In the rarified world of artisan bike builders, Shiro Nakajima stands apart. His bikes are usually functional, and sometimes even practical: the kind of models a factory might conceivably build.
Some are designed to win races, and others to tackle the occasional dirt road. And then there are the machines that distill the pleasure of motorcycling down to its simplest, most mechanical elements. Like this BMW R75/6, which is almost fifty years old but perfectly capable of keeping up with modern traffic.

To the untrained eye, this R75 could be a restoration. But keen-eyed BMW aficionados will spot a huge number of well-judged modifications.
?I built this at the request of a customer,? Shiro tells us. ?It?s simple and classic looking. But with 1000cc of displacement, a new gearbox and the forks from a Japanese bike, it can enjoy the mountain roads to the fullest.?
When it left the Berlin factory in 1973, this slash-6 boxer had 745cc and a modest 50 hp at its disposal. But when it arrived at Shiro?s workshop, a traditional wooden building on the island of Honsh?, the engine was past its best. So Shiro dismantled it, down to every last nut and bolt.
He bored out the cylinders for a capacity increase, installed new pistons, and remodeled the valves and their seating. New big end bearings soak up the extra power and all the seals and gaskets are new too.

The headers are mostly stock, but refurbished and modified at the end to accept new mufflers. Unusually, these are chrome...