Attending a Concours d’Elegance event like Pebble Beach is a vastly different experience than casually hanging out, beer in hand, at your favourite custom bike show. But take away the champagne, botox and boat shoes, and there is a hell of a lot to be learnt. And perhaps the greatest lesson from these masters of restoration is paying attention to the finer details, while also having a cohesive overall design. It’s something that Robert Sabel absolutely nails, bringing his Porsche purist exceptionalism to each and every one of his custom BMW builds. The Dowley Commission is no exception, with this 1986 BMW R80 given the full Roughchild remake, to create a black Bimmer that would be at home at any event, no matter how discerning the judges.
As we’ve mentioned in the past, Robert’s an expert in classic Porsches, and the eye for detail you need to work in that field has carried over brilliantly into his career as a bike builder. There is a lot to be said for focussing on one make and even model, whether that be cars or bikes, but whatever your poison, the devil really is in the detail. It’s here that so many emerging and backyard builders can learn from people like Robert, who approach their motorcycle builds with the sort of attention to detail that is applied to the high-end world of classic cars. So, before we dive into this beautiful in black BMW, notice an important fact; nothing on this bike is out of place, an afterthought or left half-done.
The frame sets the foundation and taking it all back to bare metal and removing every last part ensures that the black paint applied is absolutely perfect. In general terms, Roughchild offers three styles – Café, Adventure/Scrambler, or Bobber, and this being the latter, the seat post is a short and deliberate piece that comes straight off the backbone. Then to create an uber neat look, and as if capping the end of the post, the taillight emerges just below the seat for one of the cleanest executions you’ll see on a bobber. To finish off the rear, a small bracket has been bent up and bolted to the lower shock mount, serving as a number plate holder.
To get the front end right and get the bike rolling, there’s a huge change when compared to the bike that rolled out of the factory in 1986. Only the stock wheel remains, with a Cognito Moto axle kit used to adapt the classic wheel to the modern suspension. Ohlins USD forks drop through a seriously beefy set of triple clamps, with the blacked out legs matched up to gold stanchions. The single-sided rear swingarm sports a fully adjustable Ohlins shock, with the remote reservoir neatly hidden behind the engine. Then to ensure the BMW performs as it should, the modern suspension “has been dialled in to rider weight and height by Superbike Suspension guru JJ Matters,” Robert tells us.
The braking duties fall to the best bits from Galfer and Brembo, with the black BMW wheels wearing Avon tyres, a chunky 150 section made to work on the rear. The Bobber aesthetic is all class, and the blade-like front fender hovering over that Avon rubber sits on a neat custom mount. Above you get an LED headlight in a traditional housing, and the black leather solo seat is exactly what the style calls for. The fuel tank is arrow straight, fitted with a machined filler cap and wears a stunning set of Roughchild badges. As for the colour, “original Avus Black, bike code 086, refinished and now adorned with a hand-painted silver pinstripe.”
Every Roughchild’s engine looks simply incredible, clean enough to eat off in fact. Robert ensures his customers have both increased horsepower and reliability, as well as smooth throttle response, and he has cooked up the perfect prescription for getting it done. The full mechanical rebuild sees the crank pulled and new bearings fitted, with nikasil applied to the cylinders, a set of high compression pistons fitted to bump capacity to 1000cc, and a 320 sport cam slotted in. “Cylinder heads are from a 1995 R100R with 30-degree valves. BMW reduced the size of the valves in the last iterations of the airhead to improve emissions, adding the 30-degree angle found them nearly as much power as the large valve heads from earlier bikes. The result is a crisp and balanced power delivery.”
Further enhancing the power delivery and giving crisp throttle response, is the chunky pair of SmartCarbs, now in the new SC3 variant. Not only are they available for a twin carb setup, having a true left and right, but the trick tech on the inside improves performance in every single way and makes them a truly tasty proposition for other airhead builders. On the spark side of things, Silent Hektik’s digital ignition fires the four E3 spark plugs and the cloth-style leads provide a nice classic touch. The fully murdered-out exhaust system with chrome clamps is simple but highly effective, allowing the rider to enjoy the full boxer beat, and the package is finished off with a big four-litre sump.
Controlling the party are a host of parts that are all class, from the ultra neat bars, with stunning grips and integrated buttons, to the foot controls which are flawless in form and function. “The newly designed gauge cluster is intended to mimic the factory gauges, albeit shrunk and tucked but retaining that old school dual clock, mechanical appearance.” And it is these little details that take the bike to the next level, have a look at the rear brake rod; with a colour-matched spring, wing nut and washer. Then to up the game like a high-end restorer would, ARP bolts are used everywhere, because nothing ruins a great build like a couple of rounded off nuts with burred edges. Most of us have no desire to build a Concours-level bike, but as Roughchild proves time and again, those extra hours and real attention to detail, truly does deliver an A+ result.
[ Roughchild ]