Photo: BMW Motorrad
Last weekend, about 300 cars and motorcycles, many of them custom-made, came together for a celebration of motoring, at the Mooneyes Show in Yokohama, Japan.
Unfortunately, all the wonders shown there somehow escape global public attention, as the event is not properly covered by international media. Escape too did a very special motorcycle, fitted with a brand new engine.
Fortunately, when an established carmaker or bike builder get involved in one of these niche shows of the industry things change, and some of the creations shown in Yokohama get wider coverage.
Among the machines being displayed, the 15,000 visitors had the chance to see a very special custom bike, designed by Japanese garage Custom Works Zon.
The two guys who founded the garage, Yuichi Yoshizawa and Yoshikazu Ueda, were commissioned by BMW Motorrad to build a shell for a brand new boxer engine the Germans will be presenting probably early next year.
According to BMW, the external geometry and visible elements are meant to be reminiscent of the boxer engines manufactured until the 1960s. The capacity of the engine is of course larger and features modern air cooling.
Official details about the new large displacement engine were not released, and BMW says it will announce more about it “at a later point in time.”
As for the bike itself, it comes as a low silhouette machine meant to be a nod to Ernst Henne's record-breaking bikes of the late 1920s and 1930s.
It uses 21 front and 26 rear inch aluminum wheels fitted with narrow tires. At the back, the rear swinging arm is made of steel pipe and attached to the tubular space frame. The frame with grid tubes as reinforcement supports the engine.
“It was a great honor and a challenge to be able to build a motorcycle around the prototype of such a spectacular new boxer engine for one of the most tradition-steeped manufacturers,” said in a statement one of the bike’s builders, Yuichi Yoshizawa.
Fortunately, when an established carmaker or bike builder get involved in one of these niche shows of the industry things change, and some of the creations shown in Yokohama get wider coverage.
Among the machines being displayed, the 15,000 visitors had the chance to see a very special custom bike, designed by Japanese garage Custom Works Zon.
The two guys who founded the garage, Yuichi Yoshizawa and Yoshikazu Ueda, were commissioned by BMW Motorrad to build a shell for a brand new boxer engine the Germans will be presenting probably early next year.
According to BMW, the external geometry and visible elements are meant to be reminiscent of the boxer engines manufactured until the 1960s. The capacity of the engine is of course larger and features modern air cooling.
Official details about the new large displacement engine were not released, and BMW says it will announce more about it “at a later point in time.”
As for the bike itself, it comes as a low silhouette machine meant to be a nod to Ernst Henne's record-breaking bikes of the late 1920s and 1930s.
It uses 21 front and 26 rear inch aluminum wheels fitted with narrow tires. At the back, the rear swinging arm is made of steel pipe and attached to the tubular space frame. The frame with grid tubes as reinforcement supports the engine.
“It was a great honor and a challenge to be able to build a motorcycle around the prototype of such a spectacular new boxer engine for one of the most tradition-steeped manufacturers,” said in a statement one of the bike’s builders, Yuichi Yoshizawa.
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