Custom BMW R65 From Sunny Catalonia Is a Rad Neo-Retro Airhead Nearing Perfection

Enter Bandarra Motor Classic, the brainchild of Gerard Gutierrez and a firm you should definitely keep an eye on. Its backstory is a matter of perseverance and overcoming adversity, so it’s worth a brief mention before we talk about the build itself. Gerard spent many years modding, restoring, and collecting bikes in his home garage, a hobby also shared and fervently encouraged by his father.

The two would wrench on motorcycles together afterhours and always have a blast doing it, but then came the global financial crisis of 2008. It forced them to sell their entire bike collection except for a BMW R75/6, yet Gerard was determined to push on once the economy found some stable ground. He eventually turned the old Beemer into a fully-fledged custom cafe racer, which was very well received online by the bike-modding community.

It didn’t take long for things to snowball after that, ultimately leading to the founding of Bandarra Motor Classic. Gerard and his teammate Albert are quickly making a name for themselves on the custom motorcycle scene, with projects like this breathtaking R65 being just business as usual. The 1983-model airhead was a bit of a mess upon arrival at the shop, but it now looks like a million bucks from every angle!

Once the donor had been taken apart, the main portion of its frame was cleaned up while the rear subframe got deleted altogether. A looped custom unit was fitted in its stead, complete with tailor-made upper shock mounts revising the rear suspension geometry. A trellis license plate bracket is attached to the swingarm down low, also carrying multi-function LEDs and a tiny rear fender.

Rear-end suspension duties are assigned to adjustable YSS shock absorbers with piggyback reservoirs, and things got equally spicy at the front. The OEM forks were swapped with the inverted units of a Yamaha R1, offering full adjustability and taking the R65’s handling to the next level. Along with the suspension hardware, the same R1 also donated its triple clamps, front brake calipers, and drilled 310 mm (12.2-inch) rotors to Bandarra’s cause.

We still find the factory wheels on this machine, but they’ve been repainted and wrapped in Metzeler tires fore and aft. Of course, the creature’s boxer-twin mill was given a whole load of attention, too, benefiting from an invigorating overhaul inside out. Some new breathing equipment was thrown into the mix following the rebuild, in the form of high-end K&N pod filters on the intake side of things.

On the other hand, combustion by-products are routed through a bespoke stainless-steel exhaust system pieced together in-house. Gerard was obviously very generous with the performance upgrades here, and he paid just as much attention to the cosmetic aspect of this project. Starting at the front, we notice a modern LED headlight surrounded by a small nacelle, but there is also a custom fender lower down.

Up in the cockpit area, you’ll spot a low-profile handlebar adorned with Motogadget grips, underslung mirrors, and bar-end turn signals. A digital Motoscope Mini dial from Motogadget acts as the specimen’s instrumentation, neatly integrated atop the headlight nacelle. Making our way rearward, we see more of Bandarra’s handiwork in the form of a new gas tank built from scratch, looking a lot like the module you’d find on other R variants.

The fuel cell is topped with a billet aluminum filler cap, and its rear section extends backward to form a seat pan. Together with that rad cafe racer tail section, the whole attire gives the impression of a continuous monocoque structure. In between the tank and tail lies a bespoke saddle, upholstered in premium brown leather and stitched in a diamond pattern up top.

CNC-machined foot pegs finish off the ergonomics, and the last piece of the puzzle was the paint job. On the one hand, the framework was finished in a gorgeous shade of blue we can’t get enough of, while the bodywork was mostly painted silver with graphics done in BMW’s M colors here and there. Some sections of the upper garments were done in black, just like the rims and parts of the engine.

All things considered, Bandarra Motor Classic really dialed the custom wizardry to eleven on this conversion, and the fruit of their labor speaks for itself. It’s far from your run-of-the-mill modded airhead, for sure, while also bringing the performance side of things well into the 21st century. Top that with a neo-retro aesthetic done right, and you’ve got yourself and absolute marvel!