Whether I’m out on the road, trawling the internet or checking my inbox of a morning, there is never a shortage of motorcycles to look at. Some you simply admire with a nod of the head, others you just want to ride and give them the beans, and a good handful take you down a rabbit hole of exploring a fantasy potential purchase. Then there are the truly rare few that stop you in your tracks; “holy shit that’s beautiful!” For me, those bikes come in all shapes and sizes and from every corner of the world, but without fail that’s the reaction whenever Croatia’s Incerum Customs releases a new build. Their latest is no different, a breathtakingly beautiful BMW R100 that’s been built in the best possible way.

Like almost any master of their craft, Antonio Ferhatović has been at the custom bike game for a good period of time, and refining his technique over the years has allowed him to produce one masterpiece after another. His well thought out designs and use of bold colours certainly help the bikes stand out from the pack, but it’s the level of detail he goes to, the never cutting a corner, and commitment to delivering only the best that has him at the top of his game.

This latest R100 is no exception and listening to him explain how he prepares the frame leaves you with no question, that he’s envisioned the finished product before he’s even started. There is no coming back later to drill an extra hole here or cut off an unwanted tab there, every step is planned to perfection and it starts with ensuring the foundation is fit for purpose. With a bare boxer twin frame on his bike lift, the process of laying it all out can begin.

Old tabs are removed, new custom brackets added and holes drilled and passages created for wiring to come 100 steps further down the line. Every surface that will be seen and even the ones that will live in darkness are treated to the same perfect preparation. Now the true custom work can begin and the subframe is cut off, a new slim designed seat post added, with all of its own unique features, and only then is the grey powder coat with special shimmer finish laid down across the full chassis of the bike.

As with anyone looking to stay at the cutting edge, Antonio is also using new techniques and technology, and the raw metal and aluminium, like that on the engine, has been water blasted until it looks better than new. To prevent oxidisation or any blemishes from appearing, it’s then given a special chemical coat to seal the stunning finish. The engine and carbs have been completely rebuilt to ensure a lifetimes worth of BMW reliability, with a set of pod filters added to the latter. Before the driveline is given its finishing touch with the company’s own full exhaust from their in-house brand FYG.

But this whole time, the same thing that caught my eye at first, is probably still catching yours. “This time our painter really went far out,” Antonio smiles! And he’s not wrong, but as everyone knows, good paint requires perfect preparation. From the flowing rear fender with its genius single-sided mounts, to its front end counterpart, the headlight shell and the factory R fuel tank; all of the metalwork is fussed over with a fine-tooth come until it is perfectly smooth and free of any contamination.

Only then can the painter get to work, laying down a stunning burnt orange to dark chocolate effect, that uses a host of airbrush, marbling and fade techniques to totally transform the once very utilitarian factory R. The gold pinstriping with Incerum logo is just as incredible, so too the blacked-out graphics and the hand-finished badge detailing. But the clever colour work doesn’t stop there, with the shell of the yellow spotlight, the handlebars and the wheels all finished out in what the company call a gold to copper effect textured product.

For all the show, the go is not forgotten either, the brakes are fully rebuilt, so too the front suspension and the rear rides just right with custom built YSS shocks. A Motoscope classic speedo is perfectly integrated into the headlight and Motogadget also supplies a range of their high-end parts to take care of the rest of the lighting, turn signals and signature grips against the NOS switch blocks. The bobber style seat is another touch of class, and showing the company’s commitment to riding hard is their choice of quality Continental rubber.

Yes, this is a bike that not only makes your mouth hit the floor, sends you down a fantasy build rabbit hole and fuels a desire to ride it hard, you also just have to step back and nod your head, Incerum Customs have done it again.

[ Incerum Customs – Instagram | Photography by Matej Pilaš ]