When Renaissance man Wayne Buys finished a custom creation from a BMW R1200R under the FabMan Creations brand, there was more than the finished product to stare at.
After all, Buys had just succeeded in rendering an immaculately clean bike from scratch – no sketches or renderings, all free-form – and to top it all off, the self-taught genius had the mind-blowing audacity to shape all the aluminum of the bodywork himself, using an English wheel he made in-house, hammering the panels out on a tree stump and planishing them by hand.
‘STORM,’ the BMW R NineT created by FabMan Creations in South Africa. Photo sourced by BikeExif.It’s enough to render anybody gob-smacked – and tempting to ship your nearest cousin over for apprenticeship into what has got to be the best that sheer creative autonomy has to offer.
So what was the inspiration for this particular build for Buys?
‘STORM,’ the BMW R NineT created by FabMan Creations in South Africa. Photo sourced by BikeExif.“I was enamored with the Cherry’s Company ‘Highway Fighter’ BMW R nineT, built by Kaichiroh Kurosu,” Buys tells BikeExif.
“I have never owned a motorcycle that I could leave stock, always modifying it as soon as I get it. These boys, however, are in a different league altogether—and I wanted in on it.”
‘STORM,’ the BMW R NineT created by FabMan Creations in South Africa. Photo sourced by BikeExif.Since he didn’t have an R NineT lying around (who does), the man took the R1200R – donated by the client, who wanted ‘an aeronautical theme’ – and spent the next 8 months conniving the brilliant build.
‘STORM,’ the BMW R NineT created by FabMan Creations in South Africa. Photo sourced by BikeExif.“The whole bike assembles like a Meccano set,” explains the report.
“The upper shell secures to a hidden aluminum fuel cell, via a locking nut around the gas cap. There’s another fastener hidden under the seat pad, with extra attachment points up front.”
‘STORM,’ the BMW R NineT created by FabMan Creations in South Africa. Photo sourced by BikeExif.BikeExif details the new tail section – which Buys trimmed the frame around – as well as the custom, tucked footpegs and smart placing of scoops / air intakes, where “each one directs air to a crucial part of the bike, like the massive side ducts that keep the boxer motor cool.”
Other perks include the deceptively simple electronic wiring, which “runs inside the handlebars, with the brake and clutch master cylinders tucked away under the bodywork,” as well as the keyless ignition to tie everything together.
‘STORM,’ the BMW R NineT created by FabMan Creations in South Africa. Photo sourced by BikeExif.The end result – dubbed ‘STORM’ – has garnered wild popularity, though Buys admits that the work needed to put into a kit like this one would need some serious funding at the very least.
No shiitake, Sherlock.
‘STORM,’ the BMW R NineT created by FabMan Creations in South Africa. Photo sourced by BikeExif.Be sure to head over to FabMan Creations Customs’ webpage to support Buys in his current projects.
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*Media sourced from BikeExif*
