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It’s A Keeper: A K series built for a footballing legend

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.
When one of Spain’s most legendary goalkeepers wanted a hot steed based on a BMW K series ‘brick,’ he knew just the team to call: Bolt Motor Co. of Valencia.

Andrés Palop, known for his penalty-stopping prowess at Sevilla FC, approached Bolt boss Adrián Campos with a simple brief for a custom build; clean lines, a bit of a dark feeling, and some red touches.

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.
Adrián and his team are known for their ability to produce clinically clean customs from unlikely platforms. This time they chose a 1991 BMW K75S ‘flying brick’ for their starting point—the sporty one in the K range, with high compression pistons for the DOHC inline triple and 17-inch rear wheel.

“It looks like we’ve learned how to make bricks look great, so we decided to do it again”, says Adrián.

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.
The donor arrived in top shape, needing only a dash of paint on the chassis, wheels and the unmistakably rectangular engine block.

Everything else was kicked into touch and replaced with new or fabricated components, including the electronics—which were swapped out for Motogadget components.

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.
New Showa front suspension, sourced from a Ducati Monster, leads the way and carries the stock 18” wheel wrapped with Pirelli MT60 rubber.

The upgraded Brembo monobloc brakes provide the type of stopping power a legendary goalkeeper can appreciate. A petite fender, formed on an English wheel, caps the front tire.

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.
Keeping things tidy atop the forks meant a full Motogadget treatment for the Renthal Ultra Low bars. “We used Motogadget grips, push-buttons, turn signals, and the classic speedo,” Adrián says. Clearly, a tasteful treatment for this clean custom.

To ensure pitch-perfect parity with Adrián’s vision for clean lines, the shop wrapped a classic 5¾-inch headlamp in a 3D-printed encasement.

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.
Moving back from the cockpit reveals a modified K100 tank—with carbon fiber panels for aggressive, sporty lines—and a tailor-made seat.

Covered in waterproof suede, the seat continues the complementary lines, atop a modified subframe and without sacrificing rider comfort.

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.
Below the seat are custom perforated metal side panels, dressed in black—a perfect canvas for the military-style stencil font announcing, in red, the model name of this semi-obscure Beemer.

Finishing out the tail is a Highsider taillight resting above the rear wheel, plus a rear suspension upgrade with a custom Hagon suspension setup.

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.
And, what about that rear wheel?

“That carbon fiber wheel cover was the biggest challenge on this BMW.” Adrián explains. “The rear brake is very close to the rim, and we had to create a flat cover with no screws”.

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.
As with everything Bolt puts their hand to, there’s no sign of a struggle.

Transforming the K series into a lean, clean streetfighting machine is no small task. With a series of smart choices, the team at Bolt have given Señor Palop’s K75 a dark and aggressive look that’ll stop anyone with a pulse.

Score, Bolt.

Bolt Motor Co. | Facebook | Instagram

BMW K series custom built for Andrés Palop by Bolt Motor Co.

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The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty
By the time the nineties rolled around, the reputation of the Honda CB750 was losing its luster. The iconic straight four had softened, and the F2 model was more suited to cruising than blasting through canyons.

But the build quality and engineering was still top-notch, which makes the ‘Seven Fifty’ a good used buy today. This sleek build from Spain’s Bolt Motor Co. ditches the clunky styling and cranks up the dynamics with a major suspension upgrade.

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty
“We built this for our friend Santiago, from Palma de Mallorca,” says Bolt boss Adrián Campos. “He wanted a classic look, but with all the modern elements—comfortable and easy to ride every day.”

The donor bike was in excellent condition: a 1995 F2, which means it has a 73 hp detuned version of the CBX750 mill—which is creamy smooth and torquey, and good for almost 130 mph (205 kph).

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty
“The engine was in pretty good shape,” says Adrián. “We just changed the gaskets and overhauled the carbs.” But since Bolt shares its premises with one of Spain’s leading racecar builders, Adrián couldn’t resist adding K&N filter pods and a pair of stubby SuperTrapp mufflers too.

The stock Seven Fifty has safe if somewhat uninspiring handling, so Adrián has replaced the original 41mm forks and triples with newer (and beefier) units from a Ducati Monster.

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty
The shocks have been upgraded to Hagon units that offer classic styling with modern performance, and the front monobloc brakes are from Brembo.

The stock cast wheels are gone, replaced by much more attractive spoked rims of uncertain original. “We don’t know what bike the wheels came from,” Adrián admits.

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty
“We just bought two 17-inch wheels from the same motorcycle, widened the flanges, and fitted new spokes.” The chunky rubber is Continental’s TKC70 pattern.

The heavy lifting is in the frame, though. The back half of the tubing is all-new, from just behind the fuel tank to the end of the seat—including the shock mounts.

