“Suddenly this 120kg, two-meter tall plus guy standing in my office starts to lose it and yells “BLAH BLAH STUPID, BLAH UGLY PIECE OF BLAH, MOTOR TUNING BLAH, HANDLE BARS FOR MIDGETS, BLAH BLAH, NEVER EVER…. ” I really didn’t listen completely, I just left, pissed off with myself, and went into the garage. Ronny was standing there, eyes wide open, a torque wrench in his hands in case he had to save my life: “What the FUCK HAPPENED?” He asked, “Ingo doesn’t like Cafe Racers….”
Just another story of a harmonious collaboration between punter and builder then…
Rewind. Boso San based in Germany are a race bike tuning, Motorsport shop, turning-out tricked-up CBRs and GSXRs for the track. In 2006 the Glemseck 101 cafe racer festival started right on their door step and Boso San joined the frivolities despite their differing interpretation of two wheeled nirvana. Eventually after an awesome weekend at the 2009 event the cafe bug bit, and Daniel (the teller of this tale) announced to his colleague Ronny: “We will build a Cafe Racer too! But something different. A NEO Cafe Racer.” …A year later the throb of a V-twin announced the arrival of Ingo.
The initial meeting progressed as most do at Boso San, Ingo wanted more power, everything the motor could yield. Figures such as 2000cc and 130bhp were bandied about and the bike was left in the capable hands of Daniel. They never talked about design, just power. Daniel began to strip the bike to gain access to that engine so he could impart all of the treats that would come its way. As he progressed he uncovered numerous parts of the MT that he considered ugly solutions, design changes began to formulate in his head. At 11pm that night the Skeleton of the MT stood on the bench; frame, suspension, wheels. He lit one last cigarette with dirty hands and stood staring at the MT before closing up for the night. Then he lit another cigarette and placed the tank on the frame; stared, thought. A pen and paper came out, the cigarettes were finished, the drawing began, a late night was had. The Black Bull was born.
That fateful drawing, Daniel’s late night inspiration, was presented to Ingo the very next day and as we already know, it did not go down well. Ingo really did not like cafe racers. But as he stormed out of the Boso San headquarters he snatched up the drawing.
“The next day my cell phone rang; “Ingo?” I answered the phone.
“Do it Daniel!”
“What shall I DO, Ingo?”
“Build that Bike! I love it!”
“Aha….”
“When can I come to pick it up?”
“I’ll call you” I said an shut the phone.”
Daniel’s drawing had slowly worked its magic, Ingo succumbed to the potential of his steed and gave the green light to the project. Good choice Ingo, good choice.
Daniel had not actually drawn that much, a collection of lines led by the hunched shoulders of the MT, a beast ready to pounce, more panther than bull he thought. He started with the tail and it was the last thing he finished, inspired by a Formula 1 car air intake and housing a wealth of components including intriguingly a mobile phone, more on that later. “It’s a little ironic that this beautiful piece of metal is hidden behind the silencers. But that’s what makes the Black Bull spectacular. From a distance it just looks aggressive but the closer you get, the more it uncovers its beauty”. The complete spec of the bike is dizzying, head to www.Boso-san.de for full details and to brush up on your Deutsch. Highlights include LSL headlight and bars, R1 forks, Spiegler racing kit, BKG fork clamp and pegs, PVM wheels, Revolver switchgear and a plethora of engine work…
“So many things gave us a hard time but that’s what customizing is all about. Find solutions and be prepared to find out the solution was shit.” Ingo bought into the design element of the build completely and chose to even sacrifice some performance for the striking exhaust headers that look stolen from a tank, but combined with the Akrapovic cans they give the beast the bellow it deserves. In fact the first time the boys fired it up the bike morphed from panther to bull, the ground shook like an earthquake was coming, or a stampeding Black Bull.
And the hidden mobile phone? Big Ingo can now pass his Sunday afternoons watching the bike pull in a crowd before giving the beast a call that remotely thunders it’s throbbing heart to life. Joyous.
