Carbon Airhead: Teen-Built BMW R75/7 Custom

’77 Slash 7: Built by a 16-year-old! 

In the 1970s, BMW produced their 750cc R75 airhead as the R75/5 (early 70s), the R75/6, and finally as a one-year-only model, the 1977 R75/7. For many airhead aficionados, the ’77 750 represents a sweet spot of the entire air-cooled boxer lineage:

“Experts who are deep into airheads will tell you that the R75 was the best all-around displacement airhead with the optimum balance of smoothness and longevity, with more power than the earlier 500 and 600cc models. The R75/7 was a 1 year model in the USA, and only 1,473 were imported into the US.” –Randy Lervold, R75/7 owner

Enter our new friend Saular Bakhtiarpour (@sb_5.0), a 17-year-old (!) Texas native who just might bolster your faith in the nation’s youth and their interest in working with their hands. Like many, Saular’s love of motorcycles started with childhood dirt bikes, which he started taking apart to see how they worked. By the time he was a teen, he’d discovered a passion for custom bikes.

Saular built his first custom at the age of 15 — a Honda CX500 — and went on to restore a CX650 and Suzuki GS850 before setting his sights on a custom airhead build. Says Saular:

“When I was 16 — April of 2022 — I started on the airhead project. I did all the work myself in my parents’ garage that I turned into a small shop. I plan on building more bikes as time goes on and improving on my skills.”

Improving his existing skill set and expertise was a prime objective for the build. That’s one of the main reasons Saular decided to use forged carbon fiber as a primary element — something he hadn’t seen on other airhead builds:

“The goal of this bike was for me to use my existing skills and use the project to expand my knowledge and experiment with new building techniques such as using carbon fiber and in-depth fab work.”

When Saular learned the bike had been accepted into the prestigious Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Austin, he started working double-time: “late nights after work and early mornings on the weekend.” He spent hours shaping and sanding the molds for the carbon fiber bodywork, including the toaster tank cover, seat cowl, airbox delete, and more. Other highlights include a custom subframe and seat, full custom rewire with keyless ignition, laser-cut rearsets with custom control linkages, lots of bronze powder-coat, a Moto Guzzi fuel sensor welded into the tank, and much more.

He finished the “Carbon Airhead” just in time for the show, where we were astounded to learn he was only 17 years old! We look forward to following the career of this Texas young gun.

Carbon Airhead: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

My name is Saular. I am 17 years old and I built the carbon airhead. My love for motorcycles started from a young age riding dirt bikes. I started taking them apart to see how they work and it turned into a passion for fixing bikes. I started learning and eventually I found a passion for building custom bikes. My first custom bike was a CX500 I built when I was 15. From then I knew I wanted to do this. I restored a couple other bikes including a CX650 and Suzuki GS850. When I was 16 — April of 2022 — I started on the airhead project. I did all the work myself in my parents’ garage that I turned into a small shop. I plan on building more bikes as time goes on and improving on my skills.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?

1977 BMW R75/7.

• Why was this bike built?

I have always loved the look and style of the airheads, so I wanted to use it as a starting platform for my next project. I knew I wanted to do a cafe racer style bike but I did not want to replicate something that has been done already. I wanted to build something unique. The goal of this bike was for me to use my existing skills and use the project to expand my knowledge and experiment with new building techniques such as using carbon fiber and in-depth fab work.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

I wanted to make the bike stand out and I haven’t seen many classic bikes incorporating forged carbon fiber. That is what led me to using carbon. I used a headlight from BCR to make it look similar to the /5 airheads with the gauge inside the headlight bucket. I chose to powder-coat some parts bronze to make them stand out and give the bike some color. I used the toaster tank from the other airheads to give the bike a slimmer look. I welded a bung to the tank to incorporate a fuel level sensor from a Moto Guzzi California 3 that turns a light on in the gauge when fuel is low.

I wanted to build something that I could look back on and be proud of. Once I realized I had the opportunity to go to the Hand Built Show I spent all my time on this bike. Late nights after work and early mornings on the weekend. I finished the bike just in time for the Hand Built Show and took it down to Austin.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

• Custom tank cover, air box delete, and cowl all made with carbon fiber
• Custom subframe and seat
• Stainless headlight brackets
• Full custom wiring and electronics with keyless ignition
• Laser-cut rear-set brackets
• Custom shift and brake linkage
• Metallic bronze powder coat
• Custom spotlight
• Custom side stand
• Velocity stacks
• Custom fuel sensor

• Does the bike have a nickname?

Carbon Airhead.

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

Any time I take this bike out you will always see me with a smile. The sound and rush of happiness I get while riding it is like nothing else.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

I am really proud that I did the carbon fiber. Due to hours of sanding and making the molds for the tank covers. It was a big learning experience and now that I have done it I will be using the new skill in future projects too. In the middle of the project I started to learn how to Tig weld, so using the Tig welder opened my fabrication capabilities to a whole new level.

Follow the Builder: @sb_5.0