Mistress of the Dark: “Elvira” BMW R100/7 Café Racer

BMW R100 Special — Photo: @handbuiltshow x @revivalcycles

From Wolfsmiths: Slash 7 Tribute to an 80s Hot Rod…

If there’s one thing we love, it’s hearing stories of bikes that guys hot-rodded back in the day when they weren’t vintage, but of their time. At the recent Handbuilt Show, we came across this killer BMW R100/7 and had to know more. It turned out to be the work of Eduardo Rodriguez and his team at Wolfsmiths.

Eduardo caught the motorcycle bug at just 8-years-old, when his old man bought him a Honda XR70…and boy-Eduardo soon found himself trying to make it faster than the TTR90 down the block.

“Fast forward 12 years and I traded my life savings and day job to pursue my passion for modifying and restoring old two-wheeled machines. With absolutely no proper training in business but sheer determination and resilience I learned everything the hard way but created what is now a full service repair and resto-mod shop with a team of talented individuals…”

This 1977 R100/7 is owned by Wolfsmiths customer Steve Alves and built as a tribute to a bike Steve himself hot-rodded back in the 1980s. Steve’s original bike would serve to inspire the design of his one, and the Wolfsmiths team was happy to make performance paramount.

“It was pretty special being able to hear stories and see pictures of him midair on his street bike. He definitely demanded high performance so we leaned into it.”

Steve in the 80s on his original hot rod!

The bike is rocking inverted forks, Brembo brakes, a one-off subframe, custom fairing and tail section, rear disc conversion, Euromoto charging / ignition system, Motogadget M.Unit, and much more.

“We don’t know exactly performance numbers, but its the lightest and fastest you can get with this platform before tearing into the motor and going full-blown race bike.”

This build, nicknamed “Elvira” after the well-known “Mistress of the Dark,” was one of our favorite builds from the Handbuilt Show. We wish Steve many years of enjoyment on this tribute to his hot rod of yesteryear, and we’re looking forward to seeing more roll out of Wolfsmiths.

Below is our full in-depth interview with Eduardo, along with photos of “Elvira” courtesy of Remnant Media.

Slash 7 Cafe Racer: Builder Interview

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

My name is Eduardo Rodriguez, and I got bit by the moto bug when I was about 8 years old when my dad bought me a Honda XR70 dirt bike. I can remember a few weeks after having it taking the exhaust apart and messing with the airbox to try and make it run faster than the kid down the block with a Yamaha TTR90.

Fast forward 12 years and I traded my life savings and day job to pursue my passion for modifying and restoring old two-wheeled machines. With absolutely no proper training in business but sheer determination and resilience I learned everything the hard way but created what is now a full service repair and resto-mod shop with a team of talented individuals known as Wolfsmiths.

Luis Arguello
David Ho
Kenny Li
Colt Goodwin

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

The bike started life as a worn 1977 BMW R100/7 owned by our customer Steve Alves.

• Why was this bike built?

The bikes was built on consignment for Steve who had a vision of building a tribute bike he had back in the 80’s.

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

The bike was heavily influenced by the design of Steve’s original bike he hot-rodded back in the 80’s. It was pretty special being able to hear stories and see pictures of him midair on his street bike. He definitely demanded high performance so we leaned into it.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

Every part of the bike was taken apart and restored or upgraded. The subframe in particular is a one-off design. We really challenged ourself to push the envelope on what we’ve seen done on other airheads.

The bulk of it: custom subframe, GSXR inverted forks, Cognito triple trees, M.Unit, rear drum to disc brake conversion, custom fairing and tail, custom paint, custom leather seat, resealed and painted engine, Euromoto charging/ignition system, Antigravity lithium battery.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

The bike was named “Elvira,” The Mistress of Darkness.

• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?

We don’t know exactly performance numbers, but its the lightest and fastest you can get with this platform before tearing into the motor and going full-blown race bike.

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

It’s a very sporty ride, with the low slung stance, front inverted sport bike forks and massive Brembo brakes. Its ready to carve corners and power through the 5-speed transmission.

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

I’m proud of my team. Each one of us has a very specific skillset we excel at and this build really showcases our best work that can’t be done by one builder alone.