BMW R80/7 Duchess Is a Tribute to the Cherished R69S Done the Custom Way

With that being said, Pete clearly knows a thing or two about cars, motorcycles, and going fast in general. It therefore shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s so proficient at what he does today, with his main area of expertise revolving around old-school airheads from BMW. For a perfect example of what he and his crew at Side Rock Cycles (SRC) can achieve, you’ll need to look no further than this sublime R80/7 bobber.

It was commissioned by a client named Jonathon back in 2023, and it should be pretty clear why we’re so fond of what SRC has pulled off here. From a cosmetic standpoint, the crew’s source of inspiration was the iconic BMW R69S finished in Dover White, a model that Jonathon was extremely fond of. With the 1978 MY R80/7 on their workbench, Pete and his squad were ready to dig in.

To get the ball rolling, they took the whole thing apart and proceeded to ditch a large chunk of its factory paraphernalia. Next, the frame underwent an invigorating clean-up and its rear section was taken out of the equation altogether, along with any redundant tabs and mounting points. The skeleton had to be impeccable, as it would ultimately be color-matched to the bodywork and thus brought to the forefront visually.

As their next port of call, SRC’s specialists turned to the motorcycle’s bodywork. All the OEM garments had been eliminated during the initial teardown, and the stunning fuel tank of a later R variant is now placed center-stage. It’s embellished with a Monza flip-up filler cap and custom badges, which merge the BMW logo with some neat SRC branding.

One may also find custom fenders at both ends, with the rear unit mounted down low on the swingarm like that of the R69S. The frame, fuel tank, and both fenders are all finished in a stunning layer of gloss-white paint – not quite the same as the older Beemer’s Dover White colorway, but truly mouth-watering, nonetheless. It also appears on the specimen’s new headlight housing.

Held in place by tailor-made brackets, the aforementioned item is home to an aftermarket LED headlamp bright enough to keep the party going after dark. The white paintwork is accompanied by black pinstriping on the tank and fenders, but then there is that elegant saddle upholstery complementing the stylish color scheme. The brown leather covers a bespoke bobber seat put together by Glenn Moger.

Holding this new saddle is a custom-made support built from scratch, with integrated multi-function LEDs from Motogadget to illuminate the rear end. It was mandatory for Side Rock Cycles to refurbish the electronic package, so they installed a fresh wiring harness coupled with a Motogadget controller and a lithium-ion battery from Antigravity. The next thing on the list was the R80’s running gear, starting with the wheels.

Conveniently, the donor came with laced hoops perfect for the aesthetic that Pete had in mind, so these were retained and rebuilt using stainless-steel spokes. Now finished in satin-black, their rims are hugged by Avon RoadRider rubber fore and aft. As far as the suspension is concerned, we still find the original telescopic forks supplied from the factory, but they’ve been refurbished and fitted with fresh rubber gaiters.

At the back, the guys installed a pair of fully-adjustable YSS shock absorbers, much longer than the stock units and attached to custom mounting points up top. The stock brake calipers are still in play up north, though they’ve been revamped and paired with EBC discs and braided stainless-steel lines. A low-profile Renthal handlebar occupies the cockpit area, wearing underslung mirrors, bar-end turn signals, and leather grips matching the seat upholstery.

Moreover, there is a retro-looking Motogadget Motoscope Tiny speedo sunk into the headlight bucket, yet another clear nod to the R69S. As you can imagine, the experts at Side Rock Cycles haven’t overlooked the powertrain sector. They’ve rebuilt the motorcycle’s boxer-twin engine inside out, to then fit the freshly refurbished carbs with premium aftermarket foam filters from UK brand Ramair.

On the exhaust side of things, you’ll notice custom stainless-steel pipework built in-house at SRC’s facility. The mill’s exterior was finished in a coat of satin-black paint, but the fins on the valve covers have been polished back to bare metal. You’ll notice the same black finish on a few other items, including the rims, rear drum brake, and fork lowers. Lastly, this custom tribute to the R69S was dubbed the Duchess following the project’s completion.