Meister Engineering specializes in breathing new life into old BMW Boxers. Now they've focused their expertise on the K series, launching a new lay-down shock conversion.
As we all know, the rules and regulations for modifying motorcycles differ a lot, from country to country.
I can guarantee you one thing though, if you think you've got it tough, spare a thought for the bikers of Switzerland.
Thanks to Swiss Type Approval, even changing your motorcycle tires can turn you into an outlaw overnight. Imagine then, if the local cops pull you over and discover you have a modified frame! They'd think all their Christmases had come early!
Unless, of course, the bike you happen to be riding is a build by Meister Engineering. These custom bike builders located near Lake Geneva are one of the few outfits in Switzerland certified to carry-out structural motorcycle modifications.
K Series Suspension Upgrade
In a short time, Meister Engineering has made their presence felt throughout their home country and beyond. To date, lovingly customized and highly rideable air-cooled BMW Boxers are their trademark calling card. But now, they've kicked up a gear.
Marking BMW's entrance into the multi-cylinder market in 1985, the longitudinal mounted three and four-cylinder K75, and K100 series had a decade-long run. Called the 'Flying Brick' due to their unconventional engine layout, these bikes are now established donors for café racer conversions.
An increased number of customers asked Meister if they could build a customized K. And the guys at Meister Engineering wanted to go much further than a skin-deep face-lift.
Modern and Edgy Conversion
Meister decided that serious modification of the suspension would give the aging K a dramatic, edgy look. It would also give it a 21st-century handling-boost. At this point, Antoine Meister had the good fortune to discover Retrorides. The custom bike builder from Brazil was working on such a conversion.
Retrorides had spent many months wrestling with CAD software and CNC machines getting the measurements and specifications of the conversion right. The result is a sculpted single-sided, billet aluminum suspension system that holds a parallel shock absorber.
The aircraft-grade aluminum parts arrived at Meister Engineering, and work began on the extensive sub-frame modifications and assembly.
Believe it or not, this was the easy part. From there, Antoine Meister and his team then went through the painstaking process of getting the finished product to pass Swiss Type Approval.
This process sees every component as well as the design, checked, measured, assessed, scrutinized, tested, evaluated, and checked again before the certification is granted.
Meister Engineering Exclusive
The extensive procedure was worth the effort. And Meister Engineering is now the only tested and approved provider of this radical conversion in Europe.
Up until this point, Meister Engineering was the only allowed to modify the sub-frame on the R series. Once again, one of the few companies in Switzerland certified to do so; this would have allowed for a cleaner back end and abbreviated seat layout.
The result would have been complemented by Meister's usual exquisite flair for minimalistic enhancement. But Antoine believed it was time to push the envelope.
"It's a risky business," Antoine Meister says. "The testing is time-consuming, complicated, and costly. Every part is checked for tolerances and load testing, and some parts are subjected to destruction testing," he reveals.
Aerospace Grade Aluminum
"No matter how well the parts are engineered," he explains. "The role of the DTC (Dynamic Testing Center) is to make sure everything works better than it should. Which is why," he continues, "the 7075-grade aluminum we use has been holding fighter aircraft together since WWII. The bearings are sintered bronze, and the fasteners are stainless steel."
After all that effort, success is not guaranteed. Yet, Meister Engineering's work speaks for itself. So it should come as no surprise that the custom bike builders now hold certification for the modification.
"We've already taken orders for two BMW K's with this conversion, "says Antoine, "and I'm as excited as the new owners to see the end result."
The suspension conversion isn't the only card they hold up their sleeve, either. The bike builders already have certification in place for S100RR fork and wheel conversions. BMW's S1000RR superbike uses an upside-down. These, apart from the performance and braking upgrade, shorten the wheelbase on older bikes, sharpening handling.
We can only imagine what the final bikes will look like. But one thing's for sure, with Meister Engineering's reputation for minimalistic works of art, the rebuilt, reimagined K's will be stunning. Better yet, they're being built to be ridden!