CHRISTIAN’S R80RT

The legendary BMW boxer engine, rugged dirt tyres, high wide bars and a roll full of tools, just in case. Everything you could need to fulfil a compulsive wanderlust. Hit the road and let the ride unwind an adventure.

This BMW R80 RT was built in its Bavarian homeland by hobby mechanic Christian, it requited a long standing dream of his to craft this very machine. It was his first build, and the finished article is just reward for his long lonely winter spent working in the basement of his home.

Christian found the donor bike via an internet classified ad, after parting with a reasonable 1700 Euros he set to work transferring his ideas onto the metal. The bike he had purchased was a 1987 model, (type 247 for you boxer geeks) that delivers 50 bhp from its 785 cc capacity.

The mill was given a thorough overhaul by Fa. Langwieder in Neukirchen to ensure Christians graft would grace a thoroughly solid machine and that the intriguingly mounted tool roll would be more for its visual impact than its contents. The engine was then glass beed blasted to an as new finish, the rocker covers and front engine section powder coated in gloss black for contrast.

The colour scheme barely garnered a second thought from Christian, “Matte black and brown leather was the only choice for this bike. it should be angry.” Angry yes, yet undeniably classy. That giant blackboard of a tank eagerly awaits some temporary chalk scrawled directions to dictate the course of a ride.

High bars with topple unfriendly bar end indicators and reassuring mirrors are kept clean and simple with the Motogadget speedometer classically mounted in the headlight binnacle. The un-fussy matte black powder coating extends to all of the running gear including the perpetually lovely snowflake wheels. A new stainless steel exhaust system was fitted, with chrome silencers completing the colour and texture palette.

So far so Scrambler, but the seat and tail section diversify the look, seemingly more destined for a cafe style build. But the unit works elegantly with the unobtrusive rear frame which was reduced to the bare minimum required for structural rigidity. The brown leather upholstery adds a drawing room plushness to the build and compliments the aforementioned tool storage.

If you must, you could tag it as a Scramble Cafe, or if like us categorising and pigeon holes bore you, you could simply declare it for what it is; A great looking motorcycle.

Great work Christian. Enjoy the ride. For more details check out Christians page

Malaysian Cub Prix - Tourist Trophy

.

LIFE

 

LIFE from El Solitario on Vimeo.

 

The objective of this film is to illustrate the atmosphere & conditions surrounding El Solitario's creative ground, our inspirational provenance. Like our native Galicia, what we forge in our workshop is wild, rugged, thrilling, often beautiful, some times creepy... but always uncompromising. El Solitario, started life in 2010 and is very much a reverberation of its founders, friends, lifestyles and influences. This is exactly what we have tried to reveal in this picture by capturing on film, a day in the life of El Solitario; the workshop; the nature & paths around it; our technique, the permeating rain; and the deep understanding and application of the laws of causality and sustainability.

El Solitario motorcycles are not intended to seek for beauty, content or practicality, as these are attributes that dominate today's spectrum and therefore do not interest us. Our machines are mere autobiographical exercises that depict an instant capture of the vital journey in which we are immersed in, as we strive to reveal the essence of the motorized two wheeled artifact. We seek for those attributes that make a bike stand out in contemporary society's imaginary & not on the open roads. Those qualities, in the old days, easily identifiable in every motorcycle, have today been lost and it is for their recovery & exaltation that we work for. But what are we talking about here? Simple: The traits of speed, traction, power, character, personality, respect, fear, danger… Embracing these attributes, we quest to create an impact on the observer and this does not necessary mean to please their eyes with easy indulgent proposals.
We know a lot more now than when we started this long journey and our motorcycles are getting closer to our ideal. At first we followed the rules as we didn't know better, but slowly these wild side became present and more & more dominant in our agenda, only limited by the necessity of our art to be rideable, and rideable hard. We do not produce show bikes as we despise that genre, understanding that it is a shame to spend countless hours constructing, a supposedly liberating instrument like a motorcycle is, for the sole purpose of looking at it.
Enjoy the conception of Impostor and beware of your dreams as they might become true!@#
El Solitario would like to special thank:
BMW Motorrad for their bravery & support providing us with the freedom to express ourselves around their fabulous BMW R9T
Pepe Caruso for the amazing art on Impostor's tank and the titles on this film (facebook.com/TraineeHandmade)
Apenino (Marco Maril) for the great original soundtrack and sound map of our workshop
(apenino.net)
Our beautiful animals that protect us & in some cases give their lives to create more life
Those journalists and narrow minds that thought we had sold our souls when we joined forces with BMW

HCV’S OLD SCHOOL BOBBER

For a workshop you’ve probably never heard of, Halls Custom Vintage is pretty famous. Jake and Rob Hall are the go-to guys for British bike enthusiasts in the States, and they usually have five machines up on their lifts at any one time.

Most of these bikes will be restoration jobs, or build-ups for vintage motorsport. But the Halls also build the occasional custom in their North Carolina shop, like this immaculate old school bobber. It’s a 1970 Triumph TR6 assembled using parts mostly from the 1960s and 70s, with only the electrics giving the game away.

Jake could completely rebuild a British motorcycle while still in 9th grade, and the build sheet is instant proof that the Halls know their stuff. The 650cc motor has been blueprinted for high performance and reliability, with new .040 pistons, bearings, a resurfaced cylinder head and a three-angle valve grind job. The carb is an Amal 932 currently jetted for an altitude of 2,200 feet. The exhaust system comes from another company renowned for its skill and craftsmanship, Factory Metal Works, and was nickel-plated locally.

After blasting the front loop of the frame and mating it to a bolt-on hardtail, the whole shebang was powder coated and fitted with a genuine Wassell tank, painted by Glenn Mann in the style of a 1950s T100 flat tracker. Up ahead are solid 7/8 bars hooked up to a TR6c upper triple clamp, with tapered bearings keeping the steering smooth.

The stock 19” front wheel is fitted with Dunlop K70 rubber, and out back is a 16” shod with a vintage Carlisle tire. There’s no battery, thanks to a Boyer Power Box and a Pazon ignition system, but the bike starts first kick when warm. And who wouldn’t want to fire this old school bobber up on a sunny Saturday morning?

For more about Jake and Rob Hall, check out this fascinating profile in Capital at Playmagazine.

Images © Frank Bott. Check out his website and Facebook page for more fine motorcycle photography. To contact HCV, send an email via their own website.