Dan Riley’s BMW R nineT Tracker

[Hugh Janus]

Dan Riley’s BMW R nineT Pure on side roads outside of Johnson City, Tennessee, for the 2019 Built to Ride Tour. (Monti Smith /)

The other builders on the 2019 Built to Ride Tour had plenty of street miles on their bikes. Hugo Eccles built the Hyper Scrambler a few years ago and, being the purpose-built machine that it is, it’s seen some serious road time. Spencer Parr’s DR was his first major build and it, too, has been put through the paces; Tony Prust’s Beemer as well. Dan Riley’s, on the other hand… Well, Dan’s bike was built to race and, up until the tour, that’s all it had really done.

Dan Riley wears many hats. His company Gunn Design focuses on photography, graphic design, custom signs, motorcycle builds, and anything in between. Dan’s been riding and competing for years and can ride the wheels off of anything he throws his leg over. His builds always have a classic aesthetic to them, but it’s clear his mind stays on racing.

Hookie Co.’s quick-swap gas tank cover with the Gunn Design logo brandished on the side. (Monti Smith /)

The build for this bike started about three years ago, converting an R nineT Pure into a machine that could be on display at a show like Handbuilt in Austin, Texas, and then pulled outside to race with the Super Hooligans. It was to be good looking, but also a capable racebike. It has seen a couple of versions before this one, most notably the first, with a 1990 CBR400 gas tank modified to fit. It was close to the look he was after, but it wasn’t perfect. Luckily, there was a company making just what he was after.

Dan teamed up with Germany-based Hookie Co., a brand that’s been building custom motorcycles and a kit to transform the BMW R nineT into a custom machine with ease. The kit that was utilized here includes a subframe, a new aluminum fuel tank that works with the stock EFI, a battery tray, air filters, a seat, cargo straps, hardware, and more. But, of course, this isn’t just a bike with a kit, though the kit is quite nice.

“The medium is the message” reads across the tires of the BMW. (Monti Smith /)

After the kit was installed, the new subframe was modified for use with the dirt-style fender off of a Husqvarna FC 450, and a smaller custom solo seat was made by Saddlemen. The aluminum tank would reduce weight and move the center of gravity more toward the middle of the bike, plus allow Hookie’s trademark quick-swap tank cover to be installed, which Dan reworked with his own graphic. The 19-inch rims were laced to billet hubs from Woody’s Wheel Works, then wrapped in Shinko flat track race rubber. Magura lever and master cylinders were paired with Spiegler brake and clutch lines. A custom exhaust was fabricated, then fit with Rocket Exhaust MX-style mufflers. After all of that, a Rapid Bike tuner was used to make sure the boxer was operating at peak performance.

Due to some last-minute personal reasons, Dan wasn’t able to be there in person on the Built to Ride Tour 2019 but, through some help from Tony Prust over at Analog Motorcycles, was still able to get his bike out to Nashville, where we started the tour. But, of course, that meant someone would have to ride it. Having met me only through the internet and phone calls at this point, he trustfully suggested that I pilot his BMW through to Johnson City for him, to which I quickly obliged.

Still being a reliable newish BMW, the tool roll on the tank holds the bike’s necessary paperwork. (Monti Smith /)

Of course, I hadn’t really thought this through and considered the fact that a racebike might not be the best choice to ride for 200-mile days. Or taken a good look at that Saddlemen seat, for that matter…

The bike is an absolute blast to ride, it launches from stops like a scalded dog, but on the highway and longer miles, it’s apparent what it was meant to do. By the third day of the tour, I had borrowed Tony’s bicycle shorts with gel padding on the cheeks, which saved me from further bruising. The Saddlemen seat was great on short rides and would be killer if I were racing, but after a few hours, it became quite punishing.

As Dan wasn’t there to campaign for his bike and answer questions like the other builders were, his build didn’t garnish enough votes to take home the win. But as you might expect from a bike that’s been transforming for three years, this one isn’t done yet.

With his design history, Dan is great at accentuating the details of his builds, as seen here on his exhaust mounts. (Monti Smith /)

Up next on the agenda is getting a set of 17-inch wheels and a café-style full fairing to convert for trackdays. Again, racing is always on Dan’s mind.

Magura levers and master cylinders help with both performance and the look of performance. (Monti Smith /)

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Dan Riley’s BMW R nineT made it through the whole tour with no problems. A very fun ride, even if it was a little punishing at times. (Monti Smith /)

For more information on the 2020 Built to Ride Tour, head to builttoridetour.com and be sure to check out invited builders Hugo Eccles’ and Spencer Parr’s builds as well.

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