Previous BMW airheads have all the time been straightforward targets for personalization. The motors are easy and simple to work on, the bodywork is modular, and there’s a stable two-decade manufacturing run of interchangeable components to drag from. One would possibly even say they’re the simplest bikes to construct—although we’d dare anybody to name this tradition BMW R69 from Möbius Storage straightforward.
In line with builder Sébastien Beaupère, this venture has been within the works for over a decade. Design began again in 2012, and the bike has slowly been taking form ever since, in his storage within the south of France. Ten years could sound like a very long time for a single venture, however when you get into the main points, there’s no query about the place the time went.
Dubbed ‘Izarra 700,’ this BMW is a testomony to what’s on provide alongside the highway much less traveled. Its current first place win at this 12 months’s Wheels and Waves pageant in Biarritz was simply as hard-earned because it was well-deserved, and the work that went into every exacting element begs for a more in-depth look.
Take Izarra’s engine, for instance. You’d be forgiven for considering this was simply one other early-model boxer motor that’s been polished up for show—however what you’re truly seeing here’s a bonafide singularity.
The block ought to be acquainted to BMW connoisseurs of a sure distinction, as Sébastien sourced it from a 1955 R69. The remainder of the motor, nonetheless, isn’t from a motorbike in any respect—it’s from a 1964 BMW 700 vehicle, which Sébastien painstakingly grafted into place in opposition to all odds.
“I spotted that the stroke of the connecting rods of the automobile engine and the bike have been equivalent,” explains Sébastien. “Solely the bore is greater on the automobile, which makes for a hyper sq. engine. On paper all the things appeared easy…”
In follow, nonetheless, Sébastien rapidly discovered that there was nothing easy concerning the endeavor. The primary hurdle was that the automobile cylinders didn’t fairly match up with the R69 crankcase. He might have stopped there, however as a substitute selected to refill the case openings with aluminum, after which re-machine them to accommodate the 700’s cylinders.
After that, issues solely acquired more durable.
Tubes and rocker arms needed to be fabricated to the suitable size. The automobile’s central consumption format was fully reworked to accommodate twin horizontal Dell’Orto carburetors. And {custom} exhaust retailers have been machined from chrome steel.
Sébastien even selected to maintain the automobile’s unique four-speed gearbox, which meant that engine mounts needed to be modified to maintain the drivetrain correctly aligned.
As soon as the powertrain was lastly completed, Sébastien utilized the identical uncompromising ethos to the chassis. He wished to keep up one thing of a classic BMW Rennsport aesthetic, so an Earles fork was the one critical alternative for a entrance finish.
A classic unit was sourced, then modified to be shorter and wider within the identify of efficiency. The entrance shock absorbers have been upgraded to twin Öhlins models for elevated compliance and adjustability, and an 18” spoked wheel was fitted to the entrance, wrapped in 140-wide Michelin flat observe rubber.
Izarra acquired the identical efficiency therapy on the rear. By modifying a BMW /6 swingarm, Sébastien was capable of stuff a 160-wide tire in there. It’s suspended from a custom-fabricated subframe with a second pair of Öhlins shocks.
The result’s a stout performer with dealing with to match. Between the engine’s high-compression pistons, enlarged valves, tuned consumption and exhaust ports and upgraded carbs, it now makes a wholesome 65 horses at 7,500 rpm. However as candy as this motor is, efficiency is barely half the story; this bike is pure visible pornography too.
Sébastien took his time with each single element—just like the gas tank. He might have gone the straightforward route and maintained the traditional BMW darkish paint and ivory pin-striping that adorns the entrance and rear fairings. However as a substitute, he lined the cumbersome Rennsport-style aluminum gas cell with a radiant brass coating.
This theme continues by the remainder of the R69’s particulars, from the engine’s brass rocker arms and freeze plugs, to the spacers on the shocks, and all the way in which as much as the hanging mesh windshield that sits atop the custom-made entrance fairing.
Izarra’s tail cowl borrows its form from the Ducati racers of the late 70s—like Mike Hailwood’s notorious TT-winning 900NCR. The cut up upholstery that sits on prime was taken from an previous Cessna airplane inside, making for one more really distinctive element.
All over the place else you’ll discover clear traces and pure minimalism at its best. Sébastien wished to maintain uncovered cables and wiring to a naked minimal, which led him to ditch the battery completely and rely as a substitute on both a kick starter or a paddock starter—like a correct race bike. He even went as far as to route the hydraulic brake traces by the fork itself.
Clearly, Izarra was no straightforward construct. Ten years is a very long time, however for Sébastien, it was time effectively spent.
Positive, you may argue that da Vinci solely took three years on the Mona Lisa, or level out that the Statue of Liberty was accomplished in lower than a decade. However neither of these can get your blood pumping like this two-wheeled fireplace manufacturing unit—and for that, we are saying chapeau!
Möbius Storage Instagram | Pictures by Damien Lorrai
