BMW R80 Brat Tracker by Espiat

BMW R80 Brat TrackerSome of the finest builds we come across are from men and women who have abandoned the hustle and bustle of big city life for a quieter existence, more focused on the work of their hands. Daniel Schuh is one such builder. After five years as an art director for various startups in Hamburg, he moved back home to Mecklenburg, where he started Espiat. There he does product design, web design, corporate design and innovative, creative solutions for big clients such as MTV, Telekom, and more.

He also builds some seriously rad bikes, such as this 1984 BMW R80 brat tracker. We will let Daniel give you the full story on his incredible build.

BMW R80 RT Brat Tracker:  In the Builder’s Words

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My name is Daniel, and I am a graphic designer and motorcycle enthusiast based in northeast Germany. I know there are a lot of custom R80s on the road, but maybe you will like my interpretation of this classic bike. (Editor’s note:  Hell yes we do!) I built this beauty in the winter of 2015/2016 for my cousin.

He got the bike from a neighbor who bought it for little money. Then he suddenly stood in front of my garage and asked if I can conjure up something. First I had not so great pleasure, because so many custom BMW´s are on the roads now, but once I got to work, I quickly realized what a special bike was on my garage stands. And so I became a great fan of these simple and functional rides. I opted for a brat style, because I think that the R80 is not a pure racer. But for a stylish brat, it is the perfect base! The goal was have a clean, simple motorcycle for fun. Manageable costs and no bling bling.

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I reduced the rear frame by 20 cm and narrower by 2cm in order to achieve a homogeneous line. The seat base I laminating fit on the rear frame with fibre, brackets are equal with laminated. The front and rear fenders for the R80 we have also made of lightweight fibre. The red tank in the original paint looks really great; unfortunately, these scrapes and bumps of the trim parts, so we repainted it with a discreetly red metallic paint.

Rims and various small parts are black powder-coated. The cockpit was extremely reduced and replaced with an old-school, analog speedometer and a lightweight carbon plate. The original rear muffler I replaced with cute Shortys and a modified DB killer. Now, the sound is super smooth.

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The seat is based in a black suede and trimmed with red stitching. As I said, we want to get out a simple and comfortable fun bike. The handling improved significantly due to the massive weight loss, the new seating position, and wide handlebars. My cousin loves the simple and straight look of the bike. He is convinced of the handling characteristics.

Best regards from the Baltic Sea!

ESPIAT Brat Tracker Build Specs

  • Donor Bike: BMW R80 RT Monolever, 84
  • Frame Modifications: bespoke rear frame, lether seat, lightweight fiber seat plate
  • Bodywork: bespoke lightweight fiber rear and front fender, 16cm headlight black coated
  • Motor: 800ccm in very good conditions with only 32tkm, new seals, oil filters, adjust valves, cleaned and adjusted carburetors
  • Exhaust: shortys with custom db killer
  • Tires/Wheels: Metzeler Lasertec, original wheels black coated
  • Electronics: minimal custom wiring, LED rear lights and turn signals,
  • Other Modifications: modified foot pegs, wide Handlebar, whole bike is 30kg lighter

More pictures here: http://www.espiat.com/bmw-r80-baujahr-1982-brat-cafe-racer-umbau/

Follow the Builder

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2 Comments

  1. Absolutely awesome.

  2. Thanks CtMac 😉

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