Final yr, Žiga Petek did one thing actually refreshing—he constructed a {custom} BMW boxer that bucked all {custom} BMW boxer developments. With sharp strains and never an inch of pipe wrap in sight, it turned heads wherever it went, and it planted the seed for Žiga’s newest construct.
Based mostly on a BMW R65, this one is simply as inventive as his earlier effort, whereas additionally being completely totally different. The story begins a number of years in the past, when Žiga turned an envoy for Flex Instruments through Gasoline&Retro—his {custom} bike workshop within the Slovenian city of Notranje Gorice. Earlier than lengthy, Žiga and the top of Flex Instruments Slovenia, Boštjan Vidrajz, turned buddies.
Then Žiga constructed the aforementioned BMW, and Boštjan was hooked. “He fell in love with BMWs,” Žiga tells us, “so it wasn’t lengthy earlier than he purchased himself an 1983 BMW R65.”
“He drove it via the summer season, after which he introduced it to my work store with some pics of {custom} BMWs. I requested him ‘do you belief me?’ He stated ‘sure,’ and that was it.”
Because it seems, Žiga already had a design in thoughts. He envisioned a café racer—however, as soon as once more, it needed to be a café racer that might eschew typical BMW café racer themes. So he stripped the R65 down to only the principle a part of the body, and began scheming.
Beginning with the rear part of an previous Honda gas tank, Žiga proceeded to form up a brand new tank, tail, fairing, entrance fender and stomach pan, all out of aluminum.
“The entrance fairing was a problem,” he tells us. “I wished to make as slim because it may very well be, however nonetheless match the fuel tank line and magnificence. I labored arduous to complete the fairing and rear finish in the way in which that I wished them—so the hammer, English wheel, shrinker, stretcher and welding machine had been my greatest buddies for fairly a while!”
The BMW’s new physique elements are as sharp as they’re attention-grabbing. The bike’s silhouette tapers neatly to the rear, with bespoke aspect covers including visible presence to the entrance half of the bike, with out utterly hiding the boxer engine. The stomach pan even hides a {custom} oil sump.
The strains really feel a bit conventional from the aspect—however rotate the bike 45 levels, and all types of attention-grabbing particulars come out. “I created these type of aero wings that cowl the perimeters of the engine and go over the cylinder heads, so as to add some efficiency type,” says Žiga. “Over these wings I added two small cast carbon winglets on both sides.”
Profiting from the additional actual property, Žiga really tucked the bike’s Motogadget keyless ignition receiver into one of many carbon winglets. There are extra cast carbon touches entrance and rear, all of which took fairly a course of to supply.
To create every little bit of carbon trim, Žiga first had the fairing and tail 3D-scanned to create a digital canvas to work on. ER Bikes’ Blaz Sustarsic then lent a hand, by translating Žiga’s concepts into digital renders. An organization named VG Forma 3D printed every prototype half, then these prototypes went to Angström Efficiency, who replicated them in cast carbon fiber.
Up entrance, you’ll spot a MotoGP-inspired entrance wing—however when you look actually carefully, you’ll additionally spot a pair of LED flip indicators sunken into it. The tail is dressed with aspect fins that additionally sport LED flip indicators, and a rear strip that wears a vertically-mounted LED taillight strip.
The truth that Žiga was busy making the anaemic R65 look quick wasn’t misplaced on him, so Gasoline&Retro handled the engine to a full rebuild—together with a bump as much as 890 cc. It additionally acquired new valves, valve springs and bearings, and a Motogadget-equipped rewire with a brand new charging system and a Silent-Hektik ignition. The unique valve covers had been trashed, so that they had been cleaned up, modified and dressed with extra cast carbon trim.
The unique Bing carbs had been swapped for Mikunis with velocity stacks. On the reverse finish, Jaka Legiša fabricated the BMW’s meandering exhaust system.
Gasoline&Retro specced the operating gear to match. The R65 wears the identical Showa forks because the Kawasaki ZX-10R, whereas the swingarm comes from a more recent BMW GS mannequin. A custom-made shock from YSS Europe props up the rear.
New spoked wheels sit at every finish, completed in black and shod with Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp tires. The brake calipers are from Brembo, the discs are from Motomaster and the strains are from Goodridge.
The cockpit sports activities TRW clip-ons, fitted with a Tomaselli throttle, Brembo clutch and brake controls, and Motogadget grips, mirrors and push buttons. The digital sprint is one other Motogadget half, whereas the LED headlight comes from Koso. Decrease down you’ll discover new rear-sets, with a {custom} shift lever and a Brembo grasp brake cylinder.
Finer particulars embody Alcantara on the seat, courtesy of Mitja Bizjak, and a handful of pink anodized bits and color-coded hoses and wires.
With the end line in sight, Žiga’s last hurdle was selecting a livery. “I used to be decided to make use of a darkish metallic blue from BMW, however with all these gloss-coated cast carbon elements, I simply couldn’t see it. Then I noticed BMW’s 2023 ‘Brooklyn Gray,’ and I knew it will be the right match.”
Matej Mrzlikar from MM Auto laid down the paint, proper right down to the logos, striping and honeycomb graphics. Every thing was carried out by hand; no vinyls.
“That is in all probability my greatest construct in my 13 years of {custom} bike constructing,” Žiga provides. “It’s been many lengthy evening shifts, however I’d do all of it once more.”
“I bear in mind myself 20 years in the past, how I dreamt about bike constructing and admired what {custom} bike builders might do with their arms… and right here I’m now. It’s simply who I’m, and if I wasn’t doing this, I don’t know what I’d be doing with my life.”
Žiga is correct to be proud—this R65 is a contemporary tackle the BMW boxer café racer style, with a degree of end that few {custom} boxers attain. However is his buyer blissful?
“When Boštjan from Flex Instruments Slovenia noticed it for first time,” Žiga tells us, “he couldn’t communicate for an hour.”
Gasoline&Retro | Fb | Instagram | Pictures by Rok Plešnar
