BMW Motorrad has the honor of inventing the whole genre of adventure touring motorcycles. In 1980, they introduced the world to the R80 G/S, an air-cooled boxer twin designed to tackle pavement, dirt, and anything else that came before it. G/S stood for Gelände/Straße — meaning “terrain/street”. Since then, builders across the world have been stripping down BMW G/S bikes or beefing up the street models to create custom BMW scramblers from the likes of airheads, oilheads, flying bricks, and the rest of the BMW motorcycle lineup.
Below, a selection of our favorite BMW custom scramblers.
Featherweight Funduro: BMW F650 “City Tracker” - Minimalist BMW Thumper from Versor Przemek… In 1993, just over 30 years ago, BMW introduced the F650 Funduro, their first single-cylinder (and chain-drive) motorcycle since the the 1960s. The bike was developed in partnership […]
Dream GS: ’89 BMW R100GS Restomod - Tyson Carver’s R100GS Restomod… The BMW R80GS, introduced in 1980, is known as the bike that spawned a whole new breed of motorcycle, the adventure bike. Here were big multi-cylinder, multi-sport bikes that could cross […]
Built Like a Tank: BMW R nineT “IBIS” - Italian Army veteran builds a burly tribute to Operation IBIS… In 1992, a multinational force was established to assist and secure humanitarian relief efforts in Somalia, which had been wracked by civil war, famine, and […]
Motörhead: BMW R850GS Scrambler - Born to Lose, Live to Win: Motörhead-Inspired GS from Custommade C.A. Never heard of a BMW R850GS? You’re not alone. Not to be confused with the parallel-twin F850GS, the R850GS was a boxer-powered adventure bike […]
Brave New Beemer: BMW R1100RS - Custom Oilhead from Moto Adonis… In 1993, the BMW R1100RS sport-tourer was the first BMW to use the new “Oilhead” boxer engine, which combined BMW’s traditional air-cooled cylinders with oil-cooled four-valve heads — a concept […]
Vision Quest: BMW R90S Street Scrambler - Trans-Canadian Custom: Michael Ritzker’s 1976 BMW R90S… In 2015, no less than Peter Egan of Cycle World declared that the BMW R90S, introduced in 1974, was “the BMW that invented sport-touring.” The bike was […]
Incandescent Boxer: “Vega” BMW R nineT - BMW R nineT Scrambler by Incandescent Motorcycles… The BMW R nineT might be the world’s most widely customized modern production bike. In fact, BMW Motorrad planned it that way, giving the 1170cc / 110-hp roadster […]
Dähne Daily: 1065cc BMW Scrambler - Dähne-framed Daily Rider from Kradhaus Bikes… Born in 1944, Helmut Dähne is a BMW motorcycle racing legend. As a teenager, he went to work for BMW Motorrad as a mechanic and later went to German […]
Dakar Tribute: “PD85” BMW R NineT Urban GS - From Incandescent Motorcycles: R NineT inspired by the ’85 R80GS Paris Dakar… Released in 1980, the BMW R80GS is the progenitor of the multi-cylinder, dual-purpose “adventure bikes” so popular today. Originally developed to compete in […]
Flat Twin Vinduro: BMW R100GS “Six Days” - BMW ISDT Tribute from Santa Fox Garage… The International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) is the oldest off-road event on the FIM calendar. Known for years as the International Six Days Trial (ISDT), it was first […]
Dubai to London: BMW R80GS Desert Bomber - Project Zero 30: A Transcontinental Airhead from Cafe Rider Customs… The BMW R80GS is the grandfather of the modern adventure bike, and remains one of the most important and influential motorcycles of the modern era. […]
Punk’s Peak Winner: 1974 BMW R90S! - A tribute to a lost friend rules Mount Jaizkibel… For more than a decade now, the annual Wheels and Waves Festival in Biarritz, France has offered one of the most thrilling and fulfilling moto-centric experiences […]
