There are many BMW motorcycles that Lord Drake Kustoms has worked on, but this Cafe Racer based on a BMW R65 marks the beginning of a new era with the brand.
“Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a fan of Harleys; and until then I had only worked on two BMW motorcycles (R 1200 S and R 1150 S),” Fran Manen told us.
This R65 was the first classic BMW to fall into the hands of Lord Drake Kustoms. Its owner, Ana, from Granada (Spain), is a motorcycle enthusiast and, together with her father, owns a small collection of vintage bikes.
Ana arrived at the LDK workshop in Málaga riding a Sportster 48, but she didn’t modify the Harley; instead, she came to modify a BMW R65 that her father had given her. Although the bike was in excellent condition and despite her father’s warnings not to touch it, she was clear that she wanted a very elegant and aggressive cafe racer.
“A few weeks later, Ana herself would bring the bike to our workshop in Málaga, riding it all the way from Granada, and that’s where the story began…” Fran noted.
How was it done?
We started by disassembling the entire bike to sandblast and paint the frame, engine, and other parts in black. Then, the fuel tank was replaced with the R100 model, and the entire subframe was modified to fit a custom-made tail section for this build. To give it a more aggressive touch, taller rear shocks were installed and the front suspension lowered. The color scheme was simple yet elegant: all black with the bodywork in green (Racing Green) and a custom brown leather seat.
Fresh out of the Lord Drake Kustoms workshop, it seems BMW enthusiasts have agreed to start sending their bikes to LDK in Málaga. They are currently customizing a K100 and an R100, and in the coming weeks, they will begin work on two more BMWs (an R100RS and a K1), which promise to make quite a splash… we’ll see!
