Blew it

This miraculous contraption was built by Dirk Oehlerking from Kingston Custom, after he discovered the short-lived motorcycle turbocharging era of the early 1980s and the subsequent low-key community of turbocharged-BMW owners in Europe today. Oehlerking sourced an ultra-rare BMW R100 RS complete with a Stütz turbo kit from 1981 – quite possibly the only example ever offered publicly for sale – and set about dis- and re-assembling it to learn about how it worked.

He then found another R100, this time naturally aspirated, and proceeded to plumb in the turbo system from a Porsche 924. Combined with numerous engine modifications, including new valves and cylinder heads and a drilled crankshaft for lightness, the bike now kicks out 125HP at around 1.25 bar of pressure, equating to a riding experience that’s exhilarating to say the least, we imagine. While perhaps dwarfed by the monster engine, the chassis and bodywork have been tweaked as well, to be as minimalistic as possible. As such, it weighs just 156kg wet. Would you be brave enough?

Photos: Kingston Custom / Motor Rausch