Project · BMW K series · less is more
Daboia
BMW K75. New lines and a sinuous tail like a snake's head, as elegant as it is menacing.
ScrollChapter 01 — Less is more
Diversity in
simplicity
- Base
- BMW K75
- Original
- Tank · controls · wheels
- Suspension
- Öhlins
- Seat
- Kudu leather
I like demanding friends with good taste: they always push you to look for diversity in simplicity, and the saying “less is more” fits better every time.
Working on a BMW K series and demanding new lines while keeping original elements such as the tank, the controls or the wheels seems an unthinkable task.
It was the first K I was able to work on in depth, and I must say I enjoyed it.
Chapter 02 — The tank
Wear in
many layers
The original tank has a purely aesthetic treatment: a multi-layer paint job that I worked on to create a multi-coloured wear effect, down to the bare aluminium, then covered everything with a matt finish.
Chapter 03 — The frame
Space
and lightness
The frame was rebuilt at the rear, continuing the line of the tank, and freed underneath by tilting the new Öhlins monoshock, to bring space and lightness to the bike's profile.
Chapter 04 — The tail
The snake's
head
The tail, in hand-beaten aluminium, has a sinuous shape meant to recall a snake's head (hence the name Daboia), with the brake lights becoming its eyes.
The indicators, made by hand from a block of methacrylate, create a “mean” expression for whoever is following you.
Chapter 05 — Front end
Suspended
and made to measure
The front end is also replaced, with an upside-down Öhlins fork, twin radial Brembo triple bridge calipers and 320 mm discs.
The handlebar stays suspended, at one with the headlight bracket, and is anchored to the fork yokes. It was built to fit the rider and has an arch in the middle that holds the Acewell digital speedometer.
Fork
Upside-down Öhlins
Brakes
Brembo triple bridge
Discs
320 mm
Chapter 06 — The details
Visible only
when in use
The headlight is ultramodern, and I fitted it with a small visor, also in aluminium, that protects the gauge and completes the line aesthetically.
The original throttle was modified to incorporate the new Brembo radial master cylinder.
The front indicators are set into the radiator cover, so they are visible only when in use.
Chapter 07 — Leather and colour
Kudu, petrol
and crimson
The single seat completes the line of the tank and is made by Marozzi in Kudu leather, a species of African antelope whose hide shows various imperfections, echoing the idea of wear set by the tank.
The particular petrol blue of the tail, frame and wheels is the result of many tests and, paired with crimson red, takes us back to the eighties.
A sinuous tail like a snake's head: an expression as elegant as it is menacing.
Specifications
See the other bikes- Model
- BMW K75
- Tank
- Original, multi-layer paint with wear effect
- Frame
- Rear rebuilt along the line of the tank
- Shock absorber
- Tilted Öhlins monoshock
- Tail
- Hand-beaten aluminium
- Rear indicators
- Made by hand from a block of methacrylate
- Front end
- Öhlins upside-down fork
- Brakes
- Radial Brembo triple bridge, 320 mm discs, Brembo radial master cylinder
- Instruments
- Acewell digital speedometer, made-to-measure handlebar
- Seat
- Marozzi, Kudu leather
- Colours
- Petrol blue and crimson red