Tall Boy: BMW R1100GS Scrambler - Moto Adonis builds a tall man’s scrambler… Introduced in 1994, the BMW R1100GS was the first member of the storied GS lineage to eschew the old type 247 “airhead” engine for a more modern […]
Vinduro Boxer: BMW R100RS “Sixdays” - Rind Performance’s ISDE-inspired BMW scrambler… The International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) — known until 1981 as the International Six Days Trial (ISDT) — has been held annually since 1913, testing national teams of the world’s […]
Rahier Replica: BMW R1150GSA Marlboro Edition - From Ormotors: A Modern Tribute to Gaston Rahier’s Dakar-winning BMW… In 1985, Belgian rider Gaston Rahier campaigned the Paris Dakar Rally on a massive factory-built BMW R80GS sponsored by Marlboro and Playboy — a bike […]
Angry RT: Custom BMW R1150RT Roadster - From Full Dress to Naked Muscle… Introduced in 2001, the BMW R1150RT was a full-dress tourer with Telelever front suspension, Paralever rear suspension, and an 1130cc air-cooled flat-twin which put out 95 hp and 63 […]
Old School Meets New: BMW R100 “Sport Bobber” - JAX Garage builds an aggressive Airhead… BMW Airheads may have covered more miles in more different countries than any other European motorbike. They were once the go-to machine for two-wheeled circumnavigators, and they proved themselves […]
Loko Classic: 1970 BMW R75/5 - Loko Dream Factory updates a Slash 5 Beemer… In 1970, BMW introduced the all-new Slash 5 (“/5”) series, completely manufactured in Berlin according to modular design and production principles. In contrast to earlier models, the […]
Gelände / Straße: BMW R80GS Restomod - Meccanica Serrao d’Aquino resto-mods a 90s adventure bike… The BMW R80GS is widely known as the grandfather of the modern adventure bike. At the time of its introduction, BMW Motorrad was at risk of going […]
Gravel Burner: BMW R nineT Gravel Edition - FCR Original’s “BMW NineT Gravel”… Introduced in 2016, the BMW R nineT Scrambler combines the 1170cc, 110-bhp air/oil-cooled boxer engine from the previous version of the R1200GS adventure bike with a 19-inch front wheel, higher […]
Adventure Rig: BMW R100GS Paris Dakar Restomod - A 118,000-mile adventure rig from Eli Carver x Stasis Motorcycles… The BMW R100GS PD (Paris Dakar) was a beast of an adventure bike, combining the 980cc flat-twin boxer engine and paralever suspension of the highly […]
Vineyard Chaser: BMW R100 by Seb’s Atelier - From Blue Racer to Black Scrambler… Back in 2020, we featured a 1979 BMW R100RT “Blue Racer” from Sebastien Ledis of France’s Seb’s Atelier. Though Sebastien is a bit of a Ducati aficionado, the iconic […]
Bavarian Beast: BMW R100GS Restomod - “The best combination of old airhead reliability, modern electrics, and suspension.” There are builders who are always jumping from one two-wheeled platform to another, never seeming to modify the same type of bike twice. Then […]
Island Runner: BMW F650 Funduro - BCKustoms builds a black Bavarian rally raider… Back in 1993, BMW launched the F650 Funduro, a lighter single-cylinder sibling to the mighty R1150GS. The Funduro was BMW’s first single-cylinder motorcycle since the 1960s, jointly designed […]
Dakar Dreams: BMW R80G/S Paris-Dakar Tribute - Roadburner Garage builds a Paris-Dakar tribute machine… The first running of the Paris-Dakar Rally took place in 1978, when 182 competitors (including 90 motorcycles) started from Place du Trocadéro, Paris, for the 6000-mile journey to […]
Voodoo Interceptor: BMW R1150GS Hooligan - Voodoo Garage transforms an aging GS into an urban assault machine… The BMW R1150GS Adventure was the 1999-2004 evolution of the famed BMW GS series. Introduced in 1980, the original R80GS (Gelände/Straße, German for “Off-road/Road”) […]
Bavarian Blackout: BMW R80 by Burn Up Company - BUC It: Burn Up Company’s burly BMW, built for sidecar adventures… In the mid-1980s, BMW replaced the twin-shock rear suspension on their airhead models with a monolever (single-shock) system, whose asymmetric design was meant to […]
