You may not know the name Cam Elkins, but there?s a good chance you?re familiar with his work. He?s the man behind the brilliant short films called Stories of Bike, which explore the relationships between custom motorcycles and their owners.
After several years filming other people?s bikes, Cam decided it was time to get a custom of his own. He selected a 1986 BMW R65.

?I’ve always loved boxer engines,? he tells us. ?I think they’re reminiscent of old WW2 airplanes, which had such a sleek but utilitarian look to them.?
?And when I first got into the cafe racer scene, it was the custom R80s and R65s that tended to catch my eye. So in short, it’s been a dream for a long time.?

The R65 is a wise choice for a custom from the R series. It?s light, the handling is quick, and steering stability is good?thanks to a beefy upper triple clamp. So it?s the perfect airhead for twisty roads, especially if it?s a post-?85 model with the monoshock configuration. Cam got to know Jason Leppa and technician Sean Taylor at Gasoline while filming a promo video for their custom Harley Sportster, the A-15. So when he?d saved up enough to buy the R65 and put some money toward customizing, he knew whom to call.

?I knew Gasoline would do a great job, having seen their custom work up close.? So Cam delivered the BMW to Gasoline?s workshop in south Sydney, Australia. And as a style guide, he pointed them towards a super-clean R80 from the Spanish shop ROA.
?The brief was to ...