Written by Andrew Jones
You know you’ve probably got a custom bike problem when you start ordering builds based on weather. And for Vagabund’s Paul and Phil, that’s exactly what their latest customer has gone and done. Clearly not someone who’s short of cash or indeed other bikes to ride, they were so distraught by the fact that their summer riding options didn?t include a fenderless BMW brat, they’ve gone and ordered one built to spec by Austria’s finest for those days when those damn guards are just so much dead weight.

?We’re planning some pretty heavily modified bikes in the near future, including a Honda NX650 and an R nineT,? says Paul. ?But over the past months, we’ve had a few bikes through the shop that were briefed in as needing to be more functional, everyday bikes than wild jaw droppers.?
It’s not a million miles away from their recent Yamaha ?V06? build, and there’s a good reason for this. ?Our client fell in love with the look of that SR500, but after a discussion about donor bikes, we realised that they were more into a BMW twin for the basis of the build rather than a Yamaha single.? So the donor 1988 R80RT was sourced on the web from Germany and imported into Austria so work could begin.

After sketching the BMW in their heads and getting the client’s thumbs up, they set out on their mission to bring the idea to life in a coherent, unified finished bike. ?Key parts like tank, rear frame, e...