Twins & Fins

Twins & Fins from Manuel Portugal on Vimeo.

BMW R80 ‘Indira’ by Ton-Up Garage

Words by Martin Hodgson.

When you’re a Frenchman who desires a German BMW to carve through the streets of London England then who better to turn to than Portugal’s Ton-Up Garage. This cross-continental custom BMW R80 is both a testament to its builders and the great state in which the custom motorcycle scene finds itself. Borders disappear, there are no limits other than your imagination and the skill of your builder; the language of cool customs is universal. Ton-Up’s Daniel and Pedro have proven themselves master builders and their BMW’s are some of the best in the world.

Whereas the most recent BMW to roll out of Ton-Up, Recall, maintained many of the styling cues and authenticity of a classic Bavarian, Indira as she is known is built to meet the customer’s request of a dark in colour, low to the ground and built for daily commuting. With suggestions based on past experience Daniel and Pedro were able to convince the customer that too much black would take away from the lines and with all in agreement the final design was completed. Suspension alone won’t give a low sleek look and so the BMW fuel tank was ditched in favour of a parts bin item that would give a more flowing appearance. Finished in a mixture of gloss black and matte black paint work with metallic brown detailing it sets the theme for the entire build.

To bring the BMW closer to terra firma the front suspension was rebuilt and lowered using shorter springs that still retain a level of comfort. While the single side-mounted shock is both stunning in appearance and function, but required a reworking of the fixing points to work perfectly. The factory lower shaft drive mounted position remains while the top of the shock swings on a custom bracket mated to tabs welded directly the strongest parts of the frame. All of this was vital as this bike is no show pony; it’s expected to crisscross the mean streets of London on a daily basis.

Aiding in rider comfort is one of Ton-Ups one off seats that have become a trademark of the workshop. Two tones of sumptuous brown leather are stitched with craftsman like precision and the Garage’s logo is stamped into the tail piece. The foam itself is shaped in such a way to both neatly fit the customer and also maintain the desired flowing lines. But you can’t just fit a seat like this to a standard frame, so the rear section first had to be entirely removed. A new subframe was built just for this bike and seat combo and once welded to the main frame the entire lot was sprayed in a subtle black chip-resistant coating.

Clip-ons for a low bike would have been the easy option, but the swept back bars fitted to Indira give a Brough Superior like elegance while also creating a more comfortable riding position. New levers, grips and twin button switch blocks clean up the front end. While a small headlight, single speedo gauge and even the gators add to the minimalist look and feel of the build. With being street legal a must, small bullet indicators in black feature at both ends of the BMW while a vintage style tail light is mounted to a new rear fender finished in the same gloss black that adorns the tank.

Then there are the final details, decisions that expert builders with an eye for detail make and pull the whole project in a single, uniform direction. First are the fitment of vintage Firestone Deluxe tyres whose vertical lines match beautifully to the BMW’s air-cooled fins when you view the bike front on. Finally there are those pipes, custom created headers that snake their way through the frame, neatly dressed in brown heat wrap and finishing with two snarling black reverse cone mufflers.

And therein lies the success of Portugal’s own Ton-Up Garage, an ability to take a design brief for a daily ridden low slung BMW and turn it into a show worthy custom machine that collects gazes on the streets and trophies at the show!

via PIPEBURN

2013 EMERY BUILT CUSTOM BLAJKOUT TRAIL BOUNCER

by Ricky Berry
Surely you’ve heard of rock bouncers by now. They are all the rage in the Southeast and quickly spreading. Crazy tube machines with out-of-the-box styling, all wrapped around a big nasty loud engine and huge tires. Several other factors make up a rock bouncer, of course. Generally they have small fuel cells, pretty much zero storage, and, frankly, aren’t very comfortable to sit in and are nearly impossible to get in and out of. They are built to look cool, take abuse, and kill nasty hills.

 The engine is a healthy GM LS6 with some minor modification, like ported heads and a performance camshaft. The engine area is clean and packaged well to house a front-mounted radiator and a big hydro-boost brake system. Those are two features that make this buggy pleasurable to ride on the trail because it can run cool all day and stop on a dime should it crest a giant hill with an even bigger cliff on the other side.

This isn’t a rock bouncer. We know it may look like one. You might expect to see it bouncing off the rev limiter with total disregard—and we’re not saying it can’t do that—but this is actually a multipurpose trail rig.

 It is all about the little things. Secure and dry storage using a Jeep CJ lockbox is integrated into the handmade aluminum dash along with these custom cupholders. Another detail is that each gauge features the Jeep logo, a nice finishing touch.

