Ben Van Gorp knows something for sure, in life, if you have a dream, you must work hard to get it. Or in this case, commission it.  ̈I knew the place to go to make my dream come true was CRD ̈, Ben told us.

Ben commissioned #CRD110 and made sure we knew this was going to be  ̈the classic one ̈, as he is certain there will be a second Cafe Racer Dreams bike on his name.

This young entrepeuneur is the owner of a successful digital company in the Life Sciences industry based in Gent, Belgium.

Ben cultivated a passion for speed and motor sports soon after his birth. His dad is a mechanic meaning he grew up amongst engines. Amid Bens hobbies are jet skiing, fitness, karting, cars and motorcycles.

As with CRD, Ben understands that the little details are vital. Little things make big things happen. His work in the digital and communications world is based upon focusing on perfecting the details on design. We immediately clicked and our visions matched. Every one of our builds has to be perfect, or aimed at perfection.

Carolina from CRD started brainstorming with Ben and soon got excited; classic CRD look and model, Yale blue, dark brown leather, blacked out mechanics, Firestone Deluxe wheels and inverted fork. His dream was not just a dream anymore, it had become a project.

We purchased a white BMW R100RS in pristine state. The bike had an engine out restoration a few weeks back and was rebuilt very much as a riders motorcycle. Bearings in the headstock, swinging arm and wheels had been recouped, along with a full motor refresh, including stainless pushrod tubes, and stainless exhaust system. Mechanically the donor bike was spot on. We place a huge deal of importance on selecting the right donor bike as this will then become the basis of a CRD build.

We dismantled the donor bike, got rid of the fairing and restored the engine completely. The subframe was cut and created from scratch at our workshop. We designed and executed the seat two cms higher on the rear, improving the seating posture. Additionally, we raise the suspensions in order to adapt to stature and also increase riding comfort.

The paint job is what you see first. This Yale blue was created after trial and error. First we painted the tank with a light blue border, but Ben wasn’t sure he liked that retro look, so we repainted it last minute eliminating the line and just keeping the CRD logo in light blue, matching the BMW logo on the sides.

An original Suzuki GSZR inverted fork was placed. All mechanics have been powder coated and blacked out. The handlebar is a Renthal Ultra Low; the grips are Bitwell; and both the speedometer and the light control are Motogadget M-unit. This gives the bike a more modern look which contrasts with the classic tank and custom leather seat.

Now its time for CRD 111 and CRD112 which are waiting for us at our workshop.

Please contact us using this form if you are interested in purchasing a motorbike like this.