Soul Machine: BMW K100 “Alma”

Anathem Garage breathes soul into a forgotten Flying Brick…  

Giancarlo Noe of Anathem Garage has one of the most impressive two-wheeled resumes in the custom bike world. He worked as a race mechanic in both World Superbike and MotoGP, winning the 1996 Superbike World Championship with Troy Corser and developing Yamaha’s last 500cc two-stroke Grand Prix racer in 2002 — among many other experiences and accolades.

He went on to build prototypes for Bimota, including the DB5, DB6, and Tesi 3D, and also developed the Granpasso 1200 and Granferro prototypes for Moto Morini. He co-founded BOLT Motor Co. with Spanish racing driver Adrian Campos, building 15 custom bikes before leaving to open his own workshop in Milan, Anathem Garage.

Today we’re honored to introduce Anathem’s newest build, “Alma,” based on a 1983 BMW K100. As most of you know, the K100 was an inline-four machine that BMW developed in the early 1980s as a more powerful, liquid-cooled alternative to their flat-twins. Dubbed the “Flying Brick” for the boxy engine design, which was laid on its side with the head and crank on either side of the bike, the K series was quite unlike anything else on the market.

Despite its popularity as a custom bike base, the K100 remains one of the more difficult donors to work with, and many ‘Brick builds end up looking the same. Not this one. It’s quite unlike any K100 we’ve seen, and the team christened the bike “Alma” (soul) for good reason.

“It has been a real challenge that has been carried out with a lot of effort and love. We have called it ALMA because we wanted it to reflect the soul of ANATHEM GARAGE. It has been another one of our unique projects, as no two projects we carry out are the same; we stand out for making personalized dreams and different projects come true.”

The donor was in horrible condition, with a mice-eaten electrical system. Only the engine and frame could be salvaged, and both were highly modified. The Anathem team gives us the full rundown of the build below, but highlights include a mono swingarm conversion with a vertical rear shock (usually we see a vertical shock — part of a bolt-on kit), modern inverted Kayaba forks, handmade bodywork, full one-off custom exhaust, and a complete overall of the lighting and electrical systems. 

The result is a BMW K100 that stands far apart from the crowd, with such high-level design and execution the bike looks like it might have rolled out of BMW’s own in-house design studio. While “Alma” strikes us as more of a modernized Bavarian bobber than anything else, many of the boldest and most creative builds defy easy classification — just like art, film, and music. 

Congratulations to Giancarlo and team for producing this stunning soul machine. Below, they give us the full story of the build in their own words, with more photos courtesy of our friend Xavi Dynamische.

“Alma” K100 Custom: In the Builder’s Words… 

During the month of May, we completed one of our most personal and complex projects to achieve something out of the ordinary on a BMW K100. It has been a real challenge that has been carried out with a lot of effort and love. We have called it ALMA because we wanted it to reflect the soul of ANATHEM GARAGE. It has been another one of our unique projects, as no two projects we carry out are the same; we stand out for making personalized dreams and different projects come true.

ALMA has many special features and details. It is based on a 1983 BMW K100. When it arrived at our facilities, it was in terrible condition. We had to start from scratch because literally only the engine and chassis could be used, which were subsequently modified. The rest of the parts had to be replaced, including the entire electrical system, as it had been gnawed by mice.

The most notable feature of “Alma” is its rear end, where we have used a single-sided swingarm with a central shock absorber, which required modifying the chassis, the most important part in achieving its design. All of this allows us to use a tire up to 200 mm, although on this occasion we have used a knobby tire.

Another new feature at the rear is the handmade side license plate holder, in which we have used a Motogadget 4-in-1 to house all the brake lights, license plate light, turn signals, and reflectors.
On the side, we can see its handcrafted parts, each and every one of them made with care and attention to detail. The most striking feature is its exhaust, which has been made exclusively for Alma.

At the front, we can see a BMW headlight, but with a different and original mount. There’s a carbon fiber handlebar where we’ve used Highsider brand illuminated rearview mirrors that give it a modern touch. In addition, a Kayaba inverted fork has been used at the front.

The tank has also been modified by hand, using handmade side covers that give it character, and we cut the seat and created a tail with side covers that adds elegance to the design. Lighting is embedded between the tail and the subframe, giving it a very special touch.

Overall, a BMW with a different design that retains some of the brand’s hallmarks, but with enough personality to make it unique.

Alma, a powerful BMW that deserves to be back on the road…

Follow the Builder

Anathem Garage
Web: www.anathemgarage.com
Facebook: Anathemgarage
Instagram: @anathemgarage
Photographer: @xavi_dynamische

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