Dave's BMW R65 Tracker
By Anthony van Someren - 23 Feb 13
This BMW R65 Tracker was built by Londoner, Dave, and is quite possibly the perfect bike for taking on London's crumbling, congested roads on a daily basis. Like all Bavarian flat twins of this era, it's solid, punchy, reliable - and not as heavy as it might look. Set up as a tracker, with wide bars, narrow tank and flat seat, the riding position balances aggression and ease of handling with a tall view over the rooftops of London's nose-to-tail cars.
Dave has been biking for 35 years, starting out with a BSA Bantam, then on to various Triumphs, Harleys, Beemers, MZs and Hondas, ending up with eight bikes all at the same time at one point, although he's now down to three.
This R65 is Dave's third Flat Tracker build, although his first, another R65 was set on fire and will be rebuilt into a cafe racer at some point. The other was a Honda 250 GS.
Like all the best Shed builds this bike came into being from throwing away anything that was heavy, ugly or not required and then chopping up the rear sub-frame to accommodate a slimmer seat unit. This one was intended for a Harley and the slimline tank is from a Honda 125.
There is a room for a part-time headlamp on the bike, plugged-in through a hole in the number plate, and like many home builds, it may never be finished while Dave fiddles with various components and parts. The end result is a bike built for one purpose - as Dave puts it himself; having the nut's ridden off it and to have fun. Perfect.
Cheers for sharing Dave and see you on the streets of London.