1979 BMW R100/7 Blitz Street Tracker
Thursday, March 24, 2011 
A couple of months ago we featured a beautifully shot video of some French gentleman from Blitz Motorcycles in Paris cruising the country roads of France. The video caused quite a commotion with most people liking it, but we also had our fair share of haters — but as they say in France, "such is life." Well, hopefully their latest creation, this rough and raw BMW street tracker will show you that these guys aren't a "bunch of douche bag hipsters" but actually a group of quite talented builders putting out some really impressive bikes.
The boys started by painting the R100/7 engine with high temperature matt black paint. They also handcrafted both rear and front mudguards, rear frame buckle and hand made the seat. After removing the original BMW tank, they replaced it with a vintage 1970's Honda tank — keeping all the scratches and dents for added character. The handlebars have come off an old Kawasaki Z650, with new Doherty levers attached and then powder coated. Then the finishing touches were added, like the Blitz logos cut into the battery covers and simplifying those pesky electricals.
This street tracker might not be as unique or even as ambitious as their previous 'murdered out' BMW R60/2 which did the rounds on the internet last year — but we love it's simplicity and it looks like it would be a blast to ride. And in the end, whether you're wearing cool clothes or not, isn't that all that really counts?
Reader Comments (55)
hey Guys!
The "riding september" video of these guys, real kicked me in the ass! And so the BMW do. I' m 38 now. I sold my last bike 4 years ago and thought, for me this is over. I don't know how it came to this. Many other things that dont satified me had to be done.(Or i thoutht they had to be done.) Then some weeks ago, i saw this video, and: bam! Everything was here again! That feeling. How it was: at 14 to start up this Dirtbike that stretch your (and the farmers) arms at double size.That feeling, riding your bike illegal through the woods, and the fields, forgetting everything around you. Just ride around the next corner, and the next, and the next. Coming home trink one of your first beers with your friends. Above you the Stars underneath you the bike, that smells and crack and heat. Than later on: Now with "real" bikes: touring around stretching your personal horizon kilometer (yes Kilometers :) ) by kilometer. Sleeping in the dirt, on some lonly beach in the middle of the mediterranean. Riding three of us on the bike to the next bar. That feeling! Is what it is all about.
Freedom and a sense of community. And the entire thing on something you have build on your own according to your own idea.
And this is what the Blitz guys represent for me. They shake me awake. Today i went to the garage of one of my friends, pulled out out this rusty and cobweb covered old SR, and wheeled it to my workshop.
Tomorrow it will be started!
Thank you Hugo, thank you Leo, thank you Fred!!
I wanna sleep in the dirt and smell some fuel and oil underneath my fingernails!!
Andrew, hurry up and change the subject you arse!
I don't usually post to blogs but I thought that it is a little hypocritical to knock these guys for building bikes that you may not like. Do you really think that cafe style bikes(and culture) havent turned into a lifestyle also? You can go into barnes and noble and buy several cafe magazines and order all of the gear to make you look just like a ton up boy if you want. Yes it is kind of frustrating that everything turns into lifestyle basically so someone can sell you shit but that is the way our culture works. i respect great builds period and while this may not be a great build up to some of your standards it does serve a purpose. I just bought a 74 tx 500 and dont have a lot of money to sink into building a great cafe bike i could make a bad ass street tracker out of it. I guess that what I am trying to say is you cant fault a 20 something year old male building a bike that will attract attention.Thats what he is going to do whether its a harley cafe bobber sport bike vespa etc.. Maybe we could be a little less elitist and and embrace the fact that the new generation is taking things in there own direction even if we dont like it.
I bet those zip ties got him on the road faster with his mark on it, than it took half of the comments on here to be posted.
bet he never sees those comments anyway, probably still out riding. FTW
Love it. I'm not a fan of fancy paint jobs anyway.