BMW K100 "Shahin"
*All photos of K100 "Shahin" by Michael Marmora Photography. You should hire him, hit him up here.
"Classic bike builder Mehdi Barakchian has revamped this gorgeous K100 and turned it into something unique and new, The 'Shahin'. Stripped back, simple yet powerful and creative. Builds like this look easy due to the simplicity of the end result but rarely are!"
-BMW MOTORRAD WORLDWIDE
"Gorgeous!"
-BMW MOTORRAD OF NYC
"A modernized stunner...love the technical detail"
-Bike Bound
"Fantastic"
-Lord of wheel
"Can you please pickup toilet paper?"
-Jamie Barakchian (Mehdi's Wife)
Before getting into entertainment, I was in the automotive business and grew up tinkering with cars and trucks. I've been riding motorcycles for 15+ years and was always obsessed with the idea of doing a full build.
I always loved the look of the K100 flying brick. The engine has a big, mean, retro "trying to look like the future" vibe that I love. Also, the tank looks like a standard motorcycle gas tank if it had taken a bunch of steroids. The combo of those two things always did it for me. The majority of my inspiration for the build came from seeing the work Trevor Ditson (@ditstang on instagram) had done to his K100 builds. I think most builders would agree with me when I say that he's the gold standard for K-bike building. I utilized a lot of his concepts while giving it my own touches.
The goal was to drag this bike (kicking and screaming) into 2019. I worked with vendors and was able to group together a couple of electronic units to successfully install bluetooth wireless gauges. The bike is fully functional without them, but should you want them, they load up on an app on your phone. It syncs in literally 2 seconds, and you've got all the gauge functions, including indicator lights, at your fingertips and mounted directly to the phone. If you need a charge, I customized and built in a dual USB 4.2amp charger in the triple tree. I think the bluetooth gauges are kinda wild and something you don't see everyday. I also really love the idea of a 2up custom bike and I don't think you have to sacrifice the look to get that.
The rear wheel is upgraded to that of a k1200, wrapped in Shinko’s. The tank is dipped in BMW M5 Carbon Black also called “Carbonschwartz.” It’s black in the shade and a sparkly midnight blue in the sun. Custom work was done to the tank so that I could backlight the BMW emblem like modern BMW cars. The exhaust I custom cut from the original exhaust and modified, another idea I took from Trevor Ditson. I completely flushed and rebuilt the Brembo brakes and dipped them in Burnt Copper for a kick of color. I also hand striped and individual sanded each fin on the valve cover and engine covers as well as the oil pan fins. The airflow meter, jetronic/ecu, and battery were all relocated and mounted with custom brackets to secure them in place.
I named the bike "Shahin" because as a kid I always told my grandmother that I'd build her a futuristic car. That's what this bike has meant for me which is why I named it after her. I feel like I accomplished that to some degree given the bluetooth functions, all LED lighting, and all the weight that was shed.
I documented the whole build on my instagram at @custombikesbymehdi. Come give me a shout and check out what's next in my garage.