BMW K series bikes are affectionately known as “Flying Bricks” due to their unique engine layout, with the motor mounted on its side in the chassis. The heads are on the left side of the bike, the crank on the right. This layout — unique in motorcycling — is said to reduce drive train loss. In 1991, the four-cylinder K100 gained over 100cc, going from 987cc to nearly 1100cc, and the K100 became the K1100. The bike offered 100-hp and 79 ft lbs of torque. Stripped down, these big BMW ‘Bricks can move.
Enter TOMA Customs of Belgium, founded by Thomas Jeukens, who left his corporate job to establish the workshop. He says:
“I felt it was time for me to achieve one of my dreams and to fully live my passion: combining my intellectual abilities with creativity and manual work. That’s why I decided to turn my passion into my job.”
Typically, when TOMA Customs starts a project, they want to get to know their client, hear about wishes and ideas, and visualize what their dream bike would look like. For this build, however, the process was wholly different.
When their client, Olivier, came to the workshop, it was love at first sight. He fell in love with one of the workshop’s personal bikes, TOMA #1, their very first project — a vintage green BMW K1100, which they had started years ago and never quite finished. While they were hesitant at first to finish and sell their first creation, they knew it would be in good hands.
They decided to keep the original tank and align / shorten the rear part of the frame. They cut and welded a shorter frame loop and replaced the original huge saddle with a custom seat, sewed in-house out of Alcantara leather. Replacing the handlebar and changing the tires also helped work on the line of the bike.
All electronic components were replaced with new, more minimalist elements (LED indicators, LED taillights, Daytona speedometer, battery) — all to modernize the bike. They built a battery box, modified the muffler, removed the fairing and replaced it with a more aesthetic headlight, along with an original yellow side light to give it a retro touch.
The green color of the bike is inspired by vintage Italian cars.
Builder Information
Workshop: TOMA CUSTOMS
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Bike Owner: Olivier
Pictures: Olivier Truyman
Contact: Thomas Jeukens, +32 479351638, [email protected]
Follow the Builder
Website: www.tomacustoms.com
Instagram: @tomacustoms
Facebook: TOMA customs
Some nice touches, but the whole thing is lost on the kooky tank/seat line. This is not a solution to the biggest problem with the K series customs, mainly the tank and the stubborn angle of it, which is just about impossible to get right. I wonder if anybody will just tear up that whole assembly and build a tank to fit, it cannot be that difficult. But to try and solve it with tilting the seat and tank into an upside down vee shape is not the answer. Makes the bike look as if the rider is always going to be sliding and falling off the back of the seat.
Completely agree. The baseline is so visually distracting that the other details are easily overlooked.
It can be easily done, I made a subframe for the seat which follows the line of the tank. Doesn’t really look like a lot of effort went into the bike, the rearsets are horrible as standard as is the exhaust. Not trying to just slag off the bike but if this is what they do for a living I would expect more.