BMW R NineT Scrambler by FCR Original - The BMW R nineT was designed as a “blank canvas for customizing.” The subframe, headlight, and taillights can be easily unbolted, and bike has separate engine and chassis wiring harnesses. The roadster styling puts a […]
BMW R NineT Urban Scrambler by Parr Motorcycles - A big-single king rolls out his first twin! Back in 2018, we had the honor of showcasing the first build from a young builder in Indiana, Spencer Parr, a full-time police investigator who built a […]
Budget-Built Bomber: R65 Airhead Scrambler by Gold Stroke Motors - Gold Stroke Motors: BMW Airhead scramblers for the next generation of riders… In 1969, BMW introduced what would be the first of their “Airhead” motorcycles, the Slash 5 series featuring the company’s new air-cooled flat-twin […]
Audi Inspired: BMW R80 by Monnom Customs - Monnom Customs goes outside their comfort zone to build a burly BMW… Many custom builders tend to gravitate toward certain donor models: British twins, Honda SOHC fours, BMW airheads, etc. After all, vintage motorcycles are […]
Marin Thrasher: BMW R80 “Norma” by Blunk’s Garage - Judd Blunk builds a Marin County thrasher… Introduced in the early 1980s, the BMW R80RT was the touring version of the middleweight airhead, featuring a 797cc flat-twin boxer engine that produced around 50 horsepower and […]
Frateschi Funduro: BMW F650 Custom - The BMW F650 Funduro debuted in 1994 as the company’s lightweight, single-cylinder adventure bike — a baby GS packing a 50-hp four-valve Rotax engine, top-notch build quality, and ultra-low running costs. But Visordown.com claims there’s […]
Dakar-Inspired: BMW K75 Scrambler - A BMW scrambler inspired by the late 80s Paris-Dakar bikes… Introduced in 1985, the BMW K75 was a three-cylinder version of the venerable K100 “Flying Brick,” whose unique engine layout — an inline four laid […]
1976 BMW R90/6 Bobber by Burn Up Company - The BMW R90/6 was the largest and most powerful of the Slash-Six models introduced in 1974, designed to up the ante in a horsepower-hungry market. The old R75 engine was bored-out to 898cc, good for […]
Desert Runner: BMW F650 GS Funduro by BCKustoms - A #coronavirusbikebuildoff rally raider… The BMW F650 Funduro, introduced in 1993, aimed at a new sector of the motorcycle market. It was a single-cylinder, chain-drive, 48-hp dual-purpose machine that cost only $200 more than a […]
“Snappy” BMW R65 Scrambler by Unicorn Extreme - A middleweight airhead packing big-bore punch! The BMW R65 was the company’s midsize airhead, introduced in 1978. The 648cc boxer engine made 50 horsepower in the later models, good for a 0-60 time of 5.8 […]
The Silver Wasp: BMW Airhead by Blunk’s Garage - The BMW R100RT was the touring version of the airhead series. It featured a full fairing — the first on a factory motorcycle — as well as an adjustable windshield, twin panniers, and of course […]
Bavarian Creme Puff: BMW R100 by OLC Moto - The BMW R100 has become one of the world’s most popular platforms for customization. The last of the airheads, it’s a well-built machine, easy to maintain, and has one of the most distinctive engines ever […]
Unique, Yet Unmistakable: BMW R100GS “Icon” - The BMW R80GS was the world’s first “Adventure Bike,” a large displacement travel-oriented enduro whose G/S abbreviation stood for Gelände/Straße (German: off-road/road). If the R80GS was the first, its successor, the R100GS set the standard […]
Modern Classic: BMW R100R by Unik Edition - A 1970s-inspired BMW straight out of Lisbon… The BMW airhead has become a favorite platform among many custom builders. The boxer engine is one of the most iconic powerplants in motorcycling history, and riding one […]
