[MOC] BMW R100 Custom Cafe Racer

[Samarth]

Hello all,

I'm proud to present the final version of my BMW R100 Cafe Racer.

Features:

Working Boxer twin (with pod air filters, carbs, and chrome headers)

1-N-2 Gearbox (Loosely based off the Ducati Panigale gearbox with some modifications)

Working suspension

Shaft Drive

Adjustable mirrors and levers

Kickstand

My (personal) favourite bits on this is the minifig hat as a gas cap and the Piston used as a Brake master cylinder. Many custom bike builds feature anodized miniature piston-shaped Master cylinders and I wanted to reference that. As a biker myself, this build was immensely satisfying to put together. Some of my parts have heavy playwear on them, and I could've used the Ducati's Dark silver pipes for the exhausts, but I love the old LEGO chrome and I think the damage adds character to the build rather than detracts.

IMG_20210613_161244_1 by Samarth Moray, on Flickr

 

IMG_20210613_161902 by Samarth Moray, on Flickr

 

IMG_20210613_161836 by Samarth Moray, on Flickr

 

IMG_20210613_161609_1 by Samarth Moray, on Flickr

[Igor1]

The worn-out pipe connectors on the exhaust look epic!

[amorti]

It has potential, but there's some stuff to work out first.

The exhausts can almost work like side-stands. Lose the black piece in the middle? 

I don't really love these new fork pieces. The lack of an axle hole right in the top means they're never going to look correct.

Do you have any bigger pieces to use in the side panels?

The rear shocks need better fixing points at the bottom. Even if it's just using another 2L thin and axle-pin to stop the one on there rotating.

[Samarth]

52 minutes ago, amorti said:

It has potential, but there's some stuff to work out first.

The exhausts can almost work like side-stands. Lose the black piece in the middle? 

I don't really love these new fork pieces. The lack of an axle hole right in the top means they're never going to look correct.

Do you have any bigger pieces to use in the side panels?

The rear shocks need better fixing points at the bottom. Even if it's just using another 2L thin and axle-pin to stop the one on there rotating.

 

Hi, thank you for the valuable inputs. The Black pieces in the middle (2x 1x1 round with hole with a 3L bar in between) are necessary to join the two macaroni pieces together because the old mould for this piece (which comes in Chrome Silver: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=71075#T=C) cannot accommodate a 2L technic axle, unlike the new mould that comes in the Panigale set. The tradeoff was, either use less-nice looking (and already done) pearl dark grey pieces which come in that set, and join the exhaust pipes with a 2L axle (in the same way as the Panigale set does) or have the nice chrome exhausts but have this black bit in the middle. I opted for the latter. The other option to join these bits is using a half pin but that technique is less stable and causes the exhausts to flop about. As is the case with a lot of builds it all boils down to tradeoffs.

I agree with what you say about the new fork pieces. There's no 'good' way to make them look prototypical, but they're all I have for this application, and if we start debating about how a part ought to be shaped, well, that's a whole other can of worms... I did however do my best to integrate them, and the numberplate you see in front is definitely a part of that effort.

Not sure what you're referring to by the side panels. I wanted to do a brickbuilt BMW logo...

The rear shocks are held in place by the tension of the springs. They do not move or rotate as you described. 

[amorti]

Lego Friends lipsticks will hold those exhausts together.

There must be a legal way to hold the number plate in the front.

The tank sides are made of 30+ pieces, with modern levels of QC for colour matching. I'm no system part expert, but must be possible to use fewer.

What happens to the rear suspension in 'negative travel'? Looks like it'd have slack by the lower pivot point... Pivoting

Edited June 15, 2021 by amorti

[Gray Gear]

4 minutes ago, amorti said:

Lego Friends lipsticks will hold those exhausts together.

No it wouldn't. The older mold Maccaroni Tube pieces don't have an axle cross inside. It is like trying to connect two 1x1 bricks bottom to bottom.

Edited June 15, 2021 by Gray Gear

[amorti]

@Gray Gear what's the piece he's used then?

nvm, just worked it out.

One of those parts that definitely got better with time.

Edited June 15, 2021 by amorti

[Gray Gear]

@amorti Old version (used here)

New version with axle cross (available in crome silver as well tho @Samarth )

[Samarth]

7 hours ago, Gray Gear said:

@amorti Old version (used here)

New version with axle cross (available in crome silver as well tho @Samarth )

Hah, thanks! Don't have it in my collection in that colour though, sadly.

[amorti]

Too bad it's only Lego allowed. Cobi has a piece that's more or less just a cylinder, it's used as two studs to put plates together bottom to bottom. Would be ideal for that.

[Aleh]

Let me guess the chrome parts are from 5571 set or some related set from 1990x :)

[Samarth]

On 6/17/2021 at 12:32 PM, Aleh said:

Let me guess the chrome parts are from 5571 set or some related set from 1990x :)

Sorry for the delayed response, actually they're from the Hot Rod set!

[Aleh]

23 hours ago, Samarth said:

Sorry for the delayed response, actually they're from the Hot Rod set!

Do you know set's number?

[Samarth]

On 6/26/2021 at 6:29 PM, Aleh said:

Do you know set's number?

Yeah, its 5541, reissued as 10151.

[Aleh]

1 hour ago, Samarth said:

Yeah, its 5541, reissued as 10151.

Yeah, I own the one (5541). Anyway I was extremly close in my assumption