Who would have guessed that the BMW’s first four-cylinder motorcycle, the K100 “Flying Brick,” would be reborn in the hands of custom builders 35 years after its introduction? We were lucky enough to spy this example at the Dania Beach Vintage Bike Show — the biggest vintage moto show in South Florida.
The builder is Weston Customs of South Florida, who specialized in European brands. As they say:
Vintage and modern bikes with character.
Below, we get the full story on the build.
BMW K100 Cafe Racer: In the Builder’s Words
We purchased the bike over a year ago but was sitting at the back of the shop. I always liked the looks of the K’s and wanted to build one for me, in orange with a black seat of course.
A friend of a friend approached us with a bike to build and after showing him some of the bikes we worked on, he didn’t like any of them: his mind was already set on a K100 way before we met. Fortunately, we had that one at back of the shop ready to go.
We went back and forth on a number of colors (of course I suggested orange) but he settled for a color combination he found on the web: burgundy and black with gold accents. His budget was limited, so we decided to keep most of the stock parts including wheels, suspension and rear sets. We used the budget to freshen up fluids, brake pads and tires.
The main feature of a K bike is undoubtedly its engine and how it sticks out the bike in a menacing way. Although keeping to the stock engine colors is possible, we quickly settled for an all blacked out engine with brushed logos.
The seat is from England and was designed for the “big hips” of a K bike. Still, lots of hours went into fitting it nicely — very few parts are plug and play for bikes of this era. The frame was shortened and tucked under the seat.
We went with the traditional cafe race clip ons and all the original switchgear except for the ignition key, which was replaced by an aftermarket one that fits neatly in one of the top triple tree holes.
At the time of writing, we’re still undecided on the right gauge for the bike, so the owner often rides using a GPS speedo on his smart phone.
This build was so successful for Weston Customs that two other existing customers already placed orders for K bikes. One of them is already under way and we hope to share some pictures of it shortly!
— Santiago from Weston Customs
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