Love will make you do crazy things. The owner of these matching BMW R100 scramblers had his heart set on a BMW R nineT before he saw a classic boxer and fell in love. And he only had one custom bike in the works, before he met a woman and fell in love.
The full story behind these bikes is dripping with serendipity. It all started when the owner was having his chimney swept; he mentioned an idea for a Martini-liveried R nineT to his chimney sweep, who happened to be a friend of Holger Breuer’s. Before long, he found himself at Holger’s workshop, HB-Custom, in Husum, Germany.
Holger had a BMW R100 on the bench at the time, and the second his new client saw it, the R nineT was no longer a priority. Armed with advice from Holger on what to look out for, he sourced a 1982 BMW R100RS and dragged it back to HB-Custom.
The idea was to turn it into a classy scrambler with underlying bobber sensibilities. That meant maintaining a decent ride height, but transforming the tail end of the bike with a solo saddle and a low-mounted fender. With a clear direction in mind, Holger got to work.
There’s nothing too wild going on here—just a tidy set of mods that show the level of taste and consideration that we’ve come to expect from Holger. The OEM subframe is gone, replaced by a bespoke seat support and relocated upper shock mounts. A bobber-style seat sits up top, sporting two-tone leather upholstery.
The rear is propped up on a pair of YSS shocks, while a steel fender hugs the rear tire. A slim LED taillight is tucked under the seat, with the bike’s license plate bracket mounted to the right-hand side of the swingarm.
Moving to the cockpit, Holger swapped the stock top yoke for a tidy CNC-machined item. It’s fitted with new handlebar clamps, gripping Magura bars. The grips and controls are from Magura too, the mirror is a Highsider part, and the switches and bar-end turn signals are from Motogadget.
An LED headlight sits up front, with a Motogadget speedo mounted just above it in a custom housing. The R100’s original fuel tank takes center stage, boasting a handsome paint job and a new knurled aluminum gas cap.
Other upgrades include progressive springs and preload adjusters for the front forks, and go-anywhere tires from Heidenau. The refurbished engine wears classic peanut-style valve covers, pod filters, and twin exhausts from the German boxer specialists at Hattech.
The second BMW R100 was unexpectedly booked in the minute the first bike was handed over. “When the customer pickup up his new bike on Thursday evening, he was so thrilled that he called back on Friday morning and ordered the same bike again—but this time as a two-seater,” Holger tells us. “I could only laugh and get back to work.”
Holger’s client had found love and wanted a matching boxer to share with his new girlfriend. The bikes are almost identical, save for a few key details.
The most obvious difference is the second bike’s more substantial custom subframe and two-up leather seat. A shorter, high-mounted rear fender sits out back, with a license plate bracket that also hosts a pair of Kellermann combination LEDs. Pannier racks, soft bags, and passenger pegs finish off the rear.
Since this bike is likely to see more travel, Holger also fitted it with engine crash bars and an auxiliary headlight. The R100’s OEM square valve covers also differentiate it from its stablemate.
We’d be happy with either of these charming BMW R100 scramblers in the Bike EXIF garage—so the fact that one guy owns both of them leaves us just a tad bit envious. Which would you pick?
HB-Custom | Instagram | Images by Emayat Wahab
