Muscular, with a little 80s model; that was the temporary given to Spain’s 72 HKG Performance by the house owners of this tradition BMW K75. The bike initially belonged to their father, but it surely had been relegated to the storage for the previous couple of years. It wanted resurrecting, so that they figured they could as effectively have it personalized on the similar time… and 72 HKG was all too joyful to oblige.
72 HKG Performance is an ongoing collaboration between established Spanish {custom} builders Antonio (72 Cycles Performance) and Jorge (Hell’s Kitchen Garage). And within the 12 months or in order that they’ve been working collectively, they’ve already produced magical outcomes.
‘Muscular and 80s’ just about describes their signature model—so when the BMW K75 was booked in, their concepts rapidly snowballed. “Sometimes it’s comforting to find clients who are clear about what they want, especially if we also like what they like,” Antonio and Jorge inform us. “We all agreed to give the K a good second life!”
“We pictured a radical front-end with updated components, a single seat, a 180-wide rear tire, and a mono-shock. It would have to be visually large, but it would also have to be compact and planted. And it had to have our signature; elegant, but a little rogue.”
72 HKG picked out a slew of repurposed components to overtake the basic K75’s working gear. The upside-down forks come from a Kawasaki ZX-10R, as do the dual Tokico brakes. As for the alloy wheels—they’ve been lifted from a BMW R1100.
Moving to the again, Antonio and Jorge employed a trick that they used on their final {custom} BMW K75. Using the driveshaft from a BMW R850 and somewhat {custom} fabrication wizardry, they grafted on the R1100’s single-sided swingarm. “We had done it before, and we knew it worked perfectly—so we replicated it,” they clarify.
The R1100 additionally loaned the K75 its rear brake and shock. All 72 HKG needed to do was ditch the unique twin shock mounts and construct a brand new mono-shock attachment. So they set to work designing a brand new subframe, with one main caveat…
“In Spain, you cannot legally modify the central triangle of the BMW K. So we always look for creative ways to avoid homologation problems. This time, we built a tubular subframe that crosses the original structure, to give the bike a continuous line from front to back.”
It’s a intelligent trick, and it’s produced one of many tidiest subframes we’ve ever seen on a K75 café racer. Up entrance, custom-made aspect panels combine neatly into the OEM gas tank, forming a baseline that may be traced by to the tail. Out again, a brand new seat sits up towards a hand-crafted bum cease, which was designed to subtly mimic the blocky designs of 80s sportbikes.
72 HKG formed the tail bump and entrance fender utilizing a mixture of fiberglass and carbon fiber. They additionally produced the BMW’s beneficiant stomach pan; its gaping maw impressed the bike’s nickname, ‘Mobula’ (it’s a sort of ray). That theme is carried by to the BMW’s 3D-printed ‘aero’ winglets.
Antonio and Jorge are followers of Motogadget electronics, so this K75 was rewired across the firm’s Bluetooth-equipped mo.unit blue management field, with a wi-fi RFID ignition. A Motogadget speedo does obligation within the cockpit, tucked behind a smooth windshield. The K75 can also be outfitted with new clip-ons, grips, controls, and switches, and custom-made rear-set foot controls.
An LED headlight lights the way in which, with a slim LED taillight strip embedded within the tail. The license plate and rear flip indicators sit on a swingarm-mounted bracket, with all the requisite wiring neatly hidden away.
One factor that 72 HKG nails on each bike they construct, is the livery. This BMW K75 is not any exception—the bottom colour is Mini’s ‘Rooftop Grey Metallic,’ with sporty pistachio highlights that carry by to the distinction stitching on the seat. It’s a tasteful, albeit uncommon, mixture.
Finishing issues off is a burly three-into-one exhaust system, terminating in an upswept muffler that additional enhances the K75’s retro sportbike vibe.
The mid-80s Okay not solely appears a heck of rather a lot sharper now, but it surely’s considerably lighter too. It now weighs 204 kilos [450 lbs], and its wheelbase has been prolonged by two inches. Antonio and Jorge are happy to report that it’s a runner, with improved highway manners and additional freeway stability. And the truth that it bends necks wherever it goes is fairly cool too.
72 HKG Performance | Images by Eduardo Recuero
Source: www.bikeexif.com