Untitled Motorcycles is not your standard custom outfit. Output is hardly prolific, but the bikes invariably create ripples. And the founders operate in separate workshops, five thousand miles apart—in London and San Francisco.
This BMW comes from the London outpost, helmed by Adam Kay. And although he’s an experienced builder (with a Masters in sculpture from the Royal College of Art to boot), it was a challenge.
“The donor was one of the worst bikes we’ve ever seen,” says Adam. “A full-on, rust bucket barn find. It took ages to strip down, because every bolt was a nightmare to undo!”
The owner, Matt, was looking for a dry-weather machine, and commissioned the BMW as a gift to himself for passing some exams.
Adam’s first job was to give the 1984-spec R80 more power. So he rebuilt and upgraded the boxer engine from 797 cc to 1000 cc, using Nikasil-plated alloy cylinders. He also used new stainless pushrod tubes and graphite-forged lightweight pistons—each weighing just 140 grams [less than 5 oz.].
These mods boost power from 49 to 59 hp. Adam also reports increased torque, from 57 Nm to 72 Nm [53 ft-lbs] and a much smoother spread throughout the rev range.
The compression ratio is up from 9.2:1 to 9.5:1, and to make sure there are no surprises down the track, Adam has rebuilt the gearbox too. (The battery is hidden underneath in a custom-made box.]
The outside of the engine is looking equally good: the engine block, barrels, heads and rocker covers have been powder coated in satin black, sanded back to show the raw alloy cooling fins. The same powder shade was applied to the cleaned-up frame and wheels for an all-over stealth look.
The exhaust system uses new header pipes. “We cut them short, to allow the stubby, slash-cut mufflers to be welded to the headers,” says Adam. “We also removed the fixing points on the mufflers so they could be tucked in close to the frame.”
Untitled have kept the balance pipe, since that helps with exhaust flow—and keeps the noise down slightly. “The stubby silencers have some baffling, but basically it’s a straight through system.”
To drag the handling into the 21st century, Adam has installed the adjustable 45mm upside down forks from a Triumph Speed Triple 1050. They’re clamped onto custom yokes CNC’d up by Fastec Racing, with a mount for a Motogadget Chronoclassic speedo in the top yoke, right behind new Renthal bars.
At the back are custom Hagon shocks—made to measure for the weight of the rider. The braking gets an upgrade too, with the Brembo calipers and master cylinder from a Triumph Thruxton.
Above the shocks is a stubby bobber-style solo seat unit, finished in black suede by Glenn Moger. It’s supported by a welded-on subframe, which is an improvement on the usual bolted-on single seat that so many bobbers use.
The strengthening is there for a reason: there’s also a removable pillion seat, so the owner’s girlfriend can join him on the back. The pillion section slides into the solo seat unit, and is held in place by small bolts. Support struts then bolt onto the BMW’s rear footrest mounts.
Weather protection comes from an alloy front fender and a rear hugger, which should deflect most of the muck coming off the Heidenau K34 tires.
Adam’s focus on practicality has also extended to the troublesome area of classic bike electrics: he’s completely rewired the R80 around a Motogadget m.unit blue control box, hooking it up to switchgear and blinkers from the German company too, plus front and rear lighting from the British outfit Alchemy Parts.
It’s a super-crisp build, with lovely blue-grey paint from Image Design Custom that offsets the dark matter elsewhere. And there’s decent performance to go with the sharp looks. “I’ve test ridden it and it feels different with that front end on it,” says Adam. “Way better brakes, and the turning feels very ‘planted.’”
For anyone thinking of pulling the trigger on a custom BMW airhead, there’s textbook inspiration right here.
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