Japanese customizers take on the BMW R nineT

Fans at the BMW Motorrad Days Japan were delighted with a range of four customised BMW R nineT motorcycles. Go Takamine (Brat Style), Kaichiroh Kurosu (Cherry’s Company), Shiro Nakajima (46 Works) and Hideya Togashi (HIDE Motorcycle) had taken on the challenge to customise a BMW R nineT into a creation of their own design in less than 200 days.

Go Takamine‘s recreation of the BMW R nineT depicted the style of a so-called tracker bike. It reveals immaculate colour design and paintwork, along with numerous chrome components. In Go Takamine’s words, “This street bike is my attempt to combine the past with the near future, in the form of a modern, current motorcycle concealed beneath a nostalgic exterior”.

The ‘Highway Fighter‘ from Kaichiroh Kurosu was the combination of fine stylistic mixture of both historic and current BMW motorcycle elements. Design cues from the BMW R7 prototype from 1934 are fully justified, even though Kurosu‘s creation is essentially a machine that was made in modern production facilities with current styling. Kaichiroh Kurosu put it this way, “For me the object of the exercise was to look into the future. I imagined what BMW motorcycles might look like ten years from now, and I think that this would still be a pretty cool bike even if the traditional flat-twin engine were to be replaced by an electric motor”.

Shiro Nakajima‘s ‘Clubman Racer‘ was the result of his passion for perfect riding machines, whether on the road or on the racetrack. In terms of lightweight construction and functionality, his interpretation of the R nineT followed on clearly from his previous projects, these largely having been developed for racing use. In the words of Shiro Nakajima, “What I wanted was to create something a bit sportier than a cafe racer. A motorcycle that you do not just take to an urban environment or ride over mountains, but one that you can also enjoy on the racetrack. This was the reason why I chose above all to make it as light as possible”.

Hideya Togashi‘s ‘Boxer‘ is a timeless variation in classic sport design. The fairing depicts racing replicas of the nineteen seventies, bringing forth both memories and yearnings among motorcycling enthusiasts. Hideya Togashi stated, “The main feature is its slim line aluminium fuel tank. It seems to hug the rider, while the design of the fairing is borrowed from that of nineteen seventies racing models”.