Sergio Romero for Revista Fuel
The acronym of CRD, Cafe Racer Dreams, is well known in the sector of custom bikes inside and outside our country, they have have built more than 110 bikes in the decade that they have been working, mainly using BMW R 100. Their bikes have gone to different parts of the world. Among the owners of their creations there are people from Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Europe or the United States and the great majority have made the bike as they imagined it, following the advice of the CRD team on their way to making that idea a reality.
Since its inception CRD has some signs of identity that distinguish their creations and have served to create a clear trademark, as is the set of subframe and tail in its various options and quality of finish and paint all their bikes. From there each bike, called CRD and the number of the unit built, has sought a style according to the demands of the moment or its owner.
The latest creation of the brand has been on the one hand a tribute to this decade of customizations and on the other hand a surprise gift for the current owner of the brand, Jaime Colsa, who has not seen or heard anything about the bike until it was completely finished. The story begins with the unit chosen as a base, a 1979 BMW R 100 RS, as Jaime himself tells us: “It is a bike that has had a single owner, a friend of my parents from Santander. He came to my parents home the day he got the bike and gave me a ride, so, with seven years that I had, it was engraved in my memory in a special way. In those years an RS was a bike that made an impact and this one came home like a star, it was one of the first in the area. As the years went by, it became unused and when his son offered it to me, I did not hesitate to get it”. It was clear where to start the project, but in addition CRD2020 had to reflect very well the new facet of CRD, in which the “know how” of the brand is put by Marcos Castro’s work and Juan López, former General Director of Gas Gas, arrives to give it a boost in its line of work and to open up to new projects. That meant taking a step forward in the level of finishes and components, and also getting a line and decoration that fit the tastes of its owner.
A special job. As it happens with all the customizations that come out of CRD of the original bike, only the engine and the chassis remain. Although everything is completely dismantled, the chassis is cut and the new subframe is welded, removing the expendable parts and sent to be painted. So basically there is nothing that is not touched, because the engine is completely dismantled to check it. Boxer engines are very strong, by design, manufacturing quality and speed, but you have to pay attention to the condition of the rings generally and sometimes the pistons. The valves, their guides and the clutches are also checked. All seals are replaced. Somehow they restore the bike first and then customize it.
In the case of CRD2020 the mechanics of the original bike have been kept, only the handmade exhausts have been added, which have increased from 40 to 50 mm in section in order to fit the LeoVince approved silencers. The rear differs from what has been done so far, since it goes from having a “flown” license plate to being integrated into a rear fender support, in a handmade structure, which also has the same shape as the rim spokes and when you align them they are fully integrated visually. The cycle part has, as you can see, new suspensions in both trains, there is an inverted Kawasaki ZX-6R fork, from which it also inherits the seatposts and the radial pump that acts on four-piston radial Brembo calipers. The discs are 310 mm EBC. While the rear axle uses YSS shock absorbers with a separate bottle, finished in black and multi-adjustable, like the fork. So now it has made a big leap forward in terms of its performance. The bike is generally much lower, although it maintains the original wheels but with Continental TKC 80 tires, which complete a stunning look.
As for the components that add to this customization, there are adjustable Tommaselli handlebars, which allow different configurations of their ergonomics, and use the instrument panel, the minimalist controls and the front indicators of Motogadget. The seat with CRD design is upholstered in leather and the rear is very stylish as does not have any extra elements, since the small rear lights that also act as indicators are integrated next to the license plate.
