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Vagabund V05 Is What a 1987 BMW R80 RT Turns Into in Its Second Life

In Europe perhaps more than anywhere else in the world there’s a custom motorcycle movement centered around decades-old motorcycles. And we’re not talking about the omnipresent Harley, but about bikes made from the get go to be sold to the masses.
Vagabund V05 12 photos
Photo: Vagabund
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There are a number of custom garages there who take old BMWs or even Japanese two-wheelers that have long stopped being made and turn them into new and improved machines. Austria-based group Vagabund is one of them.

Vagabund’s favorite toys are old BMWs (they do their magic on other makes as well), and as part of our Two-Wheeler Month coverage we’ve already about several of them. Using 3D printing on a larger scale than any other shop we know of as well as other innovative building techniques, these guys manage to give new life to bikes that would have otherwise been sent to the crusher.

Today we give you the V05, a former 1987 BMW R80 RT turned into something it never dreamed of being. The bike, street legal in Austria, comes with a more distinct, cold look, more modern-looking parts, and the promise of uniqueness.

The original bike has been chopped, customized and painted in the usual Vagabund way: the length of the front fork has been reduced, the fuel tank modified, the handlebar shortened, and a new rear frame added.

The shiny metal look of the engine and the tank is perfectly balanced by the solid aluminum cover for the rear wheel that is one of the main highlights of the build.

As all the other Vagabund projects, this too is a one off and it will not spawn a production version. It too has already been sold, presumably to someone in Austria, so if that’s not where you live there are close to zero chances of seeing this motorcycle in your neighborhood.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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