Photo: 86 Gear via Pipeburn
Christian Boosen isn’t the sort of builder to ever take shortcuts or do things by halves, and that’s why his custom bikes are always so amazing. Known to the wider public as 86 Gear, he resides in the Polish capital of Warsaw and has been indulging in motorcycle customization for nearly two decades. With all that experience under his belt, Christian clearly has what it takes to build a fantastic one-off.
Pictured above these paragraphs is a 1978 BMW R100S that’s undergone the 86 Gear treatment last year. It looks absolutely mouth-watering from every angle, but the custom work goes well beyond the cosmetic side of things. After sourcing the old Beemer from Germany and taking it back to his shop, he dug straight in by taking it apart and discarding the parts that would no longer be needed.
The next step saw Christan cleaning up the motorcycle’s frame to make it look nice and fresh once again, but the rear subframe got taken out of the equation. In its stead, you’ll see a looped aftermarket module with an LED taillight integrated into its rearmost section. There is an elegant black leather saddle placed up top, courtesy of Projekt X Nadarzyn.
LED turn signals and a custom rear fender are also attached to the subframe tubing, and all this equipment is supported by adjustable YSS shock absorbers. The license plate will henceforth live down low on a swingarm-mounted bracket, which is located on the left-hand side. Our protagonist went to town at the front end, too, first attaching a pair of protective crash bars to the frame’s twin down tubes.
Moreover, the original forks from BMW are nowhere to be seen, as they’ve been replaced with the inverted units of a Kawasaki ZX-7R. A small handmade fender is placed in between them, and the aforementioned Kawi also donated its Tokico front brake calipers. Controlled via a top-grade master cylinder, these are now coupled with wave-style rotors and premium hoses.
Illuminating the way ahead is an R nineT’s repurposed headlamp, while the cockpit area is home to a Renthal handlebar and tons of Motogadget goodies. These include elegant grips, discreet switches, and a multi-function ChronoClassic dial, as well as bar-end turn signals and mirrors. An auxiliary yellow-tinted spotlight is present on the right crash bar.
The mastermind at 86 Gear gave the boxer-twin engine a complete overhaul, too, installing items like forged pistons, a new clutch, and fresh gaskets all-round. Exhaust gases are routed through heat-wrapped pipework and shiny stainless-steel mufflers. Lastly, the stock fuel tank is still present, but it now wears a replacement billet aluminum filler cap, custom BMW roundels, and a gorgeous coat of dark green paint applied by Artbrush Workshop.
The next step saw Christan cleaning up the motorcycle’s frame to make it look nice and fresh once again, but the rear subframe got taken out of the equation. In its stead, you’ll see a looped aftermarket module with an LED taillight integrated into its rearmost section. There is an elegant black leather saddle placed up top, courtesy of Projekt X Nadarzyn.
LED turn signals and a custom rear fender are also attached to the subframe tubing, and all this equipment is supported by adjustable YSS shock absorbers. The license plate will henceforth live down low on a swingarm-mounted bracket, which is located on the left-hand side. Our protagonist went to town at the front end, too, first attaching a pair of protective crash bars to the frame’s twin down tubes.
Moreover, the original forks from BMW are nowhere to be seen, as they’ve been replaced with the inverted units of a Kawasaki ZX-7R. A small handmade fender is placed in between them, and the aforementioned Kawi also donated its Tokico front brake calipers. Controlled via a top-grade master cylinder, these are now coupled with wave-style rotors and premium hoses.
Illuminating the way ahead is an R nineT’s repurposed headlamp, while the cockpit area is home to a Renthal handlebar and tons of Motogadget goodies. These include elegant grips, discreet switches, and a multi-function ChronoClassic dial, as well as bar-end turn signals and mirrors. An auxiliary yellow-tinted spotlight is present on the right crash bar.
The mastermind at 86 Gear gave the boxer-twin engine a complete overhaul, too, installing items like forged pistons, a new clutch, and fresh gaskets all-round. Exhaust gases are routed through heat-wrapped pipework and shiny stainless-steel mufflers. Lastly, the stock fuel tank is still present, but it now wears a replacement billet aluminum filler cap, custom BMW roundels, and a gorgeous coat of dark green paint applied by Artbrush Workshop.
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