The idea for this most unusual machine came from a Spanish chap who was living in Japan at the time. ?At first, it was a vague custom request,? says Kurosu-san. ?Then he started planning an adventure tour around Europe and Asia?so we decided that the base vehicle should be a BMW R 1200 GS.?
The brief contained a couple of requests: keep the riding position, so the BMW would still be comfortable over long distances, and keep at least a vestige of tandem seating.

Kurosu is one of the world?s top bike builders; his talents have been forged in the hugely competitive Japanese scene, and he?s won the top trophy at the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show twice. But he still found this brief a challenge.
?Not changing the frame narrowed the area that I can design. It?s different to a chopper, where I can make a frame from scratch.?
The arrangement is no mere bolt-on?it has a trellis subframe of its own, which is probably stronger than the seat units of some bikes we?ve seen. ?We needed rigidity to support the lights and instruments,? says Kurosu. ?I wanted to move the headlight closer to the front suspension, but needed to allow the space.? The stock instruments are repositioned inside the nacelle.
The new fuel tank cover attaches to the same rubber mounts as the original, but dramatically alters the vibe of the R1200GS. It?s smooth, sweeping and uncluttered?apart from the hand-carved script near the fuel cap, with the bike?s name ?Ride Rough and Remote.?

The leather saddle, by lo...