Ten years in the making...
There are long motorcycle builds and then there is this rather wonderful BMW. Tomas Janicek spent a full ten years transforming an innocent everyday BMW R80 Scrambler into a highly personal Arctic-flavoured go-anywhere machine. What’s more Janicek began with little to no skills to match his self-set task, and credits Wang Motorcycles of The Hague in the Netherlands for patiently guiding him through to what you see here: a motorcycle on which every single detail counts.
It began with a one day a week internship at Wang Motorcycles while Janicek was at art college, “despite,” as he admits with refreshing candour, "having zero mechanical knowledge or a motorcycle license.” The BMW bug bit, hard, when he’d worked on a few. "Four weeks later, I bought a running 1987 BMW R80 with a vision of turning it into my project: the ultimate exploration machine.” If you’re in a snow storm, you’re not going to see this one coming.
Every Saturday the build continued, with a few breaks. Wang Choy of Wang Motorcycles is an expert on classic BMW 'bikes, so Tomas Janicek was in a good place, even if Janicek barely knew what he was doing. Starting point? A full nut-and-bolt rebuild of the engine, including a new hot camshaft. Every part was either replaced or refurbished, so while this might be a 37 year old bike, the engine is better than new. Air box is replaced by handmade unit, including an oversize K&N filter. Two-into-one Zach headers and a Laser muffler form the new exhaust system.
BMW R80: The details
Custom spoked wheels replace the standard cast iron versions. Front forks are from a KTM 650 L4, while at the rear the R80’s monoshock is replaced by a newer BMW paralever system. Michelin Sirak tyres are designed to cope with the worst that off-road conditions can throw at the bike. Upfront, striking double headlight unit is from a Triumph Speed Triple, protected with a hand-made guard that can also carry the odd bit of shopping. Bespoke tinted screen to the lights is designed to look like it’s melting.
Fresh tank is from a BMW R65, three-quarter cafe racer style seat is handmade. Minimalist cockpit includes tiny Motogadget speedometer, new grips, throttle and set of micro-switches. Under the skin there’s a handmade rear subframe. After a three-week trial in the Alps, adjustments followed - mostly structural suspension issues - before the final detail: the BMW R80’s signature Arctic White paint job which completed this epic build.
It won’t surprise you to learn that Tomas Janicek’s impeccable build on this BMW R80 is strictly not for sale, though you might see Tomas riding this icy machine on the streets of The Hague. How to get one? First forge a friendship with a motorcycle modifier, get yourself an R80 — £5,000 should do it — and then spend ten years of your life making it very much your own. Some things money just can’t buy.
Next up: 10 Of the best off-road motorcycles.