BMW R NineT Street Scrambler by Herencia Custom Motors - The BMW R NineT has been called a “blank canvas” for customization — a modern machine designed for ease of modification, with separate chassis/engine wiring harnesses, removable subframe, and accessories that can be replaced with […]
“Revive”: BMW K100 Street Scrambler by David Ewen - When BMW Motorrad set out to develop the liquid-cooled K100, they had no idea the bike would be part of a global customization revival some forty years later. However, the “Flying Brick” has become a […]
Fire Road Crusher: BMW R100GS Custom by Wheelborne - The BMW R100GS, introduced in 1987, was the next-generation evolution of the legendary BMW R80GS — the grandfather of all the adventure-touring bikes we know today. The 980cc, 60-hp R100GS was not only more powerful […]
“Valhalla”: BMW R65 Scrambler by Blunk’s Garage - In Old Norse mythology, Valhalla (“the hall of the fallen”) is the great hall in Asgard, the celestial fortress of the gods, where heroes slain in battle are received. According to an Old Norse poem: […]
“Franky” BMW R100GS Restomod by Blunk’s Garage - A Frankenstein airhead built for modern-day mayhem… The BMW R100GS, introduced in 1987, was the world’s largest displacement enduro / adventure bike at the time — the next evolution in the legendary R80GS. The GS […]
“La Primera” BMW R100 Scrambler by Anathem Garage - “La Primera” — the first build from Anathem Garage! Giancarlo Noe, founder of Anathem Garage, has quite an impressive history on two wheels. He’s been a mechanic for racing teams in World Superbike and the […]
BMW R80 “STrial” by Fuel Bespoke Motorcycles - BMW scrambler inspired by the Olympics of Motorcycling… The International Six Days Trials (ISDT) is often called “the Olympics of Motorcycling.” Since 1913, the event has been a supreme test of man and machine, in […]
BMW R80GS Enduro / Scrambler by Meister Engineering - The BMW R80G/S is the godfather of adventure bikes. Introduced in 1980, the G/S was the world’s first large-displacement production multi-sport motorcycle. The designation G/S stands for Gelände/Straße, or offroad/road in German. Says Silodrome: “This […]
BMW R65 Street Tracker by Magnum Opus - For Sale: BMW R65 inspired by the most successful rally car of all time… When a string of accidents spelled the end of Group B rallying in 1986, the carmakers focused on the production class, […]
Cool It: BMW R80RT Desert Sled by Dust Motorcycles - “Cool It” — a Desert Sled inspired by the King of Cool… In the final chase scene of The Great Escape (1963), Steve McQueen’s character jumps a stolen German motorcycle over a fence into Switzerland. […]
“SUMO” BMW R80 Scrambler by MUTO Motorbikes - The BMW R80 has become a popular platform for a street-oriented scrambler build. It’s no surprise, really — the air-cooled boxer is tough as nails, built for field repairs, and looks mean when stripped […]
BMW R80 Desert Sled by Dust Motorcycles - “Bounty” — a BMW boxer built for the deserts of Dubai… The desert sled may have its roots in the cross-country races of 1960s America, where heroes such as Steve McQueen, Bud Ekins, and Malcolm […]
BMW R80ST Scrambler by Reier Motors - A Black Bavarian Lady built for the streets of Munich… The BMW R80ST was a more street-oriented version of the popular R80GS adventurer, offering a smaller 19-inch front wheel and lowered suspension along with the […]
BMW R1150GS Scrambler by Iron Macchina Customs - The BMW R1150GS was one of the greatest adventure bikes of all time, an 1130cc flat twin globe-trotter that broke the record for fastest world circumnavigation by motorcycle. The bike offered 85 horsepower and 75 […]
BMW K100 Street Scrambler by Kustom Moto - The BMW K100 — affectionately known as the “Flying Brick” — was a progressive design from BMW Motorrad, a liquid-cooled four with the engine laid flat in the frame. The 90-hp engine could push the […]
