Moto Adonis
We have seen a couple of incredible builds from the workshop of Moto Adonis. The Dutch builders, which consists out of Arthur Renkema and Job Leussink, have been busy the last couple of years. Who remembers the menacing Harley Davidson LiveWire? Or the BMW RnineT Girder? Only a few months later, they’ve already announced the culmination of 2 more projects. One of which is the BMW R80 dubbed “BIG Dude”, the bike we will be discussing further below.
Popular Bike
In all honesty, we can list the factory bike specs here again, but that would be pointless at this stage. Yes, the BMW R80 is probably the most popular motorcycle to use as a base bike for a myriad of projects. Be it a café racer, scrambler, tracker or even a resto-mod; there is something about the simplicity of the airheads that inspires creativity. But there is more to it than that. The overall build quality and availability of new parts, considering the fact that these aren’t new motorcycles, inspires confidence.
Project “BIG Dude”
It was no different with this build. A customer called the workshop and asked a simple question: “Can you build me a BMW R80 Scrambler?”. The answer Arthur and Job had for him was “Sure!”. All seemed fine, until the customer paid them a visit. It became clear that they needed to take a few things into consideration. The “biggest” one being the customer’s size. The dude was bigger than most BMW riders, measuring in at 2 meters, the builders knew that they had o make some serious modifications to allow for a bigger rider to enjoy the ride. Hence the name “BIG Dude”
A few ground rules were set before the project started. The most important one being the motorcycle had to be comfortable to ride, without making it look like he was riding a kid’s bicycle. This is a problem many riders face, and of the reasons why big guys ride big bikes. And let’s be honest, most café racers, scramblers and trackers look quite petit.
Taller is Better
The modification was made to the rear subframe. It got chopped away, and a new subframe was fabricated with 2 things in mind: it had to be minimalistic, and it had to raise the rear a bit higher. It goes without saying that the complete subframe had to be very strong to deal with the weight of the rider under all conditions. A taller rear shock was added, as well as a taller front suspension, only to increase the overall height of the BMW. One of the benefits of adding the taller front forks, which are upside down, is that they can accommodate for double disc brakes. Not a luxury considering the projects aim.
Modifications
On the subframe sits a new custom-made seat, courtesy of Miller Kustom Upholstery, with built-in taillight, finished in a beautiful brown leather. Moto Adonis has collaborated with MAD Exhausts before, and they have yet again provided the crew with a one-off custom exhaust. A bunch of off-the-shelve gear has been used to enhance the riding experience. A Motogadget m.unit has been adopted to simply electrics. An Acewell speedo provides all the critical info, while we also spotted a set of mo.blaze bar-end indicators on the handlebar together with a set of bar-end mirrors. The original BMW cookie-cutter wheels got a new layer of black glossy paint, and are now wrapped in Continental TKC80 rubber to add function to the form. The matt black color with white stripes brings everything together.
Happy owner
Like all custom-built motorcycles, they are built in the image of its creator. This particular R80 was built with a very specific goal in mind. Its new owner is very pleased with his scrambler, and we can clearly see why. The BMW looks great; the Moto Adonis team can be proud of how this turned out.
Photos: Lennart Stolte
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About the Author: Adnane Bensalah
