With futuristic looks, bold colors, and more plastic than a Tupperware party, the BMW K1 was nothing if not memorable. Released in 1988 and based on the inline four-cylinder BMW K100, it was big, bold, and?depending on who you ask?beautiful.
Billed as a sport-touring motorcycle, the BMW K1’s brash aesthetic was decidedly non-BMW at the time and remains polarizing today. To those who loved it, it offered a decent amount of power and a low drag coefficient?but it was also heavy, expensive, and had issues with heat retention. It ultimately proved unpopular and faded from BMW’s line-up in just five years.

Some people would balk at the idea of cutting up an original K1, while others would consider it mandatory. The owner of this K1 sits somewhere in the middle. Their brief to Portugal’s iT ROCKS!BIKES was to modify the bike extensively, but with a striking design that would pay tribute to the factory aesthetic. An alternate reality K1, if you will; a fully-faired fantasy with modern, snazzy lines.

?We were very excited about this project,? says Osvaldo Coutinho, who runs IRB alongside Ana Pina and Luís Teixeira. ?Our objective was to create a motorcycle with striking lines which would mark the update of this iconic motorcycle?while using top-quality, safe, and homologated equipment.?
IRB specializes in monocoque-style bodywork, which is probably what drew this client to them in the first place. They constructed a one-piece tank and tail section for the K...