Any project worth doing has a few challenges along the way. This tidy BMW R75/5 started out as a true basket case, and took almost five years to complete?but judging by the results, it was time well spent.
The builder, Josh Withers, agrees. He’s a photographer based in Culver City, California, who tinkers on old airheads when he’s not shooting. And now that he’s finally wrapped up work on the BMW, he’s pleased to report it’s ?completely sorted, and a blast to ride.?

?A guy from Michigan contacted me through YouTube,? he explains, ?and we joked that I’d build him a bike for 10 cents an hour. Before I knew it, I had a parts bike in my van.?
?Then, after six months of him unsure of what kind of bike he wanted, he disappeared for two years. Just as I was about to sell his pile of parts, he resurfaced. I had a back surgery, a sidecar restoration project to finish, a new baby girl, and other projects before I could get to this, but the last year I felt like I worked on it relentlessly.?
The customer wanted something that would suit Michigan’s forest roads, so Josh opted for a laid-back scrambler style, with a healthy dose of British Racing Green. But he truly had his work cut out for him: apart from the fuel tank, everything needed rebuilding, restoring or replacing.
Josh used the opportunity to upgrade the old boxer motor, so it now runs a mighty 1,000 cc Siebenrock upgrade, and a five-speed kickstart transmission from a R90/6.

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