BMW R75/5 cafe racer

Airhead of the Class: Giving New Life to a Classic BMW Motorcycle [Video]

[youtube width=”960″ height=”540″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcAVp3299Cw[/youtube]

For more than 70 years, a sizable chunk ofBMW motorcycleproduction consisted of bikes powered byair-cooled flat-twin engines. These so-called“Airhead”models were (and still are) easy to spot, thanks to their big, finned cylinders protruding straight out from either side of the motorcycle. Sadly, as was the case withPorscheand the911, tightening emissions regulations in the mid- to late-1990s forcedBMWto switch to oil- and, starting just this year, water-cooling for theR Seriesboxer two-bangers.

Southern California based professional photographer and amateur Airhead restorer/customizerJosh Withersis just one of untold thousands of fans of these classicBeemersscattered around the world. It just so happens that one of those other fans liked thecafé racerJosh built for himself that he commissioned him to build another for him, based on a’72 R75/5. And based on how that project turned out, we’re betting this second “Café Airhead” build won’t be Mr. Withers’ last…

Source: YouTube