Alongside being more well-balanced and cohesive in their overall design, what typically separates your average custom bike from professional level builds is the small details and fit and finish. The sheer amount of repetition and time spent customizing the same donor model has a way of shining a light on previously unseen possibilities and elements for customization. And having now completed an extensive number of vintage BMW projects, Croatian shop, Incerum Customs has brilliantly demonstrated this practice-makes-perfect ethos with their immaculately-executed and detail-laden 1983 BMW R100. 

Nestled away in a small town in western Slavonia, approximately two-hours southeast of the capitol, Incerum (which is Latin for “Uncertain”) first appeared on our radar towards the tail-end of 2020 with the Požega shop’s absolutely stunning R45 project — only a few months before revealing an equally impressive and no-less-detail-oriented ’79 R100. Just weeks on the heels of that last R100, Incerum has now circled back to the 979cc donor platform to deliver an even more intricately-detailed and uniquely-finished bobbed Bavarian boxer.

Before busting out the angle grinder or English wheel, the Croat customs outfit set out about tackling the elements of the build that you can’t see. “The engine has been completely torn down and rebuilt with a Siebenrock kit that’s brought displacement up to 1,070cc,” Incerum’s Antonio Ferhatović tells us. 

In lieu of the stock subframe, the shop has crafted and installed a short tubular section that jets out from the back of the main chassis and acts as the build’s new subframe while also doubling as the supports for the pair of Kellerman micro-LEDs rear indicators neatly floating beneath the seat. What’s more, those same signals also act as the machine’s brake/taillight. Now boasting smartphone and Bluetooth connectivity thanks to being run through a Motogadget, M-unit Blue control box, the electronics on the bike have been completely hidden from sight and the wiring has been painstakingly routed internally through the frame. 

Antonio and the gang then turned their attention to build’s instrumentation setup. Knowing the stocker’s side-by-side speedo and tach cluster set would never lend itself to the project’s minimalistic design, the team opted to modify the R100’s existing headlight shell, cutting out an area to make room for a now-recessed Motogadget Motoscope Classic speedometer. “The main key switch is now a fob-activated Motogadget item stashed under the gas tank on the engine cover,” Antonio reveals. 

Incerum also turned to the German moto electronics manufacturer when piecing together much of the new cockpit, installing a new set of handlebars atop a pair of risers before equipping the bars with new grips, Motogadget m-Switch mini switchgear, a single lane-splitter-style Motogadget circular bar-end mirror, and a pair of Motogadget bar-end LEDs that, like the rear Kellerman items, keep the build and its silouhette immensely tidy while still achieving it full road-legal status. And, just like with the rest of the build, all of the wiring on the front-end of the bike has been routed internally. 

The build retains its stock tank, though the fuel-cell’s been gifted a machined aluminum cap. One-off fenders fore and aft constitute the entirety of the project’s custom bodywork. And while both are held via custom-made supports, the rear fender is set on bespoke single-sided brackets that wrap around the left-side of the rear wheel and keep the one-off piece of bodywork tightly hugging the back tire. 

Another asymmetrical element present on the build is the lone crash bar on the lefthand side of the engine, fortifying the protruding cylinder head and exhaust header while supporting a period-correct yellow-lensed fog light. Continuing the asymmetrical aesthetic is the airhead’s meticulously-detailed and expertly-finish tractor-style seat, which is crafted from brown leather with black Alcantara inlays with a cross-stitched pattern, matching Alcantara piping, and a hand-stitched zig-zag accent. 

While there’s no shortage of noteworthy details present on the BMW, the build’s exhaust is undeniably one of its main highlights. Now paired with a set of pod filters, the full-custom unit sees its headers sweeping down around the front of the bored-out boxer twin before culminating on the opposite side from which they started in a pair of cone mufflers squeezed beneath the engine. “The new setup is from our exhaust brand, FYG and after being installed sounds absolutely incredible,” beams Antonio, who compares the new exhaust note to the sound of thunder.

Giving the R100 a sportier riding experience is an upgraded pair of YSS rear shocks and a new set of machined billet rear-sets replacing the stock foot-pegs and controls. The donor’s original kickstarter pedal has also been jettisoned in favor of a custom, heavily-knurled item. And while they admittedly aren’t doing much in the performance department, the build’s Heidenau knobbies undeniably add a bit more flavor to the mix. 

With everything else finally sorted, the team moved onto the build’s elaborate painting and coating process. “The theme color for this bike was brown and we used a myriad of shades and different finishes of the hue throughout the bike, including gloss areas, metallic sections, and a special textured powder-coated finish covering a handful of parts like the wheels, the top of the carbs, the headlight shell ring, risers, fender support brackets, the throttle housing, cylinder head covers, brake calipers, and crash bar ,” relays the Croat. 

This textured, almost bronze-colored finish is juxtaposed via a glossy dark brown powder-coating on the chassis, subframe, headlight shell, handlebars, and swing-arm. The textured powder-coating also lines the bottom of the build’s bobber-style seat and sees its rough finish illuminated when the rear indicators/taillight is activated. On top of a few minor black and gold elements rounding out the highly-involved livery, the shop has also treated the donor to a pair of custom Incerum insignias replacing the tanks Roundels and an additional shop badge on the engine cover. 

The project was commissioned by an Albanian client, so for an extra dose of personalization, Incerum has installed a set of custom-made plates adorning the fork. “The two pieces are laser-engraved, with one side reading ‘Albania’ in a traditional script font and the other saying ‘ditë – natë,’ which translates to ‘day – night.’

The end result is not only an instant showstopper, but one that hides rich details and cleverly-crafted accoutrements that will continue jumping out at you and revealing themselves the longer you spend visually taking it in. Based on the stellar work the shop is already churning out and the rapid progression its shown over the last twelve months alone, we’re seriously excited to see the types of machines that will surely be rolling out of Incerum Customs in a few year’s time. 

[ Incerum Customs – Instagram | Photography by Matej Pilaš ]