BMW!

I have another bike. I'll probably never let it go. It's the first one I really tore into, and I've bled for it. I have more money and time into it, and more miles on it, than I bargained for. 

In 2005, I sold my 1976 Honda cb550, and bought a 1977 BMW R75/7. Saw it on Chicago Craigslist - and travelled down to the rockford area the next day. There is was. Ridden hard. Rough looking, but I loved it. Stan, the guy who sold me the bike, is an interesting guy. A graphic designer by trade - his father was a gymnast in communist Poland. The Family came to the US during some kind of trapeze tour, and defected. 

That's Stan on the left - a cold delivery day. Note handlebar tassels. Decent euro-heritage there. 

Ripped fork boot, some nasty extra bits, dent in the tank - but I just wanted to get it started. Found acorns in the air filter housing, a dead battery, and gummed ass carbs. Since January 2006, I've worked on or replaced every part of this bike save the transmission. What was to be a simple, sympathetic restoration transformed into a cafe conversion: The birth of Anne Frank's Revenge. 

First, a note on the name: It combines the name of dread pirate Blackbeard's ship, The Queen Anne's Revenge with the name of Holocaust victim and diarist, Anne Frank. Thus, Anne Franks Revenge is a nod my my Jewish heritage AND Bayerische Motoren Werke's history during WW2. Internal historical/ethnic conflicts aside, BMW makes awesome bikes with awesome engines. The bike had the bench seat and a seat from a BMW r100rs, which originally inspired the cafe direction for the project. Here are some pics from the evolution:

Broken boot there. Ended up taking the whole front end apart, and breaking a fork leg. And, 1am ebay!

Big tank dent. Tried to fill and paint on my own. Learning experience there. Messy. 

Paint job wasn't great, but it ran!. New tires, coils, front disc and rotors, rear shoes, pipes, boyer electronic ignition, carb rebuild, fork rebuild, many valve adjustments and some custom lighting...

AND a professional paint job...

Not so bad, eh? This was still a couple of years ago, and there's been much more work since. Custom headlight brackets, Motogadget tach/speedo which was a true chore, and all kinds of maintenance. The tank ain't as shiny anymore, but she's a fine machine indeed! But, she's big, and heavy. I love riding it, but wanted something lighter, older and weird. That was the birth of PUCH lust.