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The recent boom in the Café Racer scene, particularly with classic BMW twins has resulted in lots of project bikes coming in to us for work. Does your bike look nice never quite run right?maybe you lifted the tank to uncover a birds nest of wires, surely its not supposed to look like that? From a simple Tappets, Timing & Carbs service to full engine strips & loom re-wires. Whether you've built the bike yourself and just need some finishing touches or you've bought a project and want to know that its safe Grahams Motorcycles have you covered.
Here are some examples of projects we have undertaken in the past, for customers + for ourselves. Some of which are still ongoing so check back for updates!
Born out of frustration, with the average quality of BMW Café Racers we saw on a weekly basis. This bike originally belonged to a customer of ours, It was well used, not so well looked after. When it was stolen and recovered by the police, The bike was in such a state it was deemed 'beyond economical repair' by his insurance and he offered us the salvage.
We are firm believers that nice, original, classic BMWs are better off staying that way and it is such a shame when someone buys a lovely example only to proclaim 'I'm going to Café Racer it!".
Because of its poor condition we decided there was no harm in giving it a new life. This was exactly the sort of bike that should be torn to shreds in the name of Café culture.
The Beginning:
The bike started out life as a 1979 R80/7 with unknown mileage (probably 120k or so). We stripped away all the parts that were no longer needed and started our plan, a simple rule was decided. Only BMW parts were to be used. The year of manufacture didn't matter but it had to remain, at heart, a BMW Motorcycle. It also must be useable, it will be a 'show bike' a bike that displays all of our not inconsiderable skills and capabilities but most importantly would be rideable. Not just ridable, but an enjoyable ride.
The initial plan was simple, keep the engine and frame, upgrade the suspension and the brakes. A 40 year old engine has charm and character. 40 year old brakes and suspension - not so much.
We started with the front forks. Upside down forks have become the norm in 2020, I could try explain why the lower unsprung weight makes all the difference but if were being honest, its a 40 year old engine, weight reduction is pretty redundant. The important thing is, upside down forks look cool! So if we wanted this bike to look the part, then usd forks were a must. We decided on F800R forks (2015-) and managed to buy a top + bottom yoke with forks and spindle in fair used condition on eBay. The F800 + R80 had nearly the same headstock bearings which helped for installation however the spindle between the yokes (where the steering pivots) was about 20mm longer on the F800. We sent the bottom yoke to our good friend, and great engineer, Roger Bennet. The original spindle was tapered so could not simply be shortened. Roger turned a new spindle to our specification and installed it into the bottom yoke.
TBC - So far this project is 3-4 years in - I will update this thread as often as I get time - Thanks for reading, Stephen
What started out as a cheap bike to put me on quickly spiralled into one of the most expensive and time consuming projects I've completed!
I bought a 2006 R1200S with 107,000 miles on the clock for the princely sum of £1300 in July 2023. The initial plan was to just run it for the season, a cheap run around; or so I thought.
Browsing eBay I stumbled upon a 2020 DOHC engine from an R nine T for £1200! I had always wondered why BMW stopped manufacturing the S series before the DOHC engine was released, based on the engine used in the HP2 Sport, it only makes sense to fit one to the R1200S. But seeing as BMW never bothered I thought I'd have a go!