The custom motorcycling scene out there is wild. There is one aspect that remains consistent across all jaw-dropping builds - skills. It is what helped people like Edi Buffon of Machine 1867 build the turbocharged Suzuki GS650 Bobber with a zero-dollar policy, and Wayne Buys carve a futuristic BMW R NineT out of his home garage.
The latest build that we have here for you is based on a BMW K1100 RS. This was a famed specimen among BMW motorcycles in the 90s known for its capable cross-country touring capabilities. But it was a bulky affair that could weigh in at over 600 pounds when equipped for the long haul. It has also been the choice for many custom makers over the years, because of its rock-solid chassis and an immortal engine.
Someone in West Germany also decided to create something out of this BMW. And he went in the exact opposite direction of everything that a stock K1100 RS stood for. He stripped off all its cowlings, beefed up the already capable engine, and gave it a sharp character. All of this while giving a "curvy" touch to the design.
Tim Somers of Powerbrick makes a big bulky BMW K1100 RS lose weight, embrace drama, and turn over a new "sharp" leaf.
The Man Behind This Café Racer Loves The Custom World
The clever mind behind this custom Bimmer is Tim Somers. He is the founder of performance parts specialist Powerbrick which makes custom parts exclusively for BMW motorcycles. So, he has been around this creative world for quite some time now.
His idea behind this custom K1100 RS build was simplicity. And with his experience of making cool Lego blocks for custom motorcycles, the canvas was all his! But unlike his past builds, going minimal for Tim was quite the challenge because he had to talk more with less.
This Custom K1100 RS Follows The "Less Is More" Philosophy
The donor BMW K1100 RS had its body panels in a beaten-up state. He got rid of all of them, and just keep the stock tank to work around. Frankly, looking at this build, even we were shocked that there was this angry-looking machine beneath all that cozy mile-munching stock Bimmer. Tim wanted to make this a visually intense custom machine.
And so he emphasizes more on the looks. He stretched the swingarm by about 0.5-inches and giving it a steeper rake angle to provide for the low-slung stance. It should be noted that this Bimmer came with a shaft drive, and so, extending the swingarm was not a very easy affair.
This Stretched Café Racer Gets A Hefty Dose Of Custom Parts
Given Tim's background as a custom-parts maker, it is not a surprise to see this BMW K1100 RS café racer stacked to the brim with custom parts, most of them from the house of The Powerbrick. The suspension setup is swapped for a front fork setup straight off a BMW S1000RR packing Wilbers lower stanchions and Bitubo cartridges.
The forks are coupled to Powerbrick's triple tree kit milled out of aluminum. The rear mono-shock setup is a YSS G-Racing unit that comes with adjustable speed compression apart from the normal toggle system. It is attached to the sub-frame using aluminum rear sets from Powerbrick. It gets a clip-on set that is garlanded with Motogadget bar-end indicators and Biltwell grips.
The upper steering stops are adjustable and come with a cut-out to hold Motogadget's motoscope mini digital instrument cluster. Braking duties are taken care of by Brembos at both ends. Tim has used a Brembo RCS19 brake master cylinder to provide the bite.
There was very little to play around here with the visuals here. But Tim focused on a theme, it being a single uninterrupted curve from the front to the end. He used 3D printing to create a cowl for the Koso Thunderbolt headlight which seamlessly aligned with the tank's curvature and ended at the sharp and short tail section. It is almost poetic!
Tim also packed this K1100 RS with a clever new electrical system. It is wired to a Motogadget mo.unit blue box that can be controlled via Bluetooth. Electrical juice is provided by a NOCO Li-Ion battery with a distinctive Ctek charging port backed into it.
This BMW K1100 RS Engine Gets Jacked Up With "Red"
The K1100 RS's 1.1-Liter inline-4 motor churned out 100 hp in its stock form. But that wasn't enough for this café build. So Tim boosted things up with DNA air filters, a new set of ignition coils from NGK, and superior Bosch EV14 injectors.
The timing was advanced to help it catch up to the mods. The intake manifold was also enlarged to help the engine suck in more air. A custom free-flow 4-to-1 exhaust system was carved from stainless steel and fitted with a chunky yet short underbelly muffler.
Cooling duties were taken care of by an aluminum radiator from RC Racing with cool "red" plumbing from Samco. All of this bumped up the power to about 130 horses. The reduced weight and added grip from those chunky Pirelli Diablo Rain race tires are sure to elevate the riding experience on this Bimmer.
Love It? You Are In Luck As The K1100 RS "Vigilance" Is For Sale
This custom Bimmer is for sale, and Tim would be thrilled to make it road-worthy for you. And as he is a custom-parts maker, we are sure that many of the custom parts made for his "Vigilance" build will soon be available to buy on The Powerbrick, so that you can get your skills to build a cool custom machine!
Sources: BMW Motorrad, The Powerbrick Via Facebook, The Powerbrick Via Instagram