With a very particular and unexpected item as a source of inspiration, the BMW R69S Thompson motorcycle boasts excellent hipster material, and it is unquestionably a rare beauty. It pays homage to the historic Thompson submachine gun, loved by both heroes and villains during the Prohibition era.
The tuning experts over at ER Motorcycles have based this project on a BMW R69S, but they’ve changed so much about it that the only thing that is still intact is the frame. Sourcing elements and components from a variety of other bikes, they’ve come up with a very unique café racer, one that most collectors would not even want to actually take out and risk wear and tear, but rather keep it on display somewhere where they can always look upon it and smile contently.
The upper tree and the swingarm were borrowed from a an R80, the fuel tank is a BMW Schorsch Meier, the rear wheel used to belong to an R50/5, the front wheel is a Borrani, and gearbox and engine are modified R100 pieces. The speedometer, the digital control unit, the switchgear, and the ignition system come from Motogadget, while the headlight is a Roland Sands Design Vintage Black Ops piece.
To tie everything in nicely, ER Motorcycles also added a series of customized components, the most remarkable of which is probably the classic wooden seat with leather detail. Also tailor made are the saddle bags and the fenders. So if you are looking for the perfect uniquely built motorcycle, this might just be the one that ticks all the boxes.
