Written by Tim Huber
Building one-off motorcycles for customers requires a bit of a delicate balancing act: the shop has to adhere to the wants, needs, and personal tastes of the client, while also aligning with the builder?s style, abilities, and overall ethos. Juggling these elements can be a headache, though sometimes, things come together wonderfully, with a design and theme that jives well with both the builder of the bike, the characteristics of the donor, and the customer who commissioned it. And that?s very much the case with Side Rock Cycles? latest work, entitled ?Rogue?.

Based on a 1992 BMW R100R, this scrambled Bavarian was whipped up for a client who works with tanks and other all-terrain military vehicles. ?Between the customer?s job, and the fact the donor model shares a lot of parts with its factory off-road-biased cousin, the R100GS, the scrambler style was a forgone conclusion as we knew the transformation would work,? explains Side Rock head honcho, Pete Hodson.
The UK-based outfit kicked off the build with a complete teardown to the frame. The chassis was de-tabbed before having the stock rear-frame lopped off and replaced with one of Side Rock?s ?Mono Scrambler? subframes which was modified slightly to fit the Paralever structure ? a tweak that resulted in the seat height being raised a few hairs. Once complete, the custom framework was powder-coated in a satin black, along with the single-sided swing-arm, wheels, and hubs.

With the engine pulled, S...