You are not often see cooperative custom stores. But as it is said, the rising tide lifts all ships — and a joint venture between two leading Dutch builders created the wild cafe racer concept based on BMW R9T.
If you’ve been using Bike EXIF for a while, you probably know one of the builders: Arjan van den Boom of Ironwood motorbike. Based in Amsterdam, he has built some of the most attention-grabbing customs in Europe, with his tough style and aggressive stance approach.
The other man behind CNCPT Moto and this R9T is Timothy Somers of Powerbrick. He’s 70 miles down the road from Arjan in Rotterdam, the second largest city, and specializes in manufacturing custom parts for old and new BMWs.
Most R9T clearances are geared towards a vintage vibe, but ‘Cloud 9’ is a vision of the future. It’s an unusual and highly conceptual build, and it’s not surprising it didn’t happen overnight. The plans were conceived two years ago, but due to Covid, progress was slow – until the deadline to launch the Bike Shed program in London.
Arjan describes the look and feel of this R9T as ‘neo-futuristic.’ “I guess that is our ideal approach to the future of customization, a shift in 2084,” he said.
“We decided to create a monocoque body style in ASA thermoplastic, with sharply repeated contours on the frame and engine.” But despite the cutting-edge look, the body was first shaped with traditional clay, before being digitized and then 3D printed.
The monocoque effect is an illusion. “The body is two-piece, otherwise it cannot be assembled,” says Arjan. “There is a rear part with the saddle, and a front part on top. It is attached to the stock mount points, which is what we want. ”
The arrangement of the air conditioner box is also very interesting. Remove the black baking sheet and aside is the DNA filter in the 3D printed filter box. But you can stick your hand right through the opening. (“Hold my beer!”)
New bodywork means a new fuel cell. So a shoebox has been re-welded from aluminum and designed to use OEM pumps and connectors. The lenses for the light are then printed from synthetic polymers, with powerful LEDs hidden behind them.
Arjan’s frequent bystanders helped with the expert work: the thin seat cushions are upholstered in leather and Silvermachine’s Alcantara, and the ghostly silver paintwork was photographed by Jacco from the Royal Kustom Works in Dordrecht.
Other visual mods include the new CNC valve cover and front cover for the boxer engine. The fork has been upgraded with an internal hydraulic cartridge from Matris, along with a carbon tube supplied by CeraCarbon. (Monoshock is from Dutch producer TFX.)
Lightweight 17-inch carbon wheels from Slovenian custom Rotobox
significantly reduce weight without sprung and they are equipped with super sticky Pirelli Diablo Superbike tiles.
The Cloud 9 comes complete with a custom stainless steel complete exhaust system — right down to the silencer — with a hand-curved aluminum plate that matches the bottom pipe.
The bars are equipped with new controls and speed from Motogadget, plus Beringer brake and clutch masters. And those patches of color? They are provided by the local hero Brothercoating, right near the Iron Wood workshop.
It’s a fascinating result that comes from what Arjan describes as ‘napkin design’. But again, the best ideas are often scribbled on the back of an envelope.
“Seeing this project come to life, going from clay to printed polymer, is a satisfying process,” he said. “However, our brainchild is a prototype — and just the beginning of bigger things to come.”
If you head to BMW’s massive Pure & Crafted festival in Berlin in early July, you’ll be able to check out this R9T there. Better yet, it goes on sale later — just contact Arjan for details.
CNCPT Moto Instagram | Custom motorcycle made of ironwood | Powerbrick | Photo of Paul van Mondfrans Linden
