We’ve gone global this week, with a brutal BMW K100RS from Poland, a Triumph Scrambler with a desert sled vibe from Italy, a Honda Elsinore with CR250R power from the US, and a classy BMW R80 from Portugal.
Triumph Scrambler by Mr Martini Even though he doesn’t work exclusively on Triumphs, Italian builder Nicola Martini’s something of a brand specialist. He’s a slight mad scientist too, churning out bikes that somehow look a little eccentric, but also totally rideable.
This air-cooled Triumph Scrambler showcases his signature Mr Martini style beautifully, mashing up the Hinckley twin’s retro desert sled vibe with a few vintage MX touches, by borrowing parts from the Mr Martini kit catalogue. The stock tank is matched up to a handmade leather saddle, sitting on top of a modified subframe. A set of proper dirt bike fenders are complemented by ISDT-style head- and tail-lights, and a pair of number boards.
Mr Martini also upgraded the shocks to a set of Bitubos, painted the wheels black, and designed a rear wheel cover to beef up the looks. The low-slung two-into-one exhaust system is from BS Exhausts, and the air-box has been ditched in favor of pod filters. Finishing kit includes new dirt-bike bars, a simple dial, a perforated sprocket cover and appropriate tires.
The color scheme is a simple yellow, white and brown affair—an inspired choice for this modern classic. Mr Martini’s nailed this one, with a set of well considered mods that put an eclectic spin on the Scrambler, without sacrificing an iota of usefulness. [Mr Martini | Images by Michelangelo Agostinetto]
BMW K100RS by Dixer Parts We’re in the midst of a BMW K-series arms race, where builders are starting to push the boundaries of just how much potential they can squeeze out of the good old ‘flying brick.’ And now the Polish company Dixer Parts have just thrown down the gauntlet… spectacularly.
Dixer’s main aim was to sharpen up the the lines of the K100RS, and trim it down drastically. The job involved some serious massaging of the Beemer’s frame, along with tweaks to the OEM fuel tank. Up top you’ll find a custom seat, and behind that, a cleverly designed 3D printed tail hump. There’s a small LED taillight embedded out back, and a Lithium-ion battery hiding away underneath it.
Dixer wanted an ultra-clean mid-frame area, so the bike’s been rewired around a Bluetooth-enabled Motogadget m.unit Blue. It uses the rider’s phone to start the bike, so the crew included a USB charge port too, to play it safe.
Other upgrades include Suzuki GSX-R1000 forks, held in place by custom-machined triples. They’re designed so that the nut sits below, leaving the top super-sano with an integrated Motogadget speedo. The wheels are off a police-spec BMW R850RT—or more specifically, two of them, bought with the intention of scalping their hoops.
Finished off with a new rear shock, a Harley-Davidson Sportster headlight, and a killer four-into-one exhaust, this K sure is special. [Dixer Parts]
Honda Elsinore ‘Retromotard’ by Eric LeVine At their core, supermotards are really just motocross bikes with tarmac-specific wheels (and a few other tweaks, naturally). But they’re still a relatively modern concept—so it’s clear that this hopped-up Elsinore isn’t completely period correct.
Enter Eric LeVine, who’s been riding as long as the Elsinore’s been around, and spent his youth fantasizing about dirt bikes just like it. For this project, Eric started with the street legal version of the iconic Honda: the 1974 MT250 Elsinore, politely referred to as the ‘El Snore.’ But don’t fret—he promptly swapped the motor out for a 2001-model CR250R mill.
The Elsinore frame was treated to various tweaks, like bracing and new engine mounts, and a conversion to accommodate the CR250R motor’s exhaust port. Eric fabricated his own expansion chamber, designed so that the muffler placement would mimic the original design.
The CR250R loaned the vintage Honda its brakes too, matched up to 17” supermoto wheels and upgraded rear shocks.
The last step was adding the tiniest and most minimal accoutrements possible to make the bike street legal—including an app on Eric’s iPhone that does duty as a speedo. The overall aesthetic (and that throwback paint scheme) makes this a dead ringer for the original Elsinore—until you get to the wheels, and realize that it’s built for pure street hooliganism. [More]
BMW R65 by Unik Edition Tiago Gonçalves and Luis Gonçalves (friends, not brothers) have only been running Unik Edition in Lisbon, Portugal for a few years, but they’ve already got some solid hits under their belt. They’re a shop that’ll take on a wide range of projects too—from truly unique builds, right down to the bread-and-butter stuff, like this nipped and tucked 1986 BMW R65.
Tiago admits there’s nothing wild going on here, but it’s still a very neat example of the breed. And there’s a fair amount of work in it too: it was completely beat-up when it landed at the workshop.
After getting the bike back up to scratch, Unik repainted the original fuel tank in a classic Triumph color, then added a two-texture leather seat atop a custom-made subframe. They also added a pair of stubby fenders on hand-made brackets, and built a sharp-looking two-into-one exhaust system.
The engine, shock and rims were all treated to a fresh coat of paint too, then polished in places for a contrast effect. Up in the cockpit are a new set of higher and wider bars, new grips and mirrors, and a digital speedo. There’s a new headlight too, mounted onto the OEM BMW ears for a more classic effect.
It’s the little details that drive this one home—like the faded double pin stripes that hark back to the original paint job, the blacked-out roundels and the lick of paint on the headlight. And with practical touches like crash bars, a center stand and dual-sport tires that lean more towards street use, it’ll make for a great daily runner too. [Unik Edition]
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