The phrase ‘renaissance man’ is thrown around too loosely these days, along with ‘legendary’ and ‘iconic.’ But there’s no other way to describe Shiro Nakajima.
The man behind the 46works label is a not just a motorcycle builder. He’s also a trained engineer, a talented woodworker, a furniture maker, and a vintage car restorer. He’s also the entrepreneur who founded the Japanese BMW workshop Ritmo Sereno, and when he gets time, he races classic motorcycles.
Nakajima-san’s beautiful workshop is housed in a traditional wooden building overlooked by the Yatsugatake Mountains on the island of Honshū, and this 1992 R100RS is the latest machine to roll out into the autumn sunlight.
This particular build is a commission. It’s a second-generation R100RS built near the end of the 18-year production run, which still stacks up well as a pretty rapid mile-muncher—even in stock spec.…