September custom roundup: The all-BMW edition

Our bespoke BMW showcase kicks off with a svelte R100 from the Indonesian workshop Treasure Garage. Next, we check in with German BMW virtuoso Woidwerk to take a look at his R100GS Gentlemen's Scrambler. And for the second month running, we visit the Japanese workshop of Custom Works Zon where they put together an audacious alloy-bodied R 18.

Treasure Garage BMW R100 for % Arabica

Balinese workshop Treasure Garage (Instagram) has captured the attention of the custom motorcycle world with its cyberpunk-esque creations. This approach was epitomized by the workshop's Astro Boy Yamaha R6, which we featured back in November of 2023. This time around, they've built something rather out of the ordinary, or should I say more ordinary? It's a strikingly Spartan 1978 BMW R100.

This project is the fourth that Treasure Garage founder Imanuel "Nuel" Prakoso and his team have completed for coffee brand % Arabica. Built over the course of a year, the project faced several challenges, mainly due to a lack of locally available parts. Large-capacity motorcycles are somewhat of a rarity in Indonesia and vintage BMWs even more so. Despite the drawn-out production time, Nuel persisted and the result has definitely been worth the wait.

Rather than an outlandish neo-retro-styled ride, % Arabica wanted a motorcycle that better suited the laid-back, beach-life styling of their two Bali cafés. This translated into a color palette of primarily white and a look inspired by the simplified forms of a bicycle. To meet the brief, Treasure Garage has removed all of the R100's original bodywork and replaced it with only the very bare essentials.

The new hand-shaped aluminum bodywork consists of a slimline fuel tank that holds more than enough fuel to travel between % Arabica's Bali venues. A tail unit with enough room for one replaces the bulky original unit and a tiny hand-shaped fender sits snugly over the front wheel. Each piece was designed to expose the key functional components of the R100, being the chassis, engine, and wheels.

To keep the 46-year-old airhead running its best, the engine has had a complete overhaul. The updates included the fitment of FCR carbs, a free-flowing airbox, and a pie-cut stainless exhaust system that all work together to unlock a few additional horses. The R100's original Brembo brakes and fork have also been rebuilt as part of the overhaul and there's a pair of Öhlins shocks in the rear and Pirelli tires for an altogether smoother ride.

Leaving no stone unturned, this motorcycle's electrics have been thoroughly updated, too. The wiring is now managed by a Motogadget mo.unit and there's a lightweight lithium battery stashed within the triangle of the frame. The tiny turn signals and digital speedometer hail from the Motogadget catalog, too, while the yellow-lensed headlight is an aftermarket addition. The acrylic brake light that sits within the tail was built in-house.

The finishing touch is a paint scheme inspired by % Arabica’s café interiors of white with gold and tan highlights. I've always considered motorcycles and coffee a great combo and here's the proof.

Woidwerk BMW R100GS Da Toni Scrambler

Since 2015, Ralf Eggl has been the driving force behind the custom workshop, Woidwerk (Instagram). Despite being a one-man-show, Ralf's amassed a portfolio of over 50 custom builds which the mechanic and master craftsman has designed and fabricated himself. Located in the Bavarian municipality of Regen, it's no surprise Ralf specializes in modifying motorcycles produced by BMW. This extensively modified 1995 BMW R100GS Classic is his latest achievement.

Although he's always eager to take on a new project, Ralf had some reservations about this one. "My customer came to me with a BMW R100GS Classic that he had had for 25 years and had dreamed of converting into a classy scrambler," Ralf says. "But I thought BMW fans might stone me for converting a Classic, especially in dream condition, as these are now collector's bikes." After Ralf expressed his concerns, the customer insisted, and seeing as he'd owned and cared for the bike for so long, Ralf obliged.

"The aim was to build a beautiful scrambler that would work well for both short road trips and everyday use," Ralf explains. So, the first step in achieving his client's goal was turning the '90s-styled Gelände/Straße into a true "Gentleman's Scrambler." To do this, Ralf ditched all of the Dakar-styled bodywork and modified the rear of the chassis in preparation for the look he had in mind.

