Iwas going to write a thoughtful, insightful intro about the merits of different motorcycles, followed by a spiel about beauty not being everything but in the instance of this R 100 GS HPN by Japanese firm Reinforcement, it really is.
I mean, seriously, how good does that bike look. It’s astronomically beautiful, the Aphrodite of 26 year old adventure motorcycles. HPN bikes are pretty cool things before they are taken into the hands of the folks Reinforcement but now I pretty much wanna have a love child with it.
Starting out with a 1990 R 100 GS Rally by HPN, the end goal for the Japanese brand is a bike capable of finishing Rally Mongolia, a multi day navigational competition across the Mongolia Steppe. The first rung on the ladder to making the BMW suitable for hauling across the open plains is modernising the suspension. The forks areWP SXS units taken from a KTM 450 Rallye Replica and held in place by HPN’s own triple clamps which is mated to a modern steering damper. The shock is also a WP unit. The footpegs are modified versions of the KTM 450 Rally units.
The stunning wheels are Takasago Excel rims. The front is laced to a very nice Woody’s Wheel Works hub and the rear is mated to HPN’s own hub. The sizes are 21 inch and 18 inch. Michelin Desert Race tyres keep the bike glued to the desert dirt and a custom made tower holds the navigation equipment. The headlights are aftermarket units.
The engine work has generally been on the light side. The header pipes are standard, whereas Reinforcement designed their own stunning mid section and racing muffler. The pipe is titanium and far lighter than stock, supposedly dramatically improving the R 100 GS’s acceleration. Internally the engine is almost completely original. The team at Reinforcement fitted the engine with modified cams and a different ignition. A lithium SuperB battery takes care of the starting. I don’t know about you but I’d love to haul across the Steppe pretending I was part of the postal service on it.
For more info on Reinforcement your best bet is to visit their Facebook page and give them a like. Click here.
