There’s a clean, sharp vibe to the bikes that come out of Renard Speed Shop. Estonia’s finest custom builders don’t have a fixed signature style, but the machines from the Tallinn workshop are always beautifully finished and pack a strong visual punch.
This brightly colored K75 RT is Renard’s 26th creation, and it’s probably their most in-your-face build to date. Perhaps because this unusual BMW has just as much Italian blood as German…
The BMW ‘bricks’ may not be pretty, but they’re tough. The K75 RT was the fully faired touring model, and used by police forces in the USA as well as Europe. With a top speed of around 130 mph and all-day touring comfort, it was the perfect rapid response vehicle.
Ex-police K75s occasionally come onto the secondhand market, and if they’ve been looked after properly, will keep going until the crack of doom.
“The original bike was a K75 police bike, which I bought from a police station,” says Renard boss Andres Uibomäe. “For some unknown reason, it had a relatively small mileage—just under 30,000 kilometers. The K75 has always been our bike of choice for a custom build, so we decided to go with it.”
After trawling through his workshop, Andres settled on Moto Guzzi Griso parts for the BMW’s front suspension. He installed the entire front end from a 2008 Griso 8V—the 43 mm USD adjustable forks, the twin 320 mm ‘wave’ brake discs, and the 17-inch Alpina alloy wheel.
The Griso donated its bars too, which are now fitted with Puig’s Hi-Tech Ascent grips. The levers and brake master cylinder are new Beringer items, but the switchgear is Renard’s own.
The triple trees, steering stem and bearings also came from the Griso. “I just made new ball bearing housings and welded them to BMW frame,” says Andres, making it sound all too easy.
The Griso’s rear end also slotted in without too much trouble, including the wheel, the single disc brakes and the adjustable monoshock.
“The rear suspension is probably the coolest visual aspect of the bike,” says Andres. “The idea was to make the original K75 swingarm look broader. So we repositioned the rear suspension and the associated elements in a more horizontal position, parallel to the swingarm.”
“BMW and Griso rear wheel bolt patterns fit perfectly, so it would’ve been crazy not to use these parts,” Andres says.
“A few years ago we built a bike with similar rear suspension, and it attracted quite a lot of attention. At first glance it looks and feels like a simple build. But to make it work properly, there are a few things that need changing.”
The linkage came from the Griso but the drive shaft is new: 10 mm longer and thinner than the original. “We cut the swingarm to fit the wider rear wheel, that’s why the original shaft had to go. It was just too thick.” The tires are Pirelli MT60 RS, a road-oriented dual sport compound that is OE fitment on the Ducati Scrambler.
Renard wanted to slim down the look of the K75, so they’ve grafted on a heavily modified R80 G/S tank. “I think it’s one of the best-looking BMW tanks ever made,” says Andres. “It has a really cool design. But to make it fit, we had to reconstruct the base.”
The solo seat unit is custom too, and upholstered with black Alcantara fabric. It segues smoothly into the hand-made tail unit, which also holds the Griso rear light, and completes the flowing top line from front to rear.
Right below is a muffler from the MotoGP specialists SC Project—hooked up to custom headers. “The muffler is special because it’s on the left,” Andres notes, pointing out that it’s something of a BMW tradition: the current R nineT is one of the few production bikes that has a left side muffler.
The look of this K75 may be timeless, but the electronic heart of the bike is definitely 21st century: it’s controlled by a Motogadget’s latest m.unit blue box, which syncs to the owner’s smartphone via an app and provides not only diagnostic info, but also a virtual logbook of rides and keyless starting.
It’s a discreet addition—unlike the red, white and blue paint, which shouts ‘custom’ from the rooftops. A far cry from the BMW’s sober beginnings as a politsei bike, but a definite improvement.
Renard Speed Shop | Facebook page | Instagram | Photos by Rene Velli
