It can be difficult to nail down exactly when or where a trend originated, but there’s little to no doubt that the modernized BMW airhead “bob-fighter” craze was started by Ironwood Custom. The Dutch shop’s latest bobbed Bavarian build — a reworked ’82 R100 — follow’s IWC’s basic formula, albeit with a few special features and top-shelf upgrades added to the mix at the request of the customer who commissioned the project.
Starting with the power plant, the BMW’s engine was treated to an array of trick upgraded Krauser parts including four-valve heads, electric ignition, and Nikasil barrels, plus the stock Bing carbs have been swapped out for Mikuni TM40 flat slides paired with DNA pod filters with IWC logos. The original exhaust was jettisoned in favor of a custom segmented unit ending in an underslung IXIL SX1 underslung carbon muffler (built for the Yamaha XSR700. The electronics now run through an M-unit from Motogadget, who also supplied the builds bar-end LEDs, grips, switchgear, mirrors, and Motoscope Pro display which is sunken into a one-off machined top triple. The running gear has been vastly improved via the addition of inverted Ohlins forks, dual 320mm discs pinched by four-pot Brembo calipers linked via braided lines, and adjustable rear shocks from TFX. Finishing out the build is a one-off set of CNC’d clip-ons and rear-sets, /5 fuel-cell, tractor-style saddle, custom fenders fore and aft, Koso LED headlight, Continental rubber, and a Porsche ‘Pacha Red’ livery.
