With so many custom BMW airheads out there, a lot of them tend to lack authenticity and abide by the same recipes as those that came before. However, there is a rare breed of builders who value originality above all else, and they will always be looking for ways to make each and every project stand out from the ever-growing crowd. Among them, you will find Carlos of Vintage Addiction Motorcycles (VAM).
He goes about his daily business in Arenys de Mar, a coastal Spanish town located just a stone’s throw away from Barcelona. After ditching his full-time job back in 2016, Carlos dove head-first into the custom bike world and never looked back. Nowadays, Vintage Addiction is synonymous with clean design and retro charm, two things illustrated perfectly by the motorcycle we’re about to look at.
Some time ago, the solo mastermind at VAM was approached by a collector of classic BMW bikes, who sought to add something a little different to his fleet. He provided Carlos with an R60/7 from the model-year 1978 and gave him free reign over the customization process, trusting that he would create an outstanding machine like he always does. And, sure enough, the Vintage Addiction treatment really worked wonders.
As soon as the old-school Beemer was on his workbench and completely dismantled, Carlos busied himself with a complete engine overhaul to kick things off. The air-cooled 599cc boxer-twin mill got taken apart and rebuilt with fresh piston rings, seals, and bearings. Youthful valve seats have been added, as well, while the gearbox was treated to an invigorating refurbishment.
The Bing carbs still breathe through the stock airbox, but they’ve been nicely freshened up during VAM’s makeover. On the other hand, the stock exhaust headers were retained and capped off with what look like straight-through pipes instead of silencers. The new plumbing does, however, carry internal baffles to keep noise levels within sensible parameters. Vintage Addiction’s next port of call was the R60’s electrical equipment.
Photo: Alex Gerlach
All the bits and pieces were rewired through a Motogadget control module, and the battery was swapped with a lithium-ion part taking up less real estate. This modern battery is stashed inside a handmade box beneath the swingarm pivot. Motogadget supplied a few of the goodies in the cockpit, too, including compact switches and a vintage-style speedometer. A chromed handlebar with ochre rubber grips is also present in that same area.
Glance a bit further back, and you’ll come across a 2.2-gallon (8.5-liter) aftermarket fuel tank originally designed for Harley-Davidsons. Carlos performed all the necessary adjustments to make it work with the R60/7’s frame, and the result is absolutely seamless. The speedometer bracket is placed directly on the tank’s front section, right in front of a chrome-plated filler cap. Moreover, BMW roundels can be spotted on each side.
Behind the new gas tank lies a reworked subframe – significantly shorter than stock and mated to a custom, bobber-style rear fender. One may see a gorgeous solo seat up top, featuring perforated upholstery color-matched to the grips we’ve mentioned earlier. The OEM shock absorbers are nowhere to be seen, as they’ve been replaced with the Showa units of a Yamaha XJ650.
Photo: Alex Gerlach
These come with preload and rebound adjustability, neatly connecting to the standard mounting points. In the footwear department, the R60 gained a fresh pair of aftermarket rims, measuring 21 inches in diameter at the front and 18 inches at the rear. They’re laced to the original wheel hubs and embraced by retro-style tires of different types. Although the brakes remained unchanged for the most part, the front unit is now operated by a Ducati Desmo 500’s master cylinder.
We still find the factory forks on this handsome bobber, but they’ve been revamped and shortened to get its stance just right. Moving on to the final touches, Carlos finished off the motorcycle’s front end with a small, retro-looking headlamp placed inside a chromed housing. You’ll notice a leather strap on the right-hand side of the seat, made for holding a pair of gloves.
Now then, the last thing for us to talk about is the R60’s mouth-watering color scheme – a superb shade of blue covering the frame, swingarm, bodywork, and fork lowers. It’s a perfect match for the yellow ochre found on the grips and saddle, while other bits have been polished to look as clean as ever. Along with the chrome plating, the finishes on this bike work with one another beautifully.
Vintage Addiction Motorcycles dialed the cosmetic flair all the way up to eleven on this project, even going so far as to add spark plug leads color-matched to the ochre goodies. We could honestly spend hours admiring each little detail on this custom R60/7 bobber, because there’s not a single one that we don’t love to bits. If you thought R-series customization has gotten stale, now’s a good time to think again!
A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing. Full profile
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