In the premier league of custom builders, Diamond Atelier’s place is secure. The sleek creations of the Munich workshop look better than most factory-built show bikes—and they’re perfectly usable too.
But Tom Konecny and Pablo Steigleder don’t just design one-offs. Their ‘Mark II’ BMW café racers are in limited production, offering a faster and more affordable way to obtain that Diamond Atelier magic. And they’ve now just launched another ‘family’ of limited production BMWs, a series of stylish scramblers based on the R65.
“We’ll always produce our unique builds,” says Pablo. “Those projects shape the brand: they are radical and aggressive, and set the bar higher one notch at a time.”
“But since the beginning of Diamond Atelier, we’ve got emails asking ‘Do you also build scramblers?’ Or, ‘How about bikes with high bars and knobby tires?’”
So Tom and Pablo have now broadened their portfolio. Meet ‘Groot,’ a series of scramblers that’s had us quickly checking the health of our bank accounts.
But first, why the strange name? “We named the ‘Mark II’ after Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit,” Pablo explains. “So we’ve decided to stick to the Marvel Universe. And nothing fits our vision of riding through the forest better than the famous little tree monster ‘Groot’.”
“We both grew up in the city, and live and work there,” says Pablo. “So we love to escape at weekends. It could be hunting, climbing or camping—but the right bike to throw in the back of the van was missing.”
Diamond Atelier have never claimed to be BMW specialists, but their love for the iconic 2-valve airhead is obvious. Groot is based on a 248-spec R65, which can comfortably exceed 100 mph and weighs around 450 pounds fully fueled.
Like all Diamond Atelier builds, Groot is clean, well balanced and functional. New bodywork has been designed and built from scratch, with a Motogadget speedo set into the front of the gas tank.
The proportions are stunning, helped by a custom-made rear frame above the twin shock swingarm. The wheels are BMW ‘snowflakes’ and 18 inches both front and back, shod with Continental Twinduro TKC80 rubber.
BMW’s engineering on the original R65 was just fine, but suspension technology has improved a lot over the past four decades.
So the boys have fitted completely refurbished and black anodized 53mm USD forks from a modern Japanese sportbike. The shocks are adjustable Wilbers 630 Blacklines.
The front brakes have been upgraded too, with double 320mm discs and six-piston Tokico calipers connected to an ABM radial brake master cylinder via steel braided lines.
With high-riding suspension and a slim gas tank, there’s plenty of space around the iconic engine. But this is no stock boxer: it’s been fully rebuilt with a kit from the famed BMW performance house Siebenrock.
This bumps capacity up to 860 cc via Nikasil-coated cylinders and weight-optimised forged pistons, delivering a substantial increase in both torque and horsepower. “It makes Groot a ‘BMW R86,’” says Pablo.
After installing the refreshed engine, Diamond Atelier approached Mikuni guru Stephen Topham, who hooked them up with a pair of brand new TM36-31 carbs.
“We still get excited when we unbox a pair of those beauties! The carbs are individually jetted to work with the K&N air filter and our custom free-flow exhaust system.”
The hand-welded headers are wrapped around the frame down tubes, and sweep around the engine in typical motocross style. “It’s about what you don’t see,” says Pablo. “So the visual mass of the bike appears extremely lightweight.”
The electrical system is all new, and neatly tucked away. There are several components from Motogadget, including a Bluetooth m.unit control box, a keyless RFID ignition, and CNC-machined grips. The mirrors are Motogadget’s latest m.view innovation, with polished aluminum instead of glass for the reflective surface.
Although this is a series bike, there are plenty of personalization options. Buyers can specify a custom paint job: “Dark metallic colors with race-oriented patterns create an edgy and urban feel, while lighter pastels have a more old-school vibe,” says Pablo.
For the first bikes, Diamond turned to Munich-based artist Viktoria Greiner, who specializes in painting gas tanks and helmets. “We told her that we were thinking about a photo shoot in the forest, and she came up with the abstract fir cones theme. If you want to make your Groot even more of a piece of art, you can get it painted by Viktoria as well.”
The gas tanks on these R65s can be changed in less than five minutes, thanks to a neat plug-and-play setup, so you could even have two different tanks on hand. And if you want a matching helmet, Diamond have teamed up with Hedon to take care of custom orders.
Groot is the kind of bike you could use to escape for a few hours on a Sunday morning. And it’s also compact enough to fit in a cradle on the back of a campervan.
If you love leisurely rides down fire trails and dirt roads, but can’t bear the shiny plastics of most modern dual sport bikes, you’ve got another option right here.
Photos by Lukas Magerl.
