With roughly 2.7 million individuals residing in Brooklyn, New York, the serendipitous story of this BMW R100R café racer stands out as one thing really extraordinary. All of it started when Tobias van Schneider—a German multi-disciplinary designer residing in Brooklyn—noticed a {custom} BMW R80 on the road. Enamored, he nabbed a photograph of it and despatched it to a pal.
That pal occurred to be the founding father of Fantasy Motor, Matias Corea. Matias instantly acknowledged the bike and knew its creator—Argentine-born Sebastian ‘Seba’ Achaval, who works below the moniker ‘oneYedeer.’ Matias related Tobias and Seba, and the concept of ‘The Escape Machine’ was born.
Initially working with a working 1984 BMW R80ST, Tobias and Seba began hashing out concepts. “Anybody acquainted with me is aware of I’m keen about my work,” says Tobias. “Each venture have to be a designed object, an artwork piece, a singular idea that performs as fantastically because it appears.”
“I imagined one thing that wouldn’t really feel too fabricated. It needed to be handmade, one thing with attraction, one thing with a singular persona and street presence. Teaming up with Seba marked the start of an exquisite venture and friendship.”
Throughout this preliminary planning section, Seba realized of Tobias’ pristine 1989 Mercedes-Benz 190E. Completed in a heat metallic gray, the Merc’s angular strains, blocky components, and distinctive rear spoiler triggered a thought; what if these components may in some way be translated to the BMW? “The proposal to make use of a Mercedes coloration on a BMW was unconventional, however we embraced the inventive stress,” says Tobias.
Seba began by upgrading the BMW R80ST’s entrance finish, not figuring out that it could quickly be swapped out for a extra appropriate donor. Utilizing a conversion package from Cognito Moto, he transplanted the forks and brake calipers from a 2018-model Honda CBR1000RR, matched to a 17” rim and Galfer rotors. The swap gave the entrance finish a extra muscular look with the good thing about higher dealing with—however it left the rear finish hopelessly outgunned.
Designed for a thin 18” wheel, the R80’s swingarm wasn’t going to accommodate a sufficiently extensive rear wheel with out severe modifications. To resolve the issue, Seba and Tobias bought their palms on a 1993-model BMW R100R, chosen for its paralever swingarm and 140-section 17” rear wheel.
Slightly than carry out a rear-end swap, the blokes determined to make use of the entire R100R, in order that they may profit from its larger engine, too. Inside hours of laying palms on the bike, Seba had transplanted the R80ST’s upgraded entrance finish. It was round this time that Matias as soon as once more joined the dialog.
Matias is aware of outdated boxer motors inside out—and, with in depth expertise riding them overland, likes to construct them powerful and dependable. Regardless of the R100R’s low mileage and honest situation, Matias tore into the engine to establish any weak factors. In went new piston rings and con rod bearings, plus a full complement of gaskets and seals. The rear primary seal was refurbished, the oil pump was cleaned and inspected, and the timing chain, crank nostril seal, and clutch had been all changed.
Matias additionally put in a brand new starter motor from EME, which offered extra cranking energy, much less weight, and fewer battery draw. The carbs had been rebuilt and re-jetted, and the airbox was swapped for pod filters. Lastly, Matias overhauled the transmission and put in a {custom} cooling system.
In the meantime, Seba continued fabricating the BMW’s new bodywork, flitting between sporty café racer ideas and the design language of Tobias’ late-80s Merc. The temporary known as for a solo seat, so Seba designed a slim, retro-futuristic tail part with built-in LED lighting. The boxy part was welded collectively from sections of laser-cut metal, earlier than being completed off with seat foam and Alcantara upholstery.
Seba additionally fabricated a {custom} subframe to help the brand new tailpiece, basing it on a central spine with triangular reinforcements. The foot controls had been then moved to the OEM passenger peg mounts to create a extra centered using place.
One other pal, Marlon, was roped in to assist create the BMW’s blocky 3D-printed fairing. Mounted on custom-made brackets, it’s geared up with the oblong headlight from a Nineteen Eighties Jeep Wrangler. Behind it, a built-in dashboard homes a classy Motogadget speedo.
Below the hood, the bike was rewired round a Motogadget controller and an Antigravity battery. The cockpit sports activities absolutely adjustable billet aluminum clip-ons, fitted with upgraded controls, Motogadget switches, Rizoma reservoirs, and braided hoses.
Robbie Nigl at Peach Pit Portray was answerable for laying down the Mercedes-Benz paint job. Look intently, and also you’ll discover that the underside fringe of the gasoline tank has been completed in black. Tobias needed to create a visible break up within the design, so every thing under the road was handled with satin black finishes.
Last touches embody a Mondaine timepiece, embedded within the high yoke, and bronze tank emblems by jewellery designer Ashley Keeper. Pipe wrap on the BMW’s two-into-one-into-two exhaust system provides a rough-hewn contact to the in any other case slick boxer.
Two years after recognizing that BMW R80 on the road, Tobias’ Escape Machine was lastly delivered to life. And judging by his response, we’d say that Seba, Matias, and everybody else that labored on the venture, nailed it.
“The completed bike represents greater than only a {custom} construct—it’s a philosophical assertion about breaking conventional boundaries in automotive design,” says Tobias.
“By merging Mercedes-Benz aesthetic components with BMW mechanics, Seba created one thing fully new whereas respecting each manufacturers’ heritage. The bike maintains its clear id as a BMW airhead, however with an sudden twist that solely these with a eager eye for design may absolutely admire.”
House of van Schneider | oneYedeer | Myth Motor
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