Aerospace Grade: BMW R NineT “7075 Koffee”

BMW R nineT Cafe Racerr

Le Motographe creates an arsenal of aerospace-grade parts…

The BMW R nineT is an 1170cc air/oiled-cooled “oilhead” roadster with retro styling, developed as a “blank canvas for customizing.” Few of today’s bikes lend themselves to customization, given the wealth of wiring, ECU’s, large airboxes, radiators — just so many elements for any builder to address. But the BMW has a separate chassis and engine wiring harness, a removable subframe, and many components designed for easy removal and replacement.

BMW R nineT Cafe Racerr

This design has opened the door for artisan builders like France’s Le Motographe to develop a range of parts for these machines. Jerome and Yvan, who’ve made a huge splash in the customs world with their WR450 Skeleton and LMTG 450 Rally builds, have been using their custom builds as test beds for designing, prototyping, and testing components.

BMW R nineT Cafe Racerr

Last year, they focused on their Royal Enfield 650 parts line, and now they’ve unveiled their R nineT range of parts developed from the build you see here, their “7075 Koffee” — a 2020 R nineT built with lots of high-quality, aerospace-grade aluminum components:

“These parts, like all the others designed for this project, were machined from very high quality aluminum (7075 and/or 6082-T6), frequently used in the aeronautical field.”

BMW R nineT Cafe Racerr

Highlights include the fork trees, which allow the installation of a Motoscope Pro digital speedo and include half handlebars integrated directly into the top yoke — tres trick! — as well as a fully adjustable headlight bracket. They also redesigned the passenger pegs, foot pegs, tank cap, and installed a new subframe and rear loop:

“This rear loop now incorporates LED brake lights and turn signals, giving the machine a completely new lighting signature for a sleek and elegant overall result.”

Below, we get the full story on the “7075 Koffee” with more photos from photographer Damien Lorrai.

BMW R nineT: In the Builder’s Words

BMW R nineT Cafe Racer

In the past few years, we have been working on various custom projects for our customers’ motorcycles. As designers by profession, we have often designed the parts and accessories we need for our projects ourselves. We pay particular attention to the right proportions and the balance of the shapes used, but also to the intended field of application and the quality of our products. After working on the development of a set of custom parts for the Royal Enfield 650 last year, we have expanded our design office to do even more.

BMW R nineT Cafe Racer

We pride ourselves on producing high quality designs, whether it’s for radical projects (LMTG 450 Rally) or everyday bikes (Royal Enfield 650 Adv Kits) — in particular on this last project, a new 2020 BMW R nineT prepared in an entirely bespoke manner for one of our customers.

On this project, there were many components specially designed by us for the occasion, complemented by products from other brands known for their quality (Akrapovic, Zard, RSD, Highsider, etc.)

One of the main elements that we developed for this project was a set of fork trees (upper + lower) machined to measure. Here the upper tree allows you to mount a Motoscope Pro counter, thereby allowing the removal of the bulky original counters on the machine while still providing a maximum of information. (The electronic part is managed by a module created by the French company DevMoto, which offers a solution to connect your Motoscope Pro meter easily on any post-2o17 BMW R NineT).

BMW R nineT Cafe Racer

Even more unusual, the half handlebars are also integrated directly into the upper fork, offering a very complete all-in-one cockpit. This part alone brings a unique character to the machine, as well as a sportier riding position without being too radical. Of course, the lower tree allows one to fix the original elements in place (steering damper, headlight bracket, etc.). However, for this project, a machined and adjustable headlight bracket was also created to support a Koso Thunderbolt LED headlight.

These parts, like all the others designed for this project, were machined from very high quality aluminum (7075 and/or 6082-T6), frequently used in the aeronautical field. They were finished with a black anodized surface treatment for a sober and refined final aspect. (All these parts will be available in different versions and finishes to allow everyone to equip their R NineT as they wish).

The biggest challenge on this machine was finding a solution to streamline the rear of the vehicle, while preserving a decent passenger seat. Indeed, many projects realized on these models force one to make a choice between the two, which was not in agreement with our concept. To do so, we had to redesign some important parts such as the passenger footpegs, allowing us to remove the original tubular rear frame in favor of some nice mass-produced parts, strong enough for a passenger but discreet and refined enough to considerably lighten the rear of the bike.

R nineT Cafe Racer

The centerpiece of this concept is the mass-cut aluminum rear loop that replaces the original steel tube one. This rear loop now incorporates LED brake lights and turn signals, giving the machine a completely new lighting signature for a sleek and elegant overall result.

R nineT Cafe Racer

 

Other parts such as the tank cap, footrests, and others have also been designed for this project and will soon be available on our website.

We also installed an electronic box, which allows control of the fuel injection. The original air intake, not having this role anymore, was replaced with a custom-made carbon cover, as well as the left side cover and the mudguard.

The result of this new project is surgically precise, with lines that are as aggressive as they are elegant. The systematic use of noble materials and unique designs make it an exceptional motorcycle.

As we did for the Royal Enfield in 2020, we will soon offer some of the parts designed for this project on our website, offering to individuals and professionals the possibility to use quality parts, designed and developed specifically for this model. These parts will then be available in different versions and finishes.

Our design office also offers a 100% custom service, allowing you to call on us for the creation of parts or other accessories for your projects, whether you are a professional or simply an individual looking for exceptional products for your motorcycle.

You can view all of the Le Motographe R nineT parts here: en.atelierdumotographe.com/bmw-r-nine-t

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3 Comments

  1. Finally an R bike custom that retains the Germanic pose layered upon Italian beauty. Elegant concept and creation. Kudos!!!!

  2. Might be nice but who can tell with the ridiculously dark lighting

  3. Going to be a scary ride for a passenger

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