FEATURE: ELLASPEDE ‘EB627’ BMW R80 CUSTOM

Lines. The lines of a motorcycle are often overlooked or misunderstood, especially when it comes to custom builds.

Sometimes, a bike just looks “right,” and more often than not, the visual lines are a factor as to why a bike – like this one - looks so good.

Co-ordination

What do we mean when we talk about lines on a custom build? Well two of the favourites to focus on (and a great rule of thumb for certain custom builds) are, firstly, the line through the bottom of the seat and tank, with the second being the line from the top of the headlight across to the top of the tank.

A slightly raked (angled) line through the bottom of the seat and tank gives the bike a more aggressive stance.

Combine that with a headlight that doesn’t extend above the top of the tank and you’re on the right track to a visually well aligned package that just looks ‘right’.

Granted, these rules don’t apply to all customs, but in the case of Greg’s R80 here, it was an ideal application given the café direction of the build.

Strong Core, Soft Tail

While not the original owner of this Ellaspede custom build, Greg was nonetheless lucky enough to pick up the bike after we had already completed a number of modifications to transform it from its original state.

As is often the case with R-series BMWs with reasonable kilometres, the bike was in good condition mechanically and didn’t require much attention to the motor, gearbox, hubs or brakes, but to make more of the stock motor’s sound, we did add reverse cone mufflers to the factory front pipes.

Unfortunately, robust isn’t a term that can be used to describe the stock R-series subframes, so we swiftly replaced the factory unit with an Ellaspede rear frame kit, which shortens and strengthens the rear while matching the line from the bottom of the tank.

An Ellaspede R-series seat pan and battery box was also bolted in, making the whole rear-end transformation a painfully easy process.

The seat was foamed and upholstered to match our design, while a seat cowl from another manufacturer, that matched the shape of the back of the tank, was modified and fitted to complete the café look.

Frontal Attack

Lowering the BMW factory front end and cleaning up the top triple tree in one fell swoop was achieved via an Ellaspede R-series lowering triple clamp.

An added benefit of this is the slightly raked forward line it delivers through the bike - which was the look we were going for.

A 6-inch headlight, Acewell gauge, clip-on bars, bar-end mirrors and a custom bobbed mudguard complete the front-end changes.

In completing this part of the build, specific attention was paid to the lowered positioning of the headlight and gauge, something often overlooked on custom builds.

The electrical system, often the Achilles Heel of old bikes, even ’90s-era rides like this one, was given a check over before being modified to suit a new electrics box under the seat.

Completing the lighting package is a compact LED taillight, subtle Daytona winkers and an Ellaspede universal tail tidy with LED number plate light.

A Taste of M

The remaining stock parts and engine received a thorough cleaning before the front calipers, fork legs, swing arm, wheels, brackets and other various parts were coated in a mix of satin and gloss black.

The freshly-painted rims were fitted with new Bridgestone tyres, but we chose larger-than-factory sizes to toughen the appearance compared to the skinny stock hoops.

Enter Greg at this point.

All the pieces of the puzzle were there and the lines were right, but the bike was dressed in a colour scheme that just didn’t set Greg off.

He said he wanted a tough custom café that wasn’t too “vintage looking,” and when his wife proclaimed that she liked the old colour, he knew it was time to change!

So, we were tasked with designing a livery that was tough and a little more modern, as well as something that would minimize the visual size of the stock fuel tank.

Nothing’s more slimming than black, so it was an easy decision to coat the centre and the edges of the tank, as well as the tail, in this colour to cut down the visual weight.

BMW’s M-sport livery has been done many times before on many custom builds, so we made this one more individual by reworking the hues and focusing on the darker blue to carry the overall colour scheme.

Continuing the M theme on an otherwise monotone lower half of the bike are some subtle stripes on the valve covers, while the classic black café seat upholstery is also tied into the M-sport theme with red stitching.

Made to Ride

More than the sum of its parts, Greg’s R80 rides incredibly well for a bike of this style. Usually, custom café racers are so stripped and aggressive that they’re uncomfortable - unless you’re riding right on the edge.

However, with its plush seat padding, reasonable height clip-ons, mid-mount pegs and a relatively short wheelbase, this bike is certainly comfier than it may first appear; a real “surprise packet,” as Greg puts it.

With a stack of other European bikes in his collection, it was only a matter of time before a BMW joined Greg’s garage.

With its ‘air head’ motor, classic café styling and subtle M-sport livery, this custom example is a worthy representative of the Bavarian brand in Greg’s fleet.

We talk a lot about the lines of a custom bike and how good they make it look sitting still. But now, the lines that really matter most to Greg are the ones he’s carving through with this bike on the way to his favourite coastal town.