It should be pretty apparent at this point, even to the casual observer, that BMW’s R series is one of, if not the most popular run of bikes for customizers out there right now. And that means it takes a lot to stand out against the crowd. Luckily, this personal build for Arjan van den Boom, owner of Ironwood Custom Motorcycles, is exactly the kind of awesome that sticks out like a sore thumb.
Since this wasn’t a commissioned bike, it gave van den Boom free reign to kind of go off the rails; which he did in a fantastic way. The result was a bike with the spirit of a 1985 BMW R80 – as can be seen in the unique mono-shock and single-side swing arm it retains – but taken to a modern and aggressive extreme. It now features a custom alacantra and leather seat with matching tank strap, Leatherman multi-tool holder, and leather grips; as well as Brembo brake disks, Fehling clip ons, a Hyperpro emulsion rear shock, and custom LED taillights integrated in a CNC bracket. And that’s just the beginning. We’d be hard-pressed to pin down a dream bike, but this one comes pretty close.
