BMW R75/6 Hannibal Is the Raddest Custom Scrambler You’ll See All Day Long

It used to be a stock 1974 BMW R75/6 in its former incarnation, very near and dear to the owner’s heart. The bike was previously owned by his late father for several decades, and it came into his possession following the old man’s passing. Needless to say, this classic boxer holds great significance and it certainly won’t be changing hands again for a long time to come.

However, a well-executed custom makeover was more than welcome, as the motorcycle was really starting to show its age by the time it was inherited. It didn’t take long for the lad to decide who would carry out this symbolic transformation, and FM’s specialists were more than happy to turn his vision into reality. They named the bike after the client’s hometown in Missouri, where his dad used to ride around having the time of his life.

Fully confident in Federal’s abilities, he gave Shaun Brandt and the Muller brothers carte blanche from start to finish. To kick things off in style once the donor had been taken apart, the guys did away with its stock subframe to make room for a looped trellis substitute built in-house. Above it lies a gorgeous solo seat upholstered in suede by Dane Utech, holding an integrated LED lighting strip at the back.

The latter handles both taillight and turn signal functions, but the R75/6’s rear suspension is no longer a twin-shock arrangement. Federal reworked the swingarm to accommodate an additional trestle structure, whose design echoes that of the subframe. It connects to a single shock absorber from Showa’s inventory, and the front suspension has also been upgraded to match.

A Kawasaki ZX-6R was kind enough to donate its upside-down Showa forks, which were rebuilt prior to installation and then secured in place via billet Cognito Moto triple clamps. Along with the forks, the aforementioned Kawi also gave away its modern Nissin brake calipers. FM had them coupled with floating aftermarket discs, fresh hoses, and a premium master cylinder supplied by Brembo.

Cognito Moto provided the new front wheel hub, too, and it’s laced to the original (but freshly powder-coated) rim via stainless-steel spokes. Up in the cockpit, there’s a CNC-machined bracket holding both a digital Motogadget speedometer and the handlebar. Additionally, the latter is outfitted with more aftermarket goodies from Motogadget’s range, including bar-end turn signals, textured grips, and stylish switchgear.

Further ahead, the R75/6 Hannibal carries dual grilled headlamps on custom brackets, while a handmade front fender prevents road debris from going where it shouldn’t. The wheels are shod in chunky dual-purpose knobbies for ample grip on dirt and tarmac alike. Federal Moto spared no expense when it came to the airhead’s electronics, either.

They added some modern-day reliability in the form of a lithium-ion battery, fresh wiring, and an electronic ignition system. The stator and starter motor are also new, and everything’s hooked up to Motogadget’s mo.unit control module. As you can imagine, the FM squad hasn’t overlooked the aging powertrain on this Beemer.

An invigorating top-end refurbishment was performed on its boxer-twin engine, but the driveshaft and Bing carburetors have been freshened up, as well. Mesh-covered aluminum velocity stacks were subsequently mated to the carbs, while the exhaust headers have been wrapped in Cerakote and topped with aftermarket mufflers. The Cerakote treatment was also applied to the 745cc mill following the internal rebuild.

For contrast, some bare metal is still visible on a few of its cooling fins and the BMW R75/6 lettering. When it came time to think about a suitable livery, Federal Moto’s gurus looked to their customer’s professional background for inspiration. The man is an accomplished tattoo artist and the founder of the Two Fathoms ink studio in Hannibal, Missouri.

His style is bold, colorful, and characterized by sharp lines, which is precisely what FM wanted to emulate here. To ensure the best possible results, they outsourced the paint job to the experts over at NSD Paintwerks, who’d finished the entire frame in a vibrant red hue before tackling the bodywork. The garments gained a glossy coat of blueish grey paint, accompanied by a multitude of intersecting black lines on the fuel tank.

These form a groovy cobweb motif without looking too in-your-face, and the custom-made tank badges replacing the standard ones are equally alluring. Once the paint job had been executed, Hannibal was finally complete and ready to be handed back to its owner. As always, Federal Moto knocked it straight out of the ballpark!