In the tiny French commune of Saint-André-de-la-Roche, just a couple of miles inland from Good, you will discover the brothers Olivier and Gilles Ortolani. Their business is restoring vintage cars, and performing the occasional custom motorcycle paint job.
After growing stress from buyers, the pair decided it was time to branch out: it was time to start off creating motorcycles. Right after all, there’s no much better way to take pleasure in the balmy Mediterranean climate than on two wheels.
But the Ortolani brothers weren’t going to do it the effortless way. They decided that their initial custom bike would use as few aftermarket components as attainable. And it’d be a showpiece for their considerable expertise in welding, fabrication and metal shaping.
So here we have the Ortolani BMW R100 RS—and it is clear that we’re going to be seeing a lot of excellent issues from these Frenchmen!
With the support of the third member of the Ortolani group, Maxime, they’ve reengineered the R100RS frame. Aiming to reduce the overall weight, they’ve devised a monoshock rear suspension method, controlled by an power-absorbing Fournales gas suspension strut.
To hold the shock in place, a trellis help has been added to the stock BMW shaft-drive swingarm. And the rear subframe has been replaced by a shorter structure, to tighten the bike’s proportions.
The original front forks stay, but they’ve been shortened by (just below 3 inches) and sheathed in custom-produced sleeves that beef up the front end.
The fuel tank is vintage—it’s from the now defunct German motorcycle manufacturer MZ, and stripped of its original badges. Aluminum side panels with hand-engraved BMW emblems had been fabricated in residence.
Aluminum also types the wasp-like tail unit, the custom rearsets and control levers, and the specially developed bracket supporting a Motogadget speedometer.
The special stainless steel exhaust is another Ortolani original item, snaking its way around the engine and venting via grilled openings beneath the seat. The bigger sections midway hide integrated silencers, delivering backpressure for the engine and keeping noise levels inside French legal limits.
But weight reduction alone wasn’t enough to get the bike moving as speedily as desired. So the brothers have rebuilt the boxer motor with all-new internals.
Dell’Orto 38mm PHM carbs have been added to every cylinder—an R90S fitment that is a common upgrade for the R100 engine.
The Ortolanis are large fans of the Rockabilly counterculture, and that shines through in the finishing of the bike. The deep blue paint and oxblood leather seat is a tasteful mixture, but it is the Von Dutch style pinstriping that truly offers this bike its character.
It is a paint method we do not frequently see applied to this style of build—and it adds an subtle American twist to this French-built German machine. We reckon it’s fabuleux.
Ortolani Customs | Facebook
Riviera Style: A BMW R100 RS from the Côte d’Azur
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