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty
For many builders this would be quite a mission, but Bolt’s workshop effectively has access to all the tools of the race car operation. Still, even Adrián found it challenging.

A plush new seat, designed for comfort, sits atop the new framework—with gorgeous diamond contrast stitching and a simple strap across the middle.

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty
Right ahead is a tank lifted from an early CB750, which probably dates to around 1970. The off-white paint is offset by deep green side panels and gold pinstripes, with a chromed tank badge that appears to be lifted from a 1960s-vintage Honda car—possibly an S800.

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty
In keeping with the ‘modern classic’ vibe, Bolt have installed Renthal bars, plus period Brembo levers and Puig controls. To keep the cockpit super-clean, most switches and ancillaries are from Motogadget.

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty
If you’ve been to the Balearic island of Mallorca, you’ll know how beautiful it is—especially when you hit the roads that head out from the tourist traps on the coast.

Anyone else feeling a twinge of jealousy for Santiago and his muy elegante new ride?

Bolt Motor Co. | Facebook | Instagram

The modern classic, Honda style: Bolt’s 1995 Seven Fifty

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BikeExif BMW cafe racer BMW K100 BMW motorcycles Bolt Motor Company cafe racer Custom Motorcycles Other Motorcycle Blogs

Bolt’s BMW K100: The flying brick finally comes of age

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
There’s something strange going on with the BMW K-series. A couple of years ago, most bike builders wouldn’t touch one with a ten-foot pole. But the unloved ‘flying brick’ is now becoming modisch—and a few crafty customizers seem to have cracked the code on how to make a K look good.

It comes down to availability and pricing: good R-series airheads are hard to find in most markets, whereas the later K-series oilheads are plentiful—if not exactly cheap.

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
This K100 from the Spanish workshop Bolt Motor Company is something of a template. The creases have been ironed out, the lines straightened, and the components tastefully upgraded.

It’s a restrained yet skilled transformation, as you’d expect from an outfit that shares its home (and personnel) with a Formula 2 race team. And hopefully, it’ll open the floodgates a little wider.

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
Bolt boss Adrián Campos takes up the story. “We made this BMW for our good friend Rubens. The 1985 donor bike wasn’t in optimum condition, but it mostly worked.”

The slightly tatty K100 was actually a 1985 RS model, with the angular fairing—which was ditched on account of showing 33 years of wear and tear.

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
Unusually, the build process started with a swingarm swap. “It was not a hard job,” says Adrián. “We used one from an R1150GS, along with the wheels.”

“Then we started to change the rear sub-chassis, and tried to do something different. That was a hard job.”

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
The goal was to get a straight line to follow the line of the tank. And once the tubing was welded and the new shocks fitted up, the transformation was startling. The slightly staid sports tourer now has a thoroughly sporting, lean-forward stance.

The Bolt crew then turned their attention to the front end. “We installed Öhlins forks from an Aprilia RSV,” says Adrián. “This was quite easy—we modified the Aprilia triples to fit. The hardest thing was fitting the huge Brembo brakes to the spoked rims.”

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
The spokes were hitting the calipers, a situation exacerbated by dropping the R1150GS wheel down from 18 to 17 inches, to match the rear.

After solving the thorny clearance issue, Adrián switched his attention to the bodywork. A compact front fender now hugs the Heidenau K73 Super Rain rubber, and a tail unit was designed and 3D printed.

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
It’s topped with a classy ribbed seat upholstered in a synthetic tan-colored leather, with black piping for contrast.

The fuel tank doesn’t drift too far away from the stock shape, but it’s been discreetly fettled. Bolt created new metal panels for the sides, grafted them on, and then refinished everything to better-than-new standard.

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
The K100 inline four is smooth and torquey, with 90 stout German horses on tap. So Adrián has left the internals alone, focusing instead on a new exhaust system with custom headers that hug the engine close.

The twin mufflers, believe it or not, are Akrapovič titanium slip-ons straight out of the Scrambler Ducati catlog. And they fit the vibe of the K100 beautifully.

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
After installing CNC-machined rearsets from BSK SpeedWorks and clip-on bars, and treating the K100 to a rewire and a full suite of Motogadget gear, it was time for paint.

It’s simple and effective: barely-there stripes of gold and black over polished aluminum.

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company
Most K-series customs still have an air of awkwardness about them: like many CX500 builds, they fall into the “not bad, considering” basket.

But not this one. It sits alongside Phillip Wulk’s Impuls project as a standout, no-compromise custom with immaculate style, stance and finish.

Maybe it’s time we learned to love the flying brick?

Bolt Motor Co. | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Mario Rodrigo Martin

BMW K100 RS cafe racer by Bolt Motor Company