A BMW bike fit for Lawrence of Arabia

If Lawrence of Arabia had crossed the desert by motorcycle, rather than by camel, he’d almost certainly have opted for this intriguingly modified BMW R100GS…

Utilitarian cool

Aside from the obvious khaki colour scheme, modifications include a pared-back sub-frame and exhaust system, dynamic engine tuning, chunky off-road tyres and – hipster alert – a handlebar-mounted Leica camera. Incidentally, this bike is currently offered for sale in the Classic Driver Market. It might appeal primarily to urban hipsters, but if you are planning a trans-Saharan adventure, this could be just the tool for the job. How it fares in guerilla train-wrecking raids, on the other hand, is another question altogether. 

Photos: Autosalon Stich

You can find this bike and many others offered for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

The advocate’s devil – a very special MGB GT V8

An MGB that accelerates as quickly as a Ferrari? Anything’s possible, as we've learned this week from our reader, Rolf Jäger. The Munich-based lawyer owns this MGB GT V8, from which RPI Engineering has coaxed a devilish 275bhp…

As luck would have it...

The story began in March this year, when Jäger attended Retro Classics in Stuttgart with a friend. He had no intention of purchasing anything, until a track-prepared MGB on one exhibitor’s stand caught his eye. “After taking a closer look and having a very informative chat with its owner, my interest became concrete,” says Jäger. “However, I pointed out that my intentions were not so much directed at fast lap-times, but more at everyday adrenalin.” And after an early experience with an MG Midget as a trainee lawyer in London, anything but a restored vehicle was out of the question. “The seller pricked up his ears,” he says. “He had something very special in his collection, but would first need the blessing of his wife, as it concerned their holiday car.”

The virus takes hold

Three days later, more information reached Jäger. Said holiday car was a right-hand-drive MGB GT V8 from 1976, with its performance essentially doubled by RPI Engineering in England from a humble 137bhp to a scintillating 275bhp. The owner also had the photos you can see here, taken by advertising photographer, Mario Brunner. “When I saw the performance specifications, I was infected, and convinced this was the car,” he says. Had his hand not been in plaster due to a ski injury several days before, he would have gone to test the car immediately. While the hand healed, Jäger extensively researched the history of the monstrous MGB, only succumbing to the ‘virus’ more and more severely.

To Munich...

The time had come: the evaluation and first test drive were all that stood in the way of Jäger signing on the dotted line for the MGB. Having travelled to Munich, he had ample opportunity to familiarise himself with the special features of the coupé, such as the four-speed overdrive gearbox, manually switchable cooling fans, stainless steel exhaust system and thoroughly optimised chassis. Meanwhile, the 4.6-litre Rover V8 was developing around 275bhp at 2,750rpm. 

When the wolf wakes...

Acceleration from 0-100km/h takes about 5.2 seconds, around the same time as the Ferrari 512 BB of the same year. This begs the question of how the car handles. “It's very civilised,” laughs Jäger, “if you don’t wake the wolf in sheep’s clothing…” There’s more to this MGB than its muscle-car performance, though. Details such as the contemporary fabric roof awning with wind deflector, leather heated seats with red piping, the map light from Hella, and the sheepskin carpets; they all add so much charm to the little MG. We imagine Jäger would have signed for the car with his blood, if he’d had to. 

Photos: Mario Brunner

GOING DUTCH: BOY JANSSEN’S XT 600 DESERT SLED

Most custom bikes lead pretty easy lives. Even scramblers and dirt trackers are likely to spend more time on road than off. But this tough Yamaha XT 600 is the real deal—built to follow a rally team through North Africa.

It belongs to Boy Janssen, who recently swapped the streets of Amsterdam for a quieter life in the Dutch countryside. “Some people thought we were crazy, but the move made perfect sense for us,” he says. “We’re in the middle of the best back roads, and living in a house with a workshop.”

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Boy is now building bikes full time, and the XT 600 is the first bike to roll out of his new Pancake Customs workshop. It’s already had a good shakedown: in April, Boy handled spannering duties for the Black Ram team during the Libya rally.

It’s an ‘extreme desert challenge‘ that’s held in Morocco rather than Libya, with seven brutal stages running over 2,400 kilometers. “There was some space left over in our 6×6 truck,” says Boy. “As a bike builder I didn’t want to take a stock bike, so I started this project.”

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“The first thing to go was that awful XT 600 subframe with the integrated muffler, and the fuel tank. I really like the Triumph desert sleds from the 1960s, and that was my inspiration for the rear end.”

It’s now much cleaner, with a simple metal fender tucked under the new rear frame loop.

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After testing several different tanks, Boy found a neglected DT400 unit—and it’s a perfect match. Right behind is a custom seat with a practical heavy canvas cover, built by local specialist Silver Machine.

All the electronic components are now hidden under the tank, and connected with a new wiring loom. It’s a battery-free setup.

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Up front, Boy has shaved the top triple tree and positioned the bars a little bit lower than usual. He’s also made a frontplate housing two compact lights—a modern take on the desert sled look.

The Yamaha XT 600 engine is usually bulletproof, and this one was no exception. After a thorough check and a few adjustments to suit the foam pod filters, it was good to go.

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Like the other mods, the exhaust system is simple and effective—exiting under the seat and out of harm’s way in case of a crash.

The only thing left was to fit Heidenau K60 rubber and apply a fresh layer of flat black powder coat. It’s now the perfect machine for ripping up the dunes—or the dirt tracks of rural Holland.

Pancake Customs | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Berber Theunissen

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Best of vidéo du Tourist Trophy 2015

Best of vidéo du Tourist Trophy 2015 par motojournalbuzz