Many feel that BMW boxer customization has become a tedious paint-by-numbers affair. It’s a fair argument?after all, most BMW R-series customs follow the same formula so closely, that you’re probably already picturing them in your head.
This thought weighed heavily on Takashi Nihira when a customer specifically requested a BMW R-series build, but also stipulated that it should be interesting enough to command attention at the prestigious Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show. Working with a 1990 BMW R100RS, the man behind Tokyo’s Wedge Motorcycle resolved to create a machine that would rise above the current trends. And without any further requests from his client, he was free to execute his vision however he saw fit.

Nihira-san’s plan was to build a svelte café racer with custom bodywork that would flow cohesively from front to back. But rather than create a traditional fly-line along the bottom of the tank and tail, he aimed to connect the front to the back by way of a tapered ridge running along the side of each part. Or, as he calls it, a ?character line.? ?When I beat out steel and aluminum sheet metal to build fuel tanks and bodywork, I tend to use rounded shapes, because they’re easy to build,? he explains. ?It’s very difficult to create an edgy character line on parts made from beaten steel. But this time, I wanted to take on that challenge.?

Hearing Takashi’s words and examining his work, it’s easy to connect the dots. ...