The journey is often more rewarding than the destination, apparently. The Sinroja brothers have their faces pressed-up hard against the coal face and challenges might seem like a never ending stream of hurdles but in the grand scheme of things they've achieved an awful lot in a short couple of years. At Bike Shed London 2015 Rahul Sinroja pleaded with us to let him sneak out of the show early as a customer had seen their BMW R1 exhibited and wanted to chat about a potential commission. After three long days at the Bike Shed show the Sinroja brothers loaded the van and headed to said customer, Boris', office to inspect the donor bike. Arriving on the 10th floor Rahul enquired as to where the service elevator was, he received a blank look and notification that the bike was in 20 boxes. Too tired to complain the remnants of a 1980 BMW R80RT were loaded onto a wheeled office chair and box-by-box loaded into the van. The myriad of clutter was diligently sorted, cleaned and labelled back at Sinroja's HQ in Leicester and a bare frame sat on the bench. Thankfully Boris' parting words to Rahul was a build brief “here’s everything, I love your R1 and I don’t think you can do anything wrong. So price it up and do what you do best. Just keep it simple.” As a bike builder that's about as perfect an instruction as you could hope for. So what is it that Sinroja do best? Well, if you're looking for what is essentially a new motorcycle that looks like a BMW R series then that's what you get. Engines and transmissions aren't just rebuilt, they're completely disassembled. Completely. Every single bearing, seal, gasket and o-ring is replaced along with any major components if required. Airhead stalwart and go-to guy Steve Scriminger is in charge of this side of things at Sinroja and the result is a custom with a full year parts and labour warranty. Which unless someone tells us otherwise is a first. in the custom scene, outside the main dealers of course. Boris' engine, gearbox and shaft drive assembly was treated to coating of textured black high temp paint before the cooling fin edges were machined. Next up was the electrical system. After nearly four decades it's always best to start again with these airheads so local wiring gurus Towzatronics were tasked with running a new loom to run the LED lighting system and Motogadget RFID keyless ignition system. The original switchgear was kept, but totally stripped and rebuilt. Subframe solutions for these Bemmers are plentiful thanks to the bolt-on mounts but Rahul prefers the more rigid, welded approach. A fabricated battery box sits between the rails with a proper saddle on top. Boris wanted a near full length seat with diamond stitched leather, with a thickness that favoured comfort over aggressive wafer-thin looks. Which works, unless you swap the fuel tank for something more svelte these Beemers run the risk of looking out of proportion when running a skinny brat seat. Custom shocks from Hagon prop up the rear and balance the three inch fork drop. A proper internal mod, not just stanchions lowered in the clamps. Progressive springs help prevent the R80's penchant for diving under breaking and offer a slightly more sporty ride. Boris' budget wouldn't stretch to a beefy front end swap so this setup along with floating EBC discs and Venhill braided lines was the way to go. Firestone Deluxe Champions still seem to be the tyre of choice for those wanting a tried and tested classic look and for general riding they're perfectly fine. Unless you listen to those tyre experts who carry out all of their thorough testing behind a keyboard. With the tank sealed internally, painted and the final touches made Boris' bike was ready for Bike Shed London 2016, but unfortunately Boris wasn't. He'd yet to pass his test. A seemingly small detail yet quite an important one hasn't deterred him. The process of having a bike built by fastidious professionals is all the thrill Boris needs at the moment. Without even riding 'R2' he's put it up for sale and commissioned a bolder machine, which should be ready for Bike Shed London 2017! Boris seems like the perfect customer and we look forward to seeing what he and Rahul come up with next. If you want to take this 'as new' R80 off his hands you can see it in the metal at our Shoreditch HQ. To see Sinroja Motorcycles' previous work Bike Shed Archive | Web | Instagram | Facebook Images by Ivo Ivanov