Text: Cafe Racer World, Photos: Álvaro Manén
No one can deny that we are witnessing a trend in custom motorcycles based on BMW models. A motorcycle that the German brand developed in the 1980s, designed for long-distance travel. On this occasion, we start with a 1981 BMW R100 DM.
What Lord Drake Kustoms has achieved with this motorcycle is astonishing, as they have managed to combine several styles into a single bike. That’s why we can quickly spot Cafe Racer elements in its frame, as well as Bobber touches or, one could say, a vintage flair. But even looking at the tires it uses, we could speak of a full-on Scrambler.
There are many details that make this custom bike an object of desire. And it was precisely such a desire that led a client and follower of Lord Drake Kustoms to visit their facilities to commission the motorcycle of his dreams.
The meeting was very brief, and Fran Manen, along with his Lord Drake Kustoms team, was soon ready to start the customization work.
Fran tells us:
The client knew exactly what motorcycle he wanted, and we were also surprised that he was looking for this type of Cafe Racer or Scrambler in Málaga, as it’s not very common to see them even here.
The Customization Process
The LDK team began by disassembling the original BMW R100 and removing everything unnecessary. They then modified the front suspension to achieve the desired height. Once the rear shocks and handlebars were installed, they could visualize the final shape and height of the bike. It was important that it ended up as low as possible.
From there, they began handcrafting all the components to be included, such as the seat and its mount, the front and rear fenders, the license plate holder, the headlight bracket, the battery box, and many other parts.
All the original paint was stripped from the fuel tank down to the metal. After thorough polishing, a matte lacquer was applied for the final finish. As for the other parts, the company Metal Colors applied powder coating (electrostatic paint), combining matte black and textured black.
