The Z17.1 combines classic cafe racer lines with modern city cruisers. Despite looking like a work of art, it is a trusted daily rider and not an exhibition toy. 

The Beginning

The bike initially started as a commercial generated by Sergey; the co-partner and craftsman of Z17Customs along with Mike. Sergey is well experienced in creating futuristic machines. They decided to build a new bike and they visited a Japan motorcycle reseller to find the only K100 for sale in moscow. The base bike was for sale for quite a long time and no one wanted to buy it. It had a broken mirror and turn signal but upon close inspection, Sergey said the bike is great for the build. Soon as the bike started, the whole floor was filled with smoke because of an oil leak in the exhaust. Being left out of choices, they decided to risk it and purchase the bike.

The Build

It took less than a week to disassemble the bike and around 50 kilograms of parts were removed. All of the plastic 80s bodywork was also removed, giving the bike a fresh look. As the bike was stripped down to its bare looks, Mike and Sergey were super excited. All of the screws, nuts and bolts were factory new. The bike was never touched and opened by anyone else before. Inside; the engine was in an incredible condition, like nothing they had ever seen. Sergey and Mike had completely different visions for the bike until Sergey decided to step back and allow Mike to lead the project.

The End Result

As a marketeer and professional photographer, Mike loves exploring different color patterns. In a world of black, red and blue bikes; he decided to go the opposite way. Being born in Russia where you're taught to blend in with the crowd; Mike embarked his journey on picking the colors for the build. He started with the seat color and then made his choices based on it. Everything was made in house and it is made out of parts coming from Germany, China, US and even rare ones found in Russia. The look resembled a classic cafe racer, so Mike decided to add bright fog lights on both sides for modern city road safety. Inside of the headlight and taillight you will find the integrated turn signals for both ends.

Designed by Mikhail Kostylev (Z17Customs)

Assembled by Sergey Moonshn (Z17Customs)

Built in Moscow, Russia

Base bike BMW K100

Year of Production 1988

Power 90 hp

Torque 86 Nm

Displacement 987cc

Engine type Longitudinal DOHC Inline-4