Within the mid 90s, the K1100 RS sat on the high of the BMW vary. It was the game tourer par excellence, at dwelling on the autobahns and interstates. A completely-loaded RS can be nudging 600 kilos on the scales, however that mattered lower than its capability to cruise at triple-digit speeds all day lengthy.
Quick ahead thirty years, and there are significantly better machines than the Reisesport (journey sport) for lengthy haul mile-munching. However the K1100 has good bones, and the inline 4 engine, laid over on its facet, has each torque and energy to spare. Which makes it a wonderful alternative for a customized bike, particularly if the heavy fairing is beginning to present battle scars.
This spectacular café racer is without doubt one of the sharpest K1100 builds we’ve seen, and means that the platform is coming of age within the customized scene.
The person behind the machine is Tim Somers—the founding father of the Dutch BMW elements specialist Powerbrick. Tim made his debut on these pages final week, once we featured the R9T he constructed along with his compatriot Arjan van den Growth.
This solo effort may be very totally different to Cloud 9, however simply as interesting, with stripped-down visuals matched to intelligent engineering. Tim’s background is industrial design, and he’s gone to city on this K1100—utilizing CNC machining for the aluminum and stainless-steel elements, and 3D printing for the entrance and rear bodywork.
“The visible strains had been my primary focus,” he tells us. “I needed to construct a motorcycle that made sense from each route, with the principle line being the highest curve—working from the entrance of the Koso Thunderbolt headlight over the tank to the rear cowl.”
“It makes the bike ‘low’ and provides it an aggressive stance.” That stance is accentuated by the swingarm, which has been prolonged by 15 mm (about 5/8”) regardless of the complexity of the Paralever design.
The swingarm is attached to a YSS G-Racing monoshock, which has adjustable hi-low pace compression in addition to the same old vary of knobs to twiddle. It’s flanked by Powerbrick’s personal rearsets, milled from aluminum.
The entrance finish has been utterly overhauled, with S1000RR forks utilizing Wilbers decrease stanchions and Bitubo cartridges. The forks are hooked up utilizing Powerbrick’s personal triple tree package, crafted from aluminum, and anodised in black. It’s fitted with adjustable steering stops and an insert for the Motogadget motoscope mini digital instrument.
The clip-ons are furnished with Motogadget bar-end indicators and Biltwell grips, and Tim has additionally put in a Brembo RCS19 brake grasp to feed the Brembo HPK GP4-RS monobloc radial entrance calipers and Serie Oro discs. They’re related by Venhill brake strains.
The K1100 RS engine pumps out round 100 hp in inventory kind, however Tim has boosted this with DNA air filters, new ignition elements from NGK, and top-spec Bosch EV14 injectors. He’s additionally ported the intakes to get extra air getting into the engine, and barely superior the timing.
He’s additionally grafted on a free-flowing stainless-steel exhaust system: a 4-into-1 structure terminated with a stubby muffler. And temperatures are stored in test by an aluminum radiator from RC Racing, plumbed in with Samco silicone hoses. Energy is now an estimated 130 hp.
Tim has stored the closely scalloped customary tank however ditched the remainder of the bodywork—which should have saved various kilos of weight. A brand new subframe retains the strains tight and supplies a connecting level for the revised monoshock association.
Beneath the hood, there’s a brand new electrical system wired as much as a Motogadget mo.unit blue field which will be managed by way of Bluetooth. There’s additionally a NOCO lithium battery with a discreet Ctek charging level alongside.
If all this butters your toast, you’ll be glad to know that the K1100 is on the market. Tim will even embrace a Ctek charger, and swap out the Pirelli Diablo Rain race tires for highway authorized rubber.
Tempted?
Powerbrick | Fb | Instagram | Photographs by Paul van Mondfrans Lindén
