The BMW K100 cafe racer is rolling in hot with a fresh look and tank from Crooked Motorcycles. A team of designers took to a 1986 BMW K100 and customized it for the streets of today, dubbing it, the Nightcrawler. Crooked Motorcycle’s newest custom motorcycle beams as the product of teamwork, each part of the cafe racer being handled and designed by specialized team members like welders and upholsterers.
Inspired by the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, an American stealth attack aircraft, and constructed using DC01 cold rolled steel, the Nightcrawler’s tank is perhaps the bike’s main event. Created in 3D and designed by Ivan Lit, the tank’s enigmatic personality was achieved through measured cutting via water jet and a welding job given by German metal-shaper, Fred Flitzefuß. Once the designers found the tank’s geometric build, it was time for a matte black paint job, given by Dieter Bals, and construction. In order to get the Nightcrawler ready for the streets of today, Crooked Motorcycles sent its 1986 motor to SW Motorradtechnik, a small motorcycle shop, for some new OEM parts. Outfitted with the latest, Nightcrawler brings a swing arm for rear-wheel vertical pivot capabilities, along with a gearbox from BMW K1100 to match and Wilburs shocks. Nightcrawler’s exhaust system comes equipped with a Cobra SPX Carbon muffler and custom triples were designed by RT CNC to fit with the new custom job. Overall, the Nightcrawler has a lot to brag about. Amidst a long list of bespoke additions, Crooked Motorcycles welded a custom subframe for Nightcrawler, integrated a new air filter from DNA Filters, a Motogadget control box, TRW bars, and bare LED headlights for nighttime cruises.
With a longitudinal engine, the K100 was before its time and became one of BMW’s most prominent successes. When you look at the K100, it screams the 1980s, with gaudy headlights and a rigid frame, an ideal motorcycle for its time, but out of place for today’s highways. Compared to the Nightcrawler, whose geometric and confrontational personality, yet reserved and slick-as-ice body hits the street with composed confidence. The 1980s brought a lot of noise and the Nightcrawler cut through it all.
Designers: Crooked Motorcycles
