The Escape Machine: A Mercedes-inspired BMW R100R from Brooklyn

With roughly 2.7 million individuals residing in Brooklyn, New York, the serendipitous story of this BMW R100R café racer stands out as one thing actually extraordinary. All of it started when Tobias van Schneider—a German multi-disciplinary designer residing in Brooklyn—noticed a {custom} BMW R80 on the road. Enamored, he nabbed a photograph of it and despatched it to a buddy.

That buddy occurred to be the founding father of Fantasy Motor, Matias Corea. Matias instantly acknowledged the bike and knew its creator—Argentine-born Sebastian ‘Seba’ Achaval, who works underneath the moniker ‘oneYedeer.’ Matias related Tobias and Seba, and the concept of ‘The Escape Machine’ was born.

Initially working with a working 1984 BMW R80ST, Tobias and Seba began hashing out concepts. “Anybody acquainted with me is aware of I’m enthusiastic about my work,” says Tobias. “Each mission have to be a designed object, an artwork piece, a singular idea that performs as superbly because it seems to be.”

“I imagined one thing that wouldn’t really feel too fabricated. It needed to be handmade, one thing with attraction, one thing with a singular character and highway presence. Teaming up with Seba marked the start of a stupendous mission and friendship.”

Throughout this preliminary planning section, Seba realized of Tobias’ pristine 1989 Mercedes-Benz 190E. Completed in a heat metallic gray, the Merc’s angular strains, blocky parts, and distinctive rear spoiler triggered a thought; what if these parts may in some way be translated to the BMW? “The proposal to make use of a Mercedes coloration on a BMW was unconventional, however we embraced the inventive stress,” says Tobias.

Seba began by upgrading the BMW R80ST’s entrance finish, not figuring out that it might quickly be swapped out for a extra appropriate donor. Utilizing a conversion package from Cognito Moto, he transplanted the forks and brake calipers from a 2018-model Honda CBR1000RR, matched to a 17” rim and Galfer rotors. The swap gave the entrance finish a extra muscular look with the advantage of higher dealing with—but it surely left the rear finish hopelessly outgunned.

Designed for a thin 18” wheel, the R80’s swingarm wasn’t going to accommodate a sufficiently broad rear wheel with out critical modifications. To resolve the issue, Seba and Tobias obtained their fingers on a 1993-model BMW R100R, chosen for its paralever swingarm and 140-section 17” rear wheel.

Slightly than carry out a rear-end swap, the fellows determined to make use of the entire R100R, in order that they might profit from its larger engine, too. Inside hours of laying fingers on the bike, Seba had transplanted the R80ST’s upgraded entrance finish. It was round this time that Matias as soon as once more joined the dialog.

Matias is aware of outdated boxer motors inside out—and, with intensive expertise riding them overland, likes to construct them robust and dependable. Regardless of the R100R’s low mileage and honest situation, Matias tore into the engine to establish any weak factors. In went new piston rings and con rod bearings, plus a full complement of gaskets and seals. The rear major seal was refurbished, the oil pump was cleaned and inspected, and the timing chain, crank nostril seal, and clutch have been all changed.

Matias additionally put in a brand new starter motor from EME, which offered extra cranking energy, much less weight, and fewer battery draw. The carbs have been rebuilt and re-jetted, and the airbox was swapped for pod filters. Lastly, Matias overhauled the transmission and put in a {custom} cooling system.

In the meantime, Seba continued fabricating the BMW’s new bodywork, flitting between sporty café racer ideas and the design language of Tobias’ late-80s Merc. The transient referred to as for a solo seat, so Seba designed a slim, retro-futuristic tail part with built-in LED lighting. The boxy part was welded collectively from sections of laser-cut metal, earlier than being completed off with seat foam and Alcantara upholstery.

Seba additionally fabricated a {custom} subframe to help the brand new tailpiece, basing it on a central spine with triangular reinforcements. The foot controls have been then moved to the OEM passenger peg mounts to create a extra targeted using place.

One other buddy, Marlon, was roped in to assist create the BMW’s blocky 3D-printed fairing. Mounted on custom-made brackets, it’s geared up with the oblong headlight from a Nineteen Eighties Jeep Wrangler. Behind it, a built-in dashboard homes a trendy Motogadget speedo.

Below the hood, the bike was rewired round a Motogadget controller and an Antigravity battery. The cockpit sports activities totally adjustable billet aluminum clip-ons, fitted with upgraded controls, Motogadget switches, Rizoma reservoirs, and braided hoses.

Robbie Nigl at Peach Pit Portray was answerable for laying down the Mercedes-Benz paint job. Look carefully, and also you’ll discover that the underside fringe of the gas tank has been completed in black. Tobias needed to create a visible break up within the design, so all the things under the road was handled with satin black finishes.

Closing touches embrace a Mondaine timepiece, embedded within the prime yoke, and bronze tank emblems by jewellery designer Ashley Keeper. Pipe wrap on the BMW’s two-into-one-into-two exhaust system provides a rough-hewn contact to the in any other case slick boxer.

Two years after recognizing that BMW R80 on the road, Tobias’ Escape Machine was lastly delivered to life. And judging by his response, we’d say that Seba, Matias, and everybody else that labored on the mission, nailed it.

“The completed bike represents greater than only a {custom} construct—it’s a philosophical assertion about breaking conventional boundaries in automotive design,” says Tobias.

“By merging Mercedes-Benz aesthetic parts with BMW mechanics, Seba created one thing completely new whereas respecting each manufacturers’ heritage. The bike maintains its clear identification as a BMW airhead, however with an sudden twist that solely these with a eager eye for design would possibly totally recognize.”