von Doom”, Lil Doom” and “The Raft” are a car, bike and trailer combo that’ll leave any motorhead wanting their own and it all started when Stan decided his newly completed 2014 SEMA bound BMW show car needed a little something more, a motorcycle to match and a trailer for the journey. But this is Pipeburn, so let’s start with the little bike that could, a classic BMW called “Lil Doom”!

As Stan explains “Luckily, my friend had a 1973 R75/5 that he had toyed with selling. After talking to him about the concept, he knew it would be in good hands.” Having previously worked with gun builder Jay from Lossa Engineering on another build it made perfect sense to use his skills again on the Airhead. This is a frame off build, completely stripped back and disassembled so everything could be done properly. Jay de-tabbed the frame and then built a new sub-frame to hold the custom leather and denim seat. Desperately keen to use his Crafty B Mini Racer fuel cap Stan picked an R100 fuel tank which was dimple dye recess cut into the tank to allow for the cap to have a more flush look. The front and rear fenders are bobbed items pulled from a CB350 and just like the tank the metal work is absolutely flawless.

The Shop in Culver City, California renowned for amazing paint work and their love of BMW’s painted the tins with BMW Mineral White with a dual pinstripe using an Audi charcoal grey and Porsche Irish green. The same charcoal and Irish green treatment was sprayed onto the wheels to complete the look. With paint and body work so good it would be a shame to leave the look of the engine area cluttered, particularly when working with an airhead. So a cast aluminium cover was sourced from BMW2Valve.com that covers the starter and airbox area, leaving a generous amount of negative space and further highlighting that stunning R100 tank.

And that starter and airbox combo, in the quest for a sleeker look and improved performance both were sent to the scrap bin! The airbox is replaced by a set of K&N pod filters inhaling the ambient air while exhale duties are taken care of by a shortened factory exhaust that is dipped in black chrome with heatshield Cobra exhaust wraps. Power is one way to improve performance, weight removal another and the starter motor and standard battery have both been ditched, the bike is now kick start only with a tiny Shorai lithium ion battery fitted in place. Handling wasn’t ignored either, the standard front forks now house Progressive Suspension springs while the rear utilises 412 series rear shocks. Renthal Ultra Low bars take care of steering duties and Stan holds onto a pair of Tommaselli grips.

“Von Doom” is just about the coolest tow vehicle you’re going to find, a 2014 BMW 328IX Sport Wagon. The body’s curves come courtesy of a full BMW M Performance Aero package that was painted, just like the rest of the package, by The Shop in Culver City in the White, Grey and Green colour combo. Just like everything else the Thule Sonic XL Roof box is colour matched and pinstriped and sits on a Thule AeroBlade Edge rack system. Slamming the whole thing to the ground is a AccuAir E-Level Air suspension setup that tucks the 20 inch HRE 501 vintage series wheels wrapped in Toyo tyres well up into the guards. “Von Doom” improves its towing capacity with an MXP quad exhaust system and a Dual software tune and standard brakes on a tow vehicle just won’t do so R1 Concept rotors are clamped by an M Performance big brake kit.

Finally there is the trailer, “The Raft” is a hand built one off single bike trailer sporting custom fenders in the same Mineral White with Charcoal and Irish Green pinstriping. The wheels match the wagon, this time measuring a trailer crazy 18×8.5 inches and again Toyo’s quality Proxes 4 plus hoops grip the road. The final touch is a beauty, having gone to all this trouble to build the perfect combo would you really want to be humping around a bike ramp to take “Lil Doom” off “The Raft” with all of that expensive paint? Of course not, so just press the button in the cabin of “Von Doom” and a second air suspension system lowers the whole thing to the ground for deadly cool looks and easy bike removal.

Every now and then something comes along that changes the game and Stan’s trifecta of custom creations does exactly that. And if you’re anything like me, by the time you’ve read this article and soaked in the fantastic photography you’re planning just how you could possibly top something this cool!

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Who’s been driving the Mercedes C111 concept around London?

It’s a rare museum-grade concept, built in the 1970s as a testbed for Mercedes’ latest technology. So what was it doing on the road in London last week, and who was the lucky driver?

You might remember the hilarious promotional video for Berlin Fashion Week 2015 we featured a few months ago, which gave a starring role to one of the Mercedes-Benz C111 concepts. Well, last week saw the event take place in London – and also saw the same C111 test its real-world credentials in the heart of the Capital. Street-spotter Renato Viani captured the unrepeatable image of the automotive unicorn passing Harrods in Knightsbridge, driven by a mechanic from the Stuttgart museum in which the car normally resides. It will next be seen in public at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, albeit as a static display.

Photo: Renato Viani

You can find hundreds of modern and classic Mercedes for sale in the Classic Driver Market.