Luxury is one the word is easily assigned to beautiful, often delicate, objects. But when you can attribute it to a motorbike with muscle and purpose, you know you’re admiring the work of a master craftsman. Tom Simpson’s motorbike foundry has certainly won that award over the years, and this 1979 BMW R80 represents the pinnacle of his skills.
However, the path of this sublime machine, nicknamed ‘Midnight Racer’, is far from peaceful. A store project in the making for more than eight years, BMW R80 all too often get pushed aside because the client’s commission takes precedence. Then last year, as completion was finally nearing, construction was interrupted again.
Tom was told that the rent on his apartment of over 12 years would increase 30% overnight. With new mining resources, multiple project motorcycles and all of the factory equipment needing to be relocated, it’s fair to say that Midnight Racer has triumphed over adversity.
The bike’s true origins go back even further, to when Tom supplied the tank from a Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport for an ongoing airhead project. That machine later became the Foundry’s ‘Silver Racer’, a machine to which Midnight Racer has important lineage. But the ideas and lines that came up at the sight of the Italian tank sitting on the Bavarian frame persisted and Tom needed another crack at it.
“Not to upset the purists, but the donor bike is still intact,” Tom told us, recalling the start of the project. He also assured us that all the stock he removed went to good homes; This in itself is a mammoth task considering how few standard machines are left.
The first part that Tom laid out was the Jetsons signature exhaust. “I had the idea of making the exit look like a jet turbine from the 1950s,” he explains. “And that was the problem with the store project—once I thought about doing something in somehow, I can’t help it!”
With the lines of the exhaust coming together, Tom went back to the Moto Guzzi tank. Significant reconfiguration is required to navigate the R80 chassis, but there’s also plenty of space to accommodate and hide all the necessary electrical equipment.
With the tank’s significantly shallower side profile exposing more of the boxer engine, Tom wanted to honor the engine by keeping the wiring as clean as possible. The reg/rec was relocated to the spine of the frame, while the mini Dyna coilovers were hidden in the timing chest cover, from which four vents were cut out to help regulate heat. The result is a minimalist cabling configuration that is nearly impossible to achieve.
The unsightly rubber airbox usually located at the rear of the BMW R80 engine has also been removed. The top cowl was extended four inches to accommodate the twin Weber DCOE carburetors, which sit atop Tom’s custom intakes.
At the furthest sections of the engine, these gorgeous Art Deco-style rocker covers were created by welding additional panels to the existing covers, before flowing geometric lines were machined in. Smooth, top hat-shaped latches lock the lids in place of standard nuts. A luxurious Cerakote bronze jacket covers the entire power supply.
Heading to the outside, Tom shortened and polished the fork before calling Rich Chanter at Wheels in Motion to attach a 19” Morad rim to the freshly painted hub. In the background, Tom tips his hat to one of his favorites, the Lucky Cat Sprint Beemer, as inspiration for the center’s machined triangles—polished brake shoes and springs peek out between the cleft in midnight blue. (That color, present throughout the machine, has become a Foundry signature, finding its way onto many builds in recent years.)
The molded headlights are all handmade by Tom. As his shop’s name suggests, Tom previously worked as a blacksmith and forging his own parts is an ever-present aspect of his builds. But because he ran out of scrap to melt, Tom needed a new source. Now, when he visits his favorite suspension partner, Quantum Suspension, he leaves with the contents of their scrap aluminum bin, along with the springs he chose.
The sturdy, clean yokes are built to Tom’s design, perfectly complementing the fork-mounted remote reservoirs to upgrade the Hel Performance braking system. While he was at it, Tom converted the rear brake to cable drive, rebuilt the transmission, and converted the clutch to hydraulic (a task he often describes as “a lot of fun”).
Tarozzi’s adjustable clamps and foot controls are one of Tom’s favorite off-the-shelf components, which he can then modify further as expected. The rear units attach to the eccentric adjuster in the frame, allowing for 360-degree rotation of positions. At a tall 6’4”, Tom appreciates more than most the downsides of an ill-fitted machine and likes to offer a steering triangle that suits all body types.
Nestled between and behind those footrests, you’ll notice a more avant-garde design. The finned battery box is inspired by the underbody diffuser of high-performance racing cars, translated in Foundry’s signature style.
And it’s a signature style. Like the best in gaming, Foundry creates an aesthetic that you can attribute to their store even when all the icons are hidden from view. It’s a heady mix of mid-century and art deco cues, mixed with a retro-futuristic feel—and Midnight Racer fits right in with it.
Tom has one last hurdle to overcome before his BMW R80 finally makes its debut at this year’s Bike Shed Show. He shook his head noting that the fuel tank cap had remained a solid mass of material less than 24 hours before the door was opened. But after eight long years in the making, the effort was finally worth it.
Here’s another beautiful machine from the Foundry—which will soon be open to the public from its new location.
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