Written by Tim Huber.
Building custom bikes means different things to different people. For some it?s a way to make a living, while for others it?s a means of blowing off steam and getting to unleash a little creativity upon the world. For Australia?s Jas Babalija, it?s very much the latter. The Melbourne-based bike enthusiast holds a number of largely clinical positions by day, leaving little to no room in his work life for any form of real self expression.

?Week in and week out, I work as a Consulting Mechanical Engineer / Forensic Engineer. This work involves investigating why things fail, mostly heavy vehicle and agricultural equipment related. I?m also involved in the homologation of  vehicles in Australia as an agent. The work?s quite technical, therefore working on custom bikes is the only creative outlet I have,? explains Jas.
Though Jas had done some work on his own bikes in the past, the BMW marked his first full-on custom job. The engineer-by-day was joined by Dom Scarpari; a mechanic with three-decades of experience, the proprietor of a company that sells custom components for drift cars, and Jas? soon-to-be father in-law. Like Jas, Dom had done a bit of work on his own rides but had never gone the full custom route ? though you?d never know it from looking at the duo?s inaugural build, which is made all the more impressive by the fact it was completed in approximately two-month?s time.

The project began as a BMW K75C that?d been wrecked. The forks were toa...