"Birdcage" BMW by Revival Cycles

"Birdcage" BMW by Revival Cycles - TheArsenale

BMW Motorrad is an established name in the motorcycle market, not thanks to their automotive counterparts but their expertise in the motorcycling industry. Since their early days, they were the pioneers and developers of the BMW boxer engine. Ever since, these bikes became cult rides and gained the support of countless enthusiasts around the world.

Revival Cycles pays this beautiful engine a tribute with their latest creation, the "Birdcage". Looking at it, it's not a surprise why it was named this way. The folks over at Revival Cycles created a custom titanium frame in-house, leaving the entire guts of the bike out in open air. This was all done in tribute to the engine, giving it space to breathe and roar. Massive contrast is achieved between the slim, airy bodywork against the bulky engine; slightly drawing inspiration from early 90s racers who would strip these bikes down and leave the bare essentials on them. What makes this one unique, is the free flow of all the components. Only a handful of them are centrally aligned and the rest roam around the drivetrain in pure asymmetry. 

Despite looking stripped down to only an engine with two wheels attached, massive craftsmanship went into creating all the components that make up this bike. Inspired by BMW's tele-lever suspensions, the geniuses at Revival Cycles used an Öhlins bike shock and dampener and fabricated a front-control arm out of CNC billet aluminum and carbon fiber hexagonal tubing. Handlebars and fork lowers were modeled after the Henne landspeed racers. The engine and gearbox cover was then made out of thin aluminum and was all put together with massive ingenuity. The result? A speed racer that makes you wonder how it all stays together.

For a bike built in under 5 months, it's an incredible feat to see such an intricate motorcycle come to life. A barebones approach to a speed-racer, it will enter the competition at the Handbuilt Show and we can already tell it's aiming for the top.