BMW K75 Adventure Touring Bike by Spoken Moto - From “Flying Brick” to “Pack Animal” — a long-range tourer from Spoken Moto. The BMW K75 was the three-cylinder version of the company’s “Flying Brick” platform — a 740cc, liquid-cooled straight three that offered 68-75 […]
BMW R80 Street Scrambler by JM Customs - James Moir and Chris Burnett of JM Customs are living the twinned dream and struggle of running an independent workshop in Perth, Scotland. As James says, “the struggle is real at times, we are growing […]
BMW R65 Scrambler “La Bimba” by Toro Moto - Riccardo Micheli, founder of Tuscany’s Toro Moto, has quickly become one of our very favorite builders worldwide. He’s worked as a tuner for various Italian and European race teams and an official BMW Motorrad technician. […]
BMW R1100GS Supermoto by Toro Moto - Full Motard: Big Bavarian adventure-tourer turned supermoto… The BMW R1100GS, introduced in 1994, was the first of the “oilhead” GS bikes, offering an oil/air-cooled engine with 80 horsepower and stump-pulling 72 lb-ft of torque. GS, […]
BMW R100 Scrambler by Kern + Hyde - The BMW R100 “Slash 7” airhead was built in the latter half of the 1970s, a 60-hp flat twin that helped give birth to the modern sport touring motorcycle. Enter Evan Johnson of design and […]
BMW R1150GS Adventure Scrambler by Whitcraft Services - According to many, the BMW R1150GS Adventure was the height of the GS series of adventure bikes — the last hurrah before the big Bavarian globe-trotter went “full-tilt plastics and technology.” Field repairs were easier […]
BMW R65 Scrambler by Voodoo Garage - “The Rapture,” a radical BMW scrambler… We have seen a lot of BMW airhead builds, but rarely have we seen one with such swagger and attitude. Aptly named “The Rapture,” this 1978 BMW R65 scrambler […]
BMW R1200GS Scrambler by Hell’s Kitchen Garage - The “Beast” BMW R1200GSA, built for Hixpania: The Conquest of Hard Enduro… Hard Enduro is one of the world’s toughest off-road motorcycling formats, designed to push the world’s top riders to their very limits through […]
BMW R100GS Tracker by Fabrizio Grillo - A BMW R100GS rebuilt by an elite Vigili del Fuoco diver after a terrible accident… In his native Italy, Fabrizio Grillo is a diver with the Vigili del Fuoco — aka “Watchers of Fire” — […]
BMW R1200R Scrambler by Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche - “Titano,” a Bavarian brawler built for the streets of Rome… Recently, Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche of Rome was given quite the challenge. A customer wanted to transform his 2007 BMW R1200R into a minimalist, elegant “special” […]
BMW R100R Scrambler by Cafe Racer SSpirit - Cafe Racer SSpirit of Spain has become one of our favorite builders in recent years. Their build process is highly collaborative with their customers. They like to say they take a journey with their clients, […]
BMW R75 Scrambler by Eli Carver - The Carver twins of Texas are quickly becoming two of our favorite builders. Brothers Eli and Tyson began riding motorcycles together about 6.5 years ago after the loss of their parents. As it has been […]
The Stasis Dakar BMW R1200GS - At this year’s Handbuilt Show, we were lucky enough to catch up with one of our favorite builders, Cliff Fisher of Stasis Motorcycles. Cliff is a garage-builder with a full-time IT job, two growing boys, […]
BMW G310R Scrambler by DKdesign - Dakar Chou of DKdesign has been doing interior design for more than twenty years, but he’s loved motorcycles ever since he can remember. He rode his motorcycle when he was 12, and it became a […]
BMW R nineT Paris Dakar Scrambler - If you know the Paris Dakar rally, you have heard the name Hubert Auriol. Auriol was the first man to win the Dakar on both a bike and in a car. In 1981 and 1983, […]