Emery Built Customs is a one-man operation out of West Monroe, Louisiana. Stephen Emery is a passionate trail rider with a unique style and fabrication skill that stands out apart from the rest. His creations are visually the essence of what these rock bouncers were founded on years ago: show-quality finish work with polished aluminum or chrome, and flawless paint and powdercoating. Stephen’s personal buggy, BlaJKout, was built with one major feature that no other rock bouncer buggy has: a cooler mount! While it may look like it was designed to launch a nasty hill with a 3,500-stall and burn the tires off, it is actually built to ride trails in comfort and blast nasty hills.

Rolled tube, double B-pillar, and a cooler mount

This LS V-8 powered machine is able to take on full throttle hillclimbs or comfortably cruise the trails all day. It has a large fuel cell, tunes, and a modest exhaust system. Why settle when you can have it all?

 What makes this buggy a great trail rig is not any one part but rather the combination of elements. The 5:1 Atlas transfer case provides a strong low range for crawling. The full exhaust system that dumps out behind the passengers makes for a quieter ride. A stereo is tucked inside the cab to enjoy tunes on the trail. All these features contribute to a comfortable trail rig. BlaJKout has all the fun and style of a rock bouncer, but with comfort and practicality in mind.

Tech Specs
2013 Emery Built Customs BlaJKout

Drivetrain
Engine: GM LS6
Transmission: PTC Powerglide
Transfer case: Atlas 5:1
Front Axle: HP Dana 60
Rear Axle: GM 14-Bolt

Suspension
Springs & Such: Fox 2.0 coilovers, 14-inch fronts and 16-inch rears
Tires & Wheels: 43-inch Interco TSL SX tires on 17-inch Trail Ready beadlocks
Steering: PSC full hydro with a single-ended ram
Other Stuff: Warn Zeon 10-S winch, Vision X Tantrum rock lights, Hella Black Magic headlights, custom Bluetooth stereo system, K2 cooler with custom mount system

 The interior is very clean and minimal. Lots of legroom, easy-entry door bars, and comfortable suspension seats are just three creature comforts to make this thing enjoyable on the trail. The aluminum interior panels and floor are all Rhino-lined to reduce the heat and noise coming from the engine and transmission.

From: http://www.fourwheeler.com

LUIS MOTO: A BMW R NINET SCRAMBLER, ITALIAN STYLE

If rumors of BMW’s new R nineT-based scrambler have you foaming at the mouth, but you’re the impatient type—Luis Bertelli has the answer.

He’s reworked the R nineT into a modern replica of the quintessential BMW scrambler, the R80G/S Paris Dakar. And he’s done it in spectacular fashion; if we were sitting in Munich right now, we’d be taking notes.

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Luis operates as Luis Moto out of Pisa, Italy, where he customizes bikes and sells custom parts. So everything you see here is (or will soon be) available on his online store. That’s good news if you’ve got an R nineT in the garage—and a soft spot for old dirt-biased boxers.

G/S aficionados will immediately spot the R nineT’s more obvious Paris Dakar-inspired cues: like the red seat, black knee indents and tank graphics. (Which, by the way, have been painted rather than stuck on.)

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But Luis’ mods go beyond just a few splashes of color. There’s a neat grill covering the stock headlight—which is mounted on a bracket designed to dampen vibration. And there’s a carbon fiber number board that acts as a shroud to conceal the slightly bulky clocks.

The aluminum front fender and brace are new too, and will be available unpainted or polished. And out back, Luis has constructed a rear fender that runs over the stock frame. It’s been designed to give the tail a shorter feel without the need to cut or weld anything. Mounted on it is Lucas-style tail light with a license plate bracket.

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The seat’s covered in a leather that’s been dyed at the tannery itself, to be as close to the original G/S red as possible. (Luis also plans to produce it in brown and black.) Rounding off the back half of the bike are a pair of aluminum side panels, which will be reproduced in carbon fiber for public consumption.

Aside from a new paint job, the R nineT fuel tank has been left alone. Luis removed the stock airbox snorkel from the right side though—citing weight, aesthetics and performance as his reasons. In its place is a slim carbon fiber plate, painted white to match the tank.

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Running up the left hand side of the bike is a full stainless steel, two-into-one exhaust system. It exits high, but runs inside the frame at the back to avoid creating extra bulk. Luis says he’ll be offering it as a fully customizable system, with multiple finishes and configurations to choose from—including an optional dB killer.

To get the final color scheme just right, Luis had a bunch of smaller parts redone in wrinkle black, including the headlight, triple clamps, fork lowers and instrument trim.

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Finishing off the build kit are a set of dirt-bike handlebars, adjustable billet aluminum levers, and a pair of Metzeler Karoo tires.

If BMW’s new scrambler looks half as good as this, we’re in for a treat.

Luis Moto | Facebook