Using a BMW R nineT Urban G/S as a base, this blacked-out and carbon-fiber clad scrambler mixes craftsmanship with a generous helping of post-apocalyptic style.
‘Thor’ is the work of Anton Knutsson of Injustice Customs, who decided to reinvent the classic ‘desert sled’ look for the colder, muddier climate of Sweden.
Anton started Injustice Customs in 2016, but his love of motorcycles goes much further back. His father was a European four-stroke dirt bike champ, and Anton followed in his tire tracks.
Then a horrendous crash in the Swedish championship broke Anton’s hip and both his arms, and his riding career was over.
That would be enough to put most folks off motorcycling, but not Anton. While working at a marketing agency during the day, he built bikes during every hour of his spare time. Then two months ago, he jettisoned the day job and went pro.
His girlfriend Susanna Gray helps with the bookkeeping, but otherwise he’s a one-man army.
“I started the company in Stockholm but when I met Susanna I decided to move down to Gothenburg on the west coast. It’s a great city for a custom shop, because of its history with Volvo cars—so you can find all kinds of industrial companies in the area, specializing in different things.”
The idea for the R nineT build started to germinate last year, when Anton took a big road trip across the Pyrénées, through the Alps and back to Sweden. “It was incredible, but I was on a flat-tracker,” he says. “It would have been much more enjoyable on something purpose-built for adventure.”
He started talking to BMW. “BMW are leaders in the adventure motorcycle scene, so it seemed natural.”
Anton’s customs usually fit the ‘modern classic’ mold, so his build was never going to look like the typical farkled-out ADV behemoth. “I’m not really into the big adventure bike world,” he confides. “This build would be my take on a bike I’d love to ride—and the R nineT Urban G/S was the perfect starting point.”
BMW jumped on board with the concept, and so did Öhlins. “When we started this project BMW said, ‘Don’t reshape the gas tank and don’t cut the frame.’ Usually, I think rules are made for breaking. The gas tank is the element of the R9T that I like the least, so they really gave me a challenge to work around!”
Anton started sketching out his plans: big ground clearance, powerful lighting, and (obviously) top-quality suspension. It would be a desert sled for snow and unpaved roads.
That meant installing a full suite of Öhlins’ new ‘Blackline’ kit, with a few discreet mods. There’s a USD fork with one-inch longer tubes, an S46 shock around an inch longer than the OEM fitment, and a steering damper. As the name suggests, the new Blackline suspension thankfully replaces Öhlins’ usual blingy gold finish for a much more sophisticated monochrome.
Anton designed a new set of triple trees, got them machined up and anodized in the UK, and new brake caliper mounts. He decided to keep the ABS, traction control and heated grips, which meant designing custom ABS brackets too.
The brake system is now based around dual Beringer four-piston calipers at the front, with custom machined brackets, and Beringer master cylinders for both the brake and clutch. The fluid lines are new and there’s a set of ‘waved’ disks too.
The air-cooled R nineT boxer engine has lots of fans, with 110 stout German horses on tap and a broad spread of usable torque. So Anton has just given it a tickle, with DNA high flow filters replacing the airbox and a custom-made titanium exhaust with an SC-Project superbike-style muffler at the outlet end.
The 2-into-1 pipework snakes tightly under the bike. “I really wanted it to look compact,” Anton says. “The headlight is big, and the tank is also fairly big, so when it came to the rest of the bike, I wanted it to be sharp and slim.”
Anton’s also added an aluminum cover on the right side of the tank where the ‘snorkel’ usually goes, and given the engine covers the Cerakote treatment for extra style and durability.
He’s kept the shape of the R nineT tank—but swapped it out for a carbon fiber replica from Ilmberger Carbon. It’s painted with a stealthy, transparent camo finish. Image Design Custom, a UK company with 12 years in the business, handled the paint.
According to Image’s Tom Fuller, “It’s a challenge when you tackle carbon fiber—it often has lots of pinholes, which affects the paint. But this carbon fiber was really high quality, which made things much easier. The top coat is a matte ‘denim’ lacquer, which buffs up in high wear areas, just like a pair of jeans.”
The color theme continues to the back of the custom seat, but the headlight unit was much trickier. “We tried to 3D print the ring in carbon fiber, but it wasn’t strong enough,” Anton admits. The 7” LED light unit is now surrounded by a two-piece aluminum ring.
Right behind are Anton’s favorite MX bars: ProTaper’s ‘Windham bend.’ These have a ton of sweep for comfortable riding, and are almost akin to beach cruiser bars.
The Urban G/S is now christened ‘Thor,’ after the hammer-loving Norse god associated with thunder and lightning. But there’s plenty of subtlety happening here too—a blend of show-stopping good looks and functionality.
It’s BMW ready to handle serious Nordic adventures in style.
Injustice Customs | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Alex Aalto
from Bike EXIF http://bit.ly/2M3r2rD
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