Perched on the backbone of the modified chassis is a Kawasaki Z750 fuel tank chosen because of its classic silhouette. Behind it, a custom-made leather-clad two-up seat and custom rear fender. Another one-off fender sits high above the front wheel. The new lighting consists of a retro Bates headlight and tail light, and Motogadget Mo-Blaze bar end and license-plate-mounted Mo-Blaze Pin turn signals. At the client's request, Ralf also designed and fabricated a removable bracket for a Wunderlich saddlebag.

With the changes in styling came a significant weight change. To better suit the new configuration, and to modernize the handling, Ralf has revised both the suspension and brake systems. The original fork has been kitted out with Andreani cartridges while the rear end now sports a premium Wilbers Blackline shock. Meanwhile, stopping power has been hopped up with the installation of an ABM disc and caliper up front.

The rest of the aftermarket additions on the Da Toni Scrambler include a Motogadget Motoscope Tiny Speedometer, Highsider Montana Blast mirrors, a lithium battery that sits under its own leather cover, a customized Hattech two-into-one-into-two exhaust system, and a removable GPS navigation unit that sits below the handlebar. Of course, fitting all this to the GS was no bolt-on affair, so Ralf fabricated a plethora of brackets to position everything exactly how he wanted. The resulting bike is far from the GS that BMW built, but one that is worthy of being labeled a Gentleman's Scrambler.

Custom Works Zon BMW R18 B Ground 0

Yuichi Yoshizawa and Yoshikazu Ueda of Custom Works Zon (Instagram) have been doing something right. Along with servicing private customers, they've amassed an impressive portfolio of manufacturer-commissioned builds. Last month, we saw their Mutt Motorcycles Sabbath 250 project, but this time around they've got something much bigger to share. In fact, this motorcycle has an engine seven times the capacity of the Sabbath and is the biggest twin the manufacturer has ever released (until the R 20 goes into production), the BMW R 18 B.

Custom Works Zon was tasked with this project after Yoshizawa-san judged the 2023 BMW Motorrad Customizing Championship. "It was part of BMW's 100th anniversary celebrations," says Yuichi. "Custom builders from all over the world modified BMW R 18s. After that, I was asked by the head of the BMW design team to 'create a custom vehicle that gives a sense of the next 100 years.' The result was this bike, which we have named Ground 0."

Leveraging their impressive talent for shaping sheet metal, Yuichi and Yoshikazu have transformed the R 18 B into an audacious custom that defies definition. Its wide rear end has a 1950s space-aged automotive design feel about it, with its fin-shaped tip and twin tail lamp arrangement. As for the front fairing, which sports a Perspex and carbon fiber screen, it conjures up thoughts of a Ridley Scott xenomorph. Then there's the tank cover, which resembles the center console of a modern SUV. However, despite the conflicting design styles, it somehow works.

Beyond the bodywork, the most impressive modification made to this R 18 is how Zon has rearranged the hand controls. The handlebar is a custom creation fabricated using a mix of round and flat bars. At first glance, the controls look to be cable-driven, but in reality, the fluid reservoirs have been relocated behind the fairing. The notoriously bulky modern switch blocks have been relocated, too, and sit behind the windscreen as a single assembly. Bullhorn levers complete the transformation and leave the bar clutter-free. As for the R 18 B's huge digital dash, it's been frenched into the tank cover and sits inside a hollow cut into the stock fuel tank.

To complete Ground 0, Zon teamed up with Japanese leather goods artisan Kuureiyonsoku to make the R 18's equine-looking saddle. Zon's go-to painter, Mr. G, added the silver leaf and pinstriped flames over the raw alloy bodywork and the Ground 0 graphics to the tail.

Custom Works Zon is a workshop that likes to march to the beat of its own drum. This R 18 may defy definition, but one thing is for sure, it'll never go unnoticed.