Last year, iga Petek did something really new—he built a bmw martial artist crossed all the custom BMW boxer trends. With sharp lines and not an inch of sleeve in sight, it turned wherever it passed, and it sowed the seeds for Žiga’s latest work.
based on a BMW R65, this one is just as innovative as his previous attempt, while at the same time completely different. The story begins a few years ago, when Žiga became an ambassador for Flex Tools through Gas&Retro—his custom bike shop in Notranje Gorice, Slovenia. Not long after, Žiga and the head of Flex Tools Slovenia, Boštjan Vidrajz, became friends.
Then Žiga built the aforementioned BMW and Boštjan was hooked. “He loved BMWs,” Žiga tells us, “so it wasn’t long before he bought himself a 1983 BMW R65.”
“He drove it all summer, then he brought it to my workshop with some photos of custom BMWs. I asked him ‘do you believe me?’ He said ‘yes,’ and that was it.
Turns out, Žiga already had a design in mind. He envisioned a cafe racer—but, again, it should be a cafe racer that breaks away from the typical BMW cafe racer theme. So he stripped the R65 down to just the main body of the frame and started planning.
Starting with the back of an old Honda fuel tank, Žiga proceeded to shape the new tank, tail, bib, front fender and belly panel, all in aluminum.
He told us: “The front fender is a challenge. “I wanted to be as narrow as possible but still fit the lines and style of the tank. I’ve worked hard to perfect the bodywork and tailgate just the way I want it—so the hammer, the English wheel, the shrink, the straightener, and the welder have been my best friends for a while. long time!”
The new body parts from BMW are sharp and interesting. The car’s silhouette is tapered towards the rear, with custom side panels that add visual presence to the front half of the car without completely hiding the boxer engine. The belly pan even hides a custom oil tank.
Seen from the side, the lines are a bit traditional — but when you rotate the bike 45 degrees, all sorts of interesting details emerge. “I created aerodynamic wings that cover the sides of the engine and cover the cylinder heads for extra performance style,” says Žiga. “On those wings, I added two small forged carbon wings on each side.”
Taking advantage of the extra space, Žiga actually tucked the bike’s Motogadget keyless ignition into one of the carbon winglets. There are more forged carbon details at the front and rear, all of which take quite a bit of work to produce.
To create each carbon trim, Žiga first 3D scanned the bib and tail to create a digital canvas to execute. Then, Blaz Sustarsic of ER Motorcycles lent a hand by translating Žiga’s ideas into digital renderings. A company called VG Forma 3D printed each prototype part, which was then shipped to Angström Performance, who copied them in forged carbon fiber.
Up front, you’ll see a MotoGP-inspired front spoiler—but if you look closely, you’ll also spot a pair of LED turn signals recessed into the interior. The rear end is equipped with side fins that also have sport LED turn signals and the rear strip has a vertically mounted LED tail light strip.
The fact that iga is busy producing R65 anemia Look speed wasn’t lost on him, so Gas&Retro reworked the entire engine — including increasing displacement to 890 cc. It also features new valves, valve springs and bearings, and features a Motogadget winding with a new charging system and Silent-Hektik ignition. The original valve covers were thrown in the trash, so they were cleaned, modified and decorated with more forged carbon details.
The original Bing carburetors were swapped out for the Mikunis with velocity stacks. On the opposite side, Jaka Legiša built BMW’s meandering exhaust system.
Gas&Retro specifies the device to run accordingly. The R65 uses the same Showa fork as the Kawasaki ZX-10R, while the rear fork is from a newer BMW GS model. Custom shock absorbers from YSS Europe support the rear.
New spokes wheels at each end, finished in black and wrapped in Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp tires. The brake calipers are from Brembo, the discs are from Motomaster and the chains are from Goodridge.
TRW clip-on sport cockpit, equipped with Tomaselli throttle, Brembo clutch and brake controls, Motogadget grips, mirrors and knobs. The digital dashboard is another Motogadget part, while the LED headlights come from Koso. Down lower, you’ll find a new rear set, with a custom shifter and Brembo master brake cylinder.
More sophisticated details include the Alcantara on the saddle, supplied by Mitja Bizjak, and some red anodized details as well as color-coded tubes and wires.
With the finish line in sight, Žiga’s final obstacle is solving a difficult problem. “I was determined to use BMW’s deep metallic blue, but with all those polished carbon forged parts, I couldn’t see it. Then I saw the 2023 BMW ‘Brooklyn Gray’ and I knew it would be a great fit.”
Matej Mrzlikar from MM Auto has repainted, down to the logo, stripes and honeycomb graphics. Everything is made by hand; no vinyl.
Žiga adds: “This is probably my best build in 13 years of custom bike building. “There have been many long night shifts, but I will do them all again.”
“I remember myself 20 years ago, how I dreamed about building bicycles and admired what custom bike builders could do with their own hands… and now I here. That’s just who I am, and if I didn’t do this, I don’t know what I would do with my life.”
Žiga has a right to be proud—this R65 is the next step up in the BMW boxer cafe racer genre, with a level of perfection few custom cars can match. But are his customers satisfied?
“When Boštjan from Flex Tools Slovenia saw it for the first time,” Žiga tells us, “he couldn’t speak for an hour.”
Gas & Classic | Facebook | Instagram | Image of Rok Plešnar
