An old boxer seems like an obvious starting point, given the model?s current popularity, but Nico tells us that it wasn’t his first choice. ?I rode a ’77 Harley-Davidson shovelhead before,? he says. ?Perfect sound and perfect stance, but not the perfect bike for me.?
?The decision to switch from a Harley to BMW was really a big thing for me. I’m a huge fan of American rusty gold, and love the chopper and bobber scene. But the fact that I was wrenching more on the Shovel than riding it was really annoying.?

Step one was massaging the BMW’s stance. The front forks were lowered and rebuilt with progressive springs, and a set of shorter shocks went onto the back. The subframe was then cut-and-looped at an angle, to make space for a compact rear fender. Nico’s personal taste shines through in his choice of seat: ?The combination of a passenger pad with a solo seat is my all-time favorite,? he says. This one came from Easyriders Japan, and finishes off the rear end nicely.

When it came to the mechanical side of the build, Nick’s choice of a boxer for reliability was rewarded. ?The engine is completely like I got it?it runs perfectly,? he says. ?We rebuilt the Bing carbs, but kept their patina, and combined them with air filters from K&N to get a little performance upgrade.?
The mufflers are custom-made, out of stainless steel. They’ve been designed as slip-ons, and made to look like the bike doesn’t have mufflers?even thou...