One of the enduring charms of old BMW motorcycles is that they are virtually unkillable. Even if, against all odds, you do manage to put one out of commission, chances are you have a connection to someone with the know-how to resurrect it (or you possess the skills yourself). But how many people can construct a functional BMW boxer from a jumble of mismatched parts?
At a glance, this graceful machine looks like a regular, albeit incredibly tasteful, vintage BMW R60 restomod. But it’s actually a Franken-bike of the highest order—pieced together from multiple discarded donor bikes spanning three decades.
It’s the work of MotoRRetro in Sydney, Australia. Run by Vaughan Ryan and Georgio Rimi, the workshop specializes in classic car restorations and modifications, but they also occasionally divert their attention to custom bike building. And when they do, the results are spectacular.
The genesis of this project was the acquisition of a whole bunch of BMW airhead parts from a workshop that was closing down. Picking through the bones, the guys figured that there was enough there to piece together the beginnings of a working motorcycle. The result is a stunning bobber that redefines the term bitsa.
At the heart of the bike are key parts from two different BMW R60 donors. The frame and fuel tank are from a 1960s BMW R60, while the engine block and final drive come from a 1970s R60/5. From there, it gets interesting.
Calling in help from master motorcycle mechanic Giovanni Mariani, the team modified the R60 engine block to accept the crank, barrels, and heads from a 1970s BMW R100. “We machined everything to accept the R100 parts just to confuse OCD trainspotters,” quips Vaughan.
They also converted the transmission from a four-speed to a five-speed unit, all while retaining the R60’s ‘smooth case’ box. That not only maintained the drivetrain’s vintage look, but it left more clearance between the drive shaft and rear wheel, which allowed for a wider rear tire.
The frame itself was trimmed of any fat, then gusseted in key places. And since the frame and engine came from two different eras, the motor mounts had to be remade too.
The front forks are rebuilt 1980s BMW K-series units, upgraded with new Ikon springs. The wheels are R100 snowflake hoops, wrapped in Allstate sawtooth treads. MotoRRetro installed the twin Brembo disc brakes from the K-series donor up front, with custom-made adaptors to mate the discs to the R100 wheel.
At the opposite end of the bike, the R60’s classic plunger suspension hides a pair of Ikon shocks, while the R100’s rear drum brake handles stopping duties.
Sitting atop the frame’s backbone is a heavily modified R60 fuel tank. BMW historians will immediately notice that the tank’s knee pads and storage box are missing, and that its filler neck has been trimmed down and fitted with a flush-mounted gas cap.
MotoRRetro also fabricated aluminum fenders to book-end the bike and finished the bodywork off with a solo seat. A stealthy leather tool bag hangs just below the seat’s custom mounting brackets.
This neo-retro bobber sports a number of modern details, but they’ve been integrated so masterfully that they’re hard to spot. Up front, you’ll find a slick CNC-machined top yoke that hosts a set of handmade clip-on bars. Brand-new Motogadget switches and traditional BMW grips sit side-by-side on the bars.
The headlight bucket is a vintage MZ part, but it hosts a modern Motogadget speedo. Handmade brackets hold the light in place, along with a set of aftermarket mirrors and a barely noticeable pair of Motogadget LED turn signals.
There’s more trickery out back. The taillight is a slim LED strip tucked under the rear fender, and the rear turn signals are equally skinny LED strips that have been embedded in the shock tubes.
Finishing the build off is a set of aftermarket period-correct cases, mounted on custom-made brackets with extra frame bracing. They’re finished in white with black pin-striping, in stark contrast to the rest of the BMW’s piano black paint. Bits like the wheels and engine were painstakingly polished before being painted, giving the machine a better-than-factory feel.
Vaughan not only credits Giovanni for his work on the engine, but is also quick to thank Julian Lopez, Fabio Cevenini, and Gary Vincente for their invaluable help during the project. And what a team they make.
Buttoned up, MotoRRetro’s Frankensteined BMW R60 restomod looks so right, that the uninitiated could easily mistake it for an immaculately restored classic. But to those in the know, it’s an even more special machine—a mash-up of all the right pieces that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
MotoRRetro Facebook | Instagram | Images by (and with thanks to) Andrew Jones
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