Written by Marlon Slack
At Pipeburn we?ve seen more stripped-back airheads than a college quarterback. So it takes something special for our jaws to truly hit the floor. And this, a 1976 BMW R100 by Belarusian shop Recast Moto, is pretty damn special. Recast are huge fans of the R series. ?They?re classic airheads that have passed the test of time,? head of the shop, Matiz Lemark says. ?The simple and reliable design of the boxer engine makes it a good donor that will run for many years?.

But he?s also quick to acknowledge the problem in building a kickass boxer. ?There?s so many unique BMW?s which makes it hard to compete design wise or in individuality,? he adds. ?The task is not to repeat anything and get something new and classic?.
More classic than Beethoven So when a customer approached Recast wanting a custom bike, any custom bike, they knew what they wanted to offer up as a donor. And they knew it?d be a challenge. ?The client wanted a motorcycle for the city, something that can do short trips with the ability to take a pillion,? Matiz says.

As is often the case in Eastern Europe, the team at Recast had to look westwards to try to find the basis for their build. They struck gold in the Netherlands, at a workshop that specialises in BMWs. They had a customer trying to pass off his old R100RS for a damn good price. But there was a reason it was cheap.

?It?d been converted into a chopper,? Matiz recalls. ?You have to imagine it. The rear part of the bike had been ...