Fahrenheit 160: Renard’s Smokin’ BMW Bobber
We’ve seen so many bad BMW customs?and sketchy bobbers?that hearing both words in one sentence makes us nervous. But the Estonian outfit Renard Speed Shop never disappoints. They’ve knocked this BMW bobber out of the park, and straight into orbit.
The key to Renard’s success is twofold. They have an incredibly keen eye, and they have a near fanatical dedication to details. This handsome bobber started out as a classic BMW R100, brought over from Germany?but there’s not much of the original machine left.
?Even though the bike still looks like a BMW, it?s actually completely modified,? shop boss Andres Uibomäe tells us. ?The engine and the frame are relatively original, but everything around them is not.?
By ‘relatively original,’ Andres means that he and his crew completely stripped, restored and cleaned the motor, gearbox and final drive. They left the stock air box setup intact, but swapped the exhaust system for a set of hand-made headers, terminating in Triumph Thruxton mufflers.
?The bike rides surprisingly well,? says Andres. ?The 1,000 cc motor is calm and smooth, starts to run at very low RPM, and is also quiet because of the new Triumph exhaust mufflers.?
With that out of the way, it was time for some extensive chassis changes. Renard grafted on a Harley springer front-end, which meant manufacturing new steering bearing housings. They also lowered the front a touch, and tweaked the fork’s geometry to suit the Beemer.
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