BMW R 100 RT Nebula Looks Striking, Features Top-Shelf Running Gear All-Round

Oh, and keep in mind that he’d only been indulging in such bike-modding practices for the past three years, so imagine the sort of machines he’ll be building in, say, ten. It all started when Monsieur Duchampt transformed his faired Ducati 1098S into a streetfighter, which led him to realize he had something of a natural inclination toward wrenching on two-wheelers.

Jeremie has been delivering a steady flow of custom masterpieces ever since, broadening his knowledge and honing his skills as he went along. The bike you’re looking at here is one of his most recent undertakings, and it goes by the name of Nebula. No less than 350 hours of painstaking labor have been put into this thing at the Jerem Motorcycles headquarters in Beziers, France.

As you can probably tell, the build started with the tried-and-true airhead platform from BMW – a 1994-model R 100 RT, to be exact. Motorrad’s boxer-powered tourer was transformed into a juicy cafe racer with upgraded running gear all-round, but getting to this stage was no walk in the park. We’ve clearly got a lot to talk about here, so let’s dive straight in without further ado.

Following a customary teardown, the first thing Jeremie needed to address was the suspension. He did away with the Beemer’s stock items, thus making room for a full suite of modern replacements from Ohlins. The inverted forks had once belonged to an R nineT, and they’re secured in place via CNC-machined triple clamps supplied by USV Racing. An aftermarket steering damper has also been installed to aid with stability.

On the other hand, the adjustable shock absorber found out back was tuned by DIP Racing, and it attaches to tailor-made mounting points. Of course, improved stopping power was also on the menu, so Jeremie ditched the OEM braking hardware in favor of Brembo calipers and rotors. The front brake is actuated through a Nissin master cylinder, while the rear unit is paired with a Brembo part. Moreover, one may find premium brake lines all-round.

Gone are the R 100 RT’s alloy wheels, and a set of laced 17-inch alternatives can be found in their stead. Their rims were enveloped in Dunlop Qualifier tires for plentiful grip, with the rear unit measuring a sizeable 160 mm (6.3 inches) in width. Once he’d finished off the footwear side of things, the project’s author proceeded to tighten up the airhead’s rear-end proportions.

He did so by fitting a loop-style subframe that’s been fabricated from scratch, and a bespoke license plate bracket was subsequently attached to the rearmost potion of the tubing. Atop the new subframe lies a custom-made tail section, whose unusual shape looks rather alluring to say the least.

We’re even more intrigued by the LED lighting components it encases, though, particularly that futuristic Shin Yo taillight. The turn signals were fashioned in-house using LED internals and plexiglass, then recessed into the tail on each side of the aftermarket taillight. Squint, and the whole ordeal starts to look a bit like a cartoonish monster.

There’s a stylish solo seat a bit further ahead, while the stock R 100 RT fuel tank has been raised ever so slightly in order to achieve a straighter cafe-stylle bone line. Up north, Jeremie added a one-off nose fairing with lateral winglets, sequential Kellermann blinkers, and a state-of-the-art LED headlamp. Nebula's ravishing outfit is completed by a new front fender and a pointy belly pan, but the custom sorcery continues in the cockpit.

There you’ll come across a digital Aeon Aria gauge supplied by Five Aces, as well as Highsider clip-ons sporting bar-end mirrors and CNC-milled switchgear. The clip-on handlebars are appropriately complemented by rearsets to round out the motorcycle’s ergonomic package, and all the electronics have been rewired via a Motogadget m.Unit Blue control module.

A lithium-ion battery found its way onto the R 100 cafe racer, too, making itself at home in a handmade aluminum box underneath the engine. Speaking of the boxer-twin powerhouse, Jeremie performed an invigorating makeover to get it all freshened up, before installing a fresh airbox and bespoke stainless-steel exhaust pipework. The two-into-two plumbing terminates in vertically stacked Delcampo mufflers on the left-hand side of the rear wheel.

Moving on to the final touches, Nebula received a funky coat of purple paint on its wheels and upper bodywork, complemented by white pinstripes, laser-cut BMW roundels, and a Monza-style filler cap on the gas tank. Contrasting gold highlights can be seen on various other parts, but the frame, belly pan, and front fender were all painted black.