There?s a lot to be said for elegance and subtlety. And there?s also a time and place for going completely over the top.
Dani Weidmann and his crew at the Swiss shop VTR Customs can play it both ways. This time, they?ve turned the volume up to 11 and built a BMW R nineT that?s about as subtle as an AC/DC riff.

It?s got 136 hp, a stonking 145 Nm of torque, and it?s called ?Shitanes 61??a reference to the famous Gitanes motor racing livery from the 1980s.
The story starts at the last Swiss Custom Moto Show, where VTR displayed their R nineT Pure ?Street Tracker33? bike. It was snapped up on the second day of the show, much to the chagrin of one of VTR?s regular clients.

?Talking on our stand, our client came up with an idea,? says Dani. ?He wanted a bike that was even more radical than ST33, and faster.? The concept was agreed on the spot: an R nineT with USD forks, engine tuning, a quickshifter, top shelf high performance parts, and a dash of 80s style. ?That?s doable for us, because we grew up around that decade, and have done 80s theme bikes in the past,? says Dani.

While kicking ideas around during a coffee break, talk turned towards Formula 1 cars. ?We came to the Gitanes design [used on the French Equipe Ligier cars] and voilà?Shitanes was born.? The #61 comes from the owner?s year of birth.
For the donor bike, VTR chose an R nineT with the Option 719 accessory pack?which includes goodies like milled cylinder heads, upgraded foot pegs and adjustable brake and ...