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Complete Restoration of BMW R75/5 into Cafe Racer

little details is what it is all about.

I wouldn't let the rib on the front fender dictate the width of the stripe... and while a white fender would look "different", it may also come off as "un-finished".

Back in the mid-80's I was looking for a clean look on my /5 and removed the toaster panels and their attendant tank clips. I opted for a "dark" gray, of my own mixing, painted the bike and no pin stripes. I liked the look.

But I don't know how many guys asked me what color I was going to paint it.. .. it didn't even occur to me that it looked like "primer" gray :banghead ... I added white pin stripes, and the whole thing clicked.

My $.02US

p.s. thanks for the airbox cover lead.
icon_wink.gif
 
Thanks

I wouldn't let the rib on the front fender dictate the width of the stripe... and while a white fender would look "different", it may also come off as "un-finished".

Back in the mid-80's I was looking for a clean look on my /5 and removed the toaster panels and their attendant tank clips. I opted for a "dark" gray, of my own mixing, painted the bike and no pin stripes. I liked the look.

But I don't know how many guys asked me what color I was going to paint it.. .. it didn't even occur to me that it looked like "primer" gray :banghead ... I added white pin stripes, and the whole thing clicked.

My $.02US

p.s. thanks for the airbox cover lead.
icon_wink.gif

How are you? Your 2 cents is surely appreciated. We had the same concern with the GT mirror for my Porsche and the first thing Bill said, do you think it will look unfinished? Lets see what the mock-up looks like and we can all pitch a yes or no. It is amazing I could see the bike with a pink fender if I wanted in a few clicks of the mouse by Josh, he is really a photoshop guru and it is a very helpful aid in the design and visual process. Thanks again for giving me your opinion,

Sincerely,
Shane
 
Previous Photoshop Mockup

Here is a photoshopped mockup of my paint scheme on Josh's bike, gives us a good idea as to what our end result will look like, we have many changes over this bike like exhaust and seat pan but gives us a good indication, you will see I asked him months ago to do the front fender white and I have to admit that I do not think it looks unfinished at all, but that is just me.

Thanks,
Shane
 

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yeah, I think I do like that Shane ... you're probably not thinking about making that tank/seat stripe as wide as the front fender, but I think it will need to be w-i-d-e, wider than the gas cap...

And as you mentioned, little details will tie it all together.... like a single-line gray pin stripe on the front fender (?)

I was an old-school Industrial Designer in the pre-computer aided design age... . Josh's PS mods would have taken us hours to draw and render with colored markers.. .
 
What about a chrome fender? It would tie in with the toaster panels & the side covers. Just throwing it out there when I saw the side of the bike, it hit me...
 
Fender

+1 on the white fender & tank side panels -- very nice compliment to each other. Not a big fan of Toaster tanks, but the "white" versus "chrome" makes a big difference in the look, oh, yeah. As The Cake Boss says, "This is gonna come good."

Clicking on this thread is always a great way to start the day. Vicarious thrills are almost as good as the real thing when a guy like Shane is willing to take the time to share his thoughts so openly. We're all very lucky in a lot of ways, lads.

Shane and his (thus far) bike design: CLASS

The bad news is that looking at these pictures does start an ITCH, and a vortex begins to swirl in the ManCave. . . and I know the nature of that wind - it begins with excitement, and then sucks money right out the wallet; no pockets in a shroud, however, as we know.

Walking Eagle
 
Not a BMW but the tank shape is similar, this is the stripe on my laverda
the thin black stripes add a lot ( IMO)

Dave
 

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Cleaning of Case

Josh has continued to take the bike apart and has cleaned up a little bit the case.

Thanks,
Shane
 

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Iron Cross

Not to beat a dead horse, but the so-called "Iron Cross" is on any modern German air force plane...

Yes, the Iron Cross is very old and used in modern times as well. But either way, it is very much German in every sense of the word and we are going to incorporate into the bike somehow, I bought another set of Torsion Bar covers from my Porsche and we are going to try and incorporate one of them into the bike somewhere, it is a challenge for Josh. But to have the Car and now the Bike with the same Iron Cross will help marry the two machines.

Thanks,
Shane
 

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I'd do away with the white stripe and incorporate the iron cross on the top of the tank possibly as the the filler cap. With the white sides it'll look great. Also the white fender looks a bit off. Maybe two stripes on the fender more like and RS or RT?

Very nice project you have going, sir.
 
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Akront Rims

We have decided to import of the Akront rims for the bike, here is a picture of such a rim on a BMW. I think they are very sporty and I really like the look. Love the high shoulder look of them.

Thanks,
Shane
 

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In the past I rode a Guzzi with wheels like those. They may have been a different brand, I think they were, but they sure did look nice. Sort of old school in the high quality way.

Wayne
 
Morad Akront

here is a picture of what they look like, still in the box. Got them from Europe, they are called Morad from what I understand and I think they are a company that took over for Akront, not sure how that went down, all I know is I like the look of them very much, very unique. Josh liked them so much, we bought a pair for his bike and my build bike.

Thanks,
Shane
 

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