BMW’s classic Boxer engine is one of those powerplants you either love or hate. It looks like no other, and invariably dominates the appearance of a bike. I have to admit I love the look of this motor, and so does Terry Whitehurst.
He started building his R60 custom a year ago, with one thing in mind: minimalism. He was looking for the lines of a race bike but with a twist, taking a dash of inspiration from a ‘47 Panhead. So Terry removed the airbox, fitted K&Ns, and junked the stock Bings for new Mikuni carbs. (“Why do they call Bing carburetors Bing? Because it’s the sound they make hitting the trash can.”)
He shortened and reinforced the subframe, and coated the entire chassis with POR-15 before topping it off with a semi-gloss top coat—“literally tougher than powder coat.” The stock forks were shortened 2”, and the wheels were powdercoated and fitted with new stainless spokes.
Terry gave the electronics serious attention, fitting a Thunderchild diode board, Dyna III ignition, and brand new cloth wiring. That killer exhaust, by the way, is not a modern concoction: it’s a 30-year old Luftmeister racing system with a custom baffle in the muffler.