BMW R45 Scrambler by Bolt Motor Co - It seems like so many of our favorite builders are former racers or race car builders. There is a certain racer’s mentality, when every last component — every nut and bolt — must be as […]
BMW K100 Scrambler by De Angelis Elaborazioni - Giorgio De Angelis, the man behind De Angelis Elaborazioni of Rome, has been turning out a staggering collection of Bavarian specials. His BMW K1100 cafe racer was one of our most popular bikes of 2016, while […]
BMW R80GS Scrambler by De Angelis Elaborazioni - Giorgio De Angelis of De Angelis Elaborazioni is the man who built this incredible BMW K1100 cafe racer, which easily made our list of last year’s best cafe racers. Now Giorgio is back with another burly […]
BMW R65 Scrambler by Delux Motorcycles - The BMW R65 was introduced in 1978, offering a 648cc airhead motor with 44 horsepower. Owner maintenance is standard practice with these BMW touring bikes, and the bike came with a full tool kit and […]
BMW R100 Tracker by Garage Sheriff - We are thrilled to bring you guys this handsome-as-heck BMW R100RT tracker, which was largely a father/son project between Charles-Élie Dumontier of Montreal’s Garage Sheriff and his dad. As you may know, the R100RT was […]
BMW R1100R Scrambler by Cytech/Max-Inc - The BMW R1100R was a naked/standard version of the company’s air/oil-cooled boxer twin. It offered front and rear telelever suspension and shaft-drive, and was well-suited for a wide range of uses: commuting, sport-touring, and even […]
BMW R80 Scrambler by The Bike Maker - Recently, we featured an incredible bratstyle BMW R100 by The Bike Maker, Alexandre Ciaramella, who designs and engineers dials for Swiss luxury watches when he isn’t tuning vintage BMW iron. Now Alex is back with […]
BMW Scramblers by Fabrizio of the Vigili del Fuoco - Fabrizio Grillo is a diver with the Vigili del Fuoco in his native Italy. The Vigili del Fuoco, which literally means the “Watchers of Fire,” is Italy’s national fire and rescue service. Fabrizio has combined […]
BMW R100 Tracker by Herencia Custom Garage - There have been some incredible customs coming out of Argentina of late. Recently, we got in touch with the boys of Herencia Custom Garage—Federico Lozada and German Karp. “HCG” is an extension of Herencia Argentina, […]
BMW R65 Scrambler by Moto Adonis - For some reason, we’re suckers for builds based on old police bikes, such as VTR Custom’s R80. So we were very excited when Daan Borsje of Moto Adonis shared this incredibe scrambler built from a […]
BMW R65 Tracker by Honor Motorcycles - Here we have one sweet BMW R65 scrambler/tracker by Honor Motorcycles of Galicia, Spain. The “Honor” brand was established by the owner’s grandfather, Honorino Mendez–an accomplished cyclist and aircraft worker–and the Honor name has graced […]
BMW R65 Scrambler by Meat and Grease - We’re big fans of vintage BMW customs, and this R65 scrambler, “MAG01”–the first official build from Meat and Grease of Antwerp, Belgium–immediately jumped out of the crowd. Founder Paul Meys says he started Meat and […]
BMW R51 Scrambler by Cafe Racer SSpirit - Here we have “CRSS5,” a BMW R51 scrambler built by the talent crew of Cafe Racer SSpirit, located in San Sebastián, Spain. Following WWII, BMW was prohibited from making motorcycles by the Allies. In 1950, […]
BMW Path 22 Scrambler Videos! - At the Wheels & Waves event in Biarritz, France, BMW unveiled a concept scrambler (the Path 22), an entry-level version of the R nineT, which BMW Motorrad calls the “epitome of the custom bike” and […]
BMW R100 Scrambler Transcends Trends, Creates New Ones - Cafe Racer Dreams aims to provide exceedingly high quality, cutting edge, custom BMW motorcycles. They don’t just expand on current trends, they completely transcend them and create their own, such as with their CRD #58, […]
