Despite what the workshop’s name might suggest, Cafe Racer Dreams won’t always stick to the quintessential cafe formula religiously. At their facility in Madrid, Spain, founder Pedro Garcia and his crew have been killing the customization game for several years, often mixing stylistic cues from multiple genres on their builds. Case in point: this gorgeous one-off airhead pieced together back in 2022.
The bike is right at the crossroads between bobber, scrambler, and cafe racer, neatly blending all three of them into one visually cohesive package. As their starting point, the guys at Cafe Racer Dreams (CRD) went with a BMW R 100 RS from the model-year 1979. This project was commissioned by a client from Dubai, which comes to show that Pedro and his team have made a name for themselves well beyond Spain’s borders.
To say that CRD is well-versed in Motorrad’s old-school boxers would be a gross understatement, as the vast majority of their builds were based on the R platform. Oh, and they’ve only gotten better over time, mind you, with the shop’s portfolio now containing north of 130 entries. Each and every one of them has a distinct personality of its own, so you simply can’t get bored while browsing through the archive.
Zooming in on this rad R 100 RS, the first step of CRD’s overhaul involved a complete teardown. This was followed by a nice bit of structural work, which saw the original swingarm ditched in favor of a bobber-style seat support. Pedro and his squad had to create new mounting points for the rear suspension, as well, then they fitted a premium pair of aftermarket shock absorbers from Hagon.
Although the factory telescopic forks are still present at the front, they’ve been rebuilt inside out to match the upgraded suspension at the back. The hardware was tuned specifically for the client’s weight and riding style fore and aft. Improved stopping power is made possible thanks to rebuilt brakes, still worn by the standard wheels that came from the factory.
Photo: Jaime de Diego via Pipeburn
Their rims are enveloped in dual-purpose TKC 80 rubber from Continental, throwing a pinch of scrambler flavor into the mix. In terms of bodywork, we still find the original R 100 fuel tank placed center-stage, but it’s been repainted in a layer of British Racing Green, then embellished with fresh BMW roundels and a flush-mounted filler cap. All the other stock garments have been deleted during the initial teardown.
A bobber-style fender is now attached to the swingarm at the rear, but we also come across a custom mudguard at the front. Right behind the gas tank lies a handmade saddle cloaked in high-quality buffalo leather, and the license plate will henceforth live down low on a swingarm-mounted bracket. Discreet LED lighting illuminates the motorcycle’s rear end, but the hardware gets even more interesting up north.
Aside from the LED headlamp placed in the usual location, there is an auxiliary projector lower down on the right-hand side. It’s perched on an aftermarket crash bar right above the exhaust header, while the front turn signals are bar-end units from Motogadget’s range. They’re fitted on a Renthal handlebar, together with fresh grips, compact switches, and underslung bar-end mirrors.
Photo: Jaime de Diego via Pipeburn
Just like the blinkers, all these goodies were supplied by Motogadget, but so was the Motoscope Tiny speedo that brings the cockpit equipment full circle. It’s neatly recessed into the headlight bucket up top, and all the electronics are now hooked up to a replacement wiring harness. The ergonomic package is finished off with top-grade billet aluminum foot pegs from Tarozzi, mounted right next to the swingarm pivot.
Moving on to the creature’s powertrain, the experts at Cafe Racer Dreams performed a complete overhaul of its air-cooled 980cc boxer-twin engine. The original airbox and Bing carbs have been retained, but they were all revamped and kitted with modern air filtration hardware. On the exhaust side of things, there are heat-wrapped headers ending in dual aftermarket silencers right below the foot pegs.
Whereas the fuel tank flaunts that stunning British Racing Green colorway, most of the other bits and pieces were painted black. The paintwork is done in a stylish mixture of matte and satin finishes for visual depth, but one may also spot pinches of bare metal here and there. From head to toe, this custom R 100 RS is a thrilling sight to behold, and the customer is said to have been delighted with the fruit of CRD’s labor.
That really doesn’t come as a surprise, though, as Pedro Garcia and his accomplices have knocked this project straight out of the ballpark! We’re big fans of custom bikes that merge two or more styles into one, so this particular Beemer immediately caught our attention. Now, the only question left on our minds is how this thing would look with Dubai’s opulent skyscrapers as the backdrop.
A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing. Full profile
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