In the rarified world of artisan bike builders, Shiro Nakajima stands apart. His bikes are usually functional, and sometimes even practical: the kind of models a factory might conceivably build.
Some are designed to win races, and others to tackle the occasional dirt road. And then there are the machines that distill the pleasure of motorcycling down to its simplest, most mechanical elements. Like this BMW R75/6, which is almost fifty years old but perfectly capable of keeping up with modern traffic.
To the untrained eye, this R75 could be a restoration. But keen-eyed BMW aficionados will spot a huge number of well-judged modifications.
“I built this at the request of a customer,” Shiro tells us. “It’s simple and classic looking.…