Randolph Palmer For many, it takes a long time to perfect a craft. Mistakes are made, and lessons are learned along the way. For others, practice is the preferred method, expecting that possibility to have a strong, superb first effect. Gabi Nicolae’s route turned into broadening his talents using growing high-overall performance off-road 4-wheelers for his personal Taifun Engineering firm before developing his debut custom motorbike build—The Mechanik.
Nicolae’s hobby with motorcycles started 35 years ago. At 14, he acquired a Cobra 50. Powered using a 4-horsepower 50cc two-stroke motor, it becomes the simplest motorcycle constructed in his domestic u. S. Of Romania on time. The Cobra 50 kicked off Nicolae’s custom-building profession. “I modified it as I desired to appear to be the Cobra Hoinar—one-of-a-kind exhaust, extraordinary handlebar, and so on. It changed into silly,” Nicolae explains, “however, it changed into what I did. Customizing bikes professionally, I began just a few years ago, supporting one-of-a-kind pals with their tasks, as my most important enterprise is a store that builds racing motors, custom projects, custom vehicles, and so on.”
Nicolae is the Team Manager for Team Dakar Romania—the primary Romanian Dakar Rally and rally raid team—similar to the CEO and owner of Taifun Engineering, which sits adjacent to Bucharest’s Băneasa Airport. So it isn’t any surprise that he enjoys 4-wheelers and is knowledgeable about the construction of The Mechanik. “From the racing motors, I learned—many times the hard manner—that during a build, form observe feature and no longer the other way round. Alternatively, something you do and is k from the technical point of view must also be fine searching and pride to the attention. Also, I used quite a few racing car tricks.” One of these hints is that the whole thing Nicolae constructed was changed into a design AutoCAD and laser-cut before being welded or mounted.
Custom BMW K 100: Gabi Nicolae’s The Mechanik pinnacle fork
Rather than being inspired by way of his locale or different developers—save Roland Sands—Nicolae says, “I just wanted to construct a motorbike that reflects my ardor, the mechanical stuff—anything, you call it, from automobiles to bikes to watches.” The numerous platforms caught his interest in Nicolae’s first build. “First of all, change into”the fuel tank,” he says with a wink. “Its” shape—I adore it. Seco”d, it’s a large motorbike and a large man. Third, itsI’mgine. It’s massive, properly balanced, and effective. I’m not keen on small enginI’mor small motorcycles… Finally, I do not forget that a biker desires a motorbike that has electricity. To feel something while you twist the accelerator!”
“I desired a bike that does “s” not follow any rule—no longer a café racer, no longer a tracker, nor a scrambler,” Nicolae says, “however a “motorcycle that “‘s uns first-rate, handles quality, and looks great—as in keeping with my flavor, of the path—and a motorcycle in which I can place my thoughts.” With a horizontally mounted KYB surprise from a K1-generation Suzuki GSX-R1000, the rear suspension is a direct standout characteristic of The Mechanik. With the suspension geometry and tunability stimulated with the aid of F1 designs, Nicolae acknowledges that the rear suspension supplied demanding situations “to locate the proper perce” stage—in terms of dimensions—among the three facets of the triangulated form steel component that is driven with the aid of the push-rod.”
“It turned into complex,” N” cola permits, “but we “took care of it out,” and the suspension works truely nicely. As I said, we’re constructing racing verses. And the suspension department is the most vital one. Therefore, I have plenty of experience with one-of-a-kind suspension structures. Furthermore, I’m periodically rebuilding i’me shocks of Romania’s top five racing vehicles. So I, without a doubt, understand what suspension must be.” The fork from the GSX-R10″0 was also applied; it needed to combine with a selection of components. “Using my skills to select “the proper shimming and oil viscosity, the result may be truely good,” Nicolae says.
“I didn’t m”defy the fork. “I didn’t position an exceptional oil interior, custom adjusted the settings, and I needed to design new triple clamps,” Nicolae explains. “That b” came with another charge because I desired the BMW K100 handling, not the Suzuki one. So, the top perspective and the trail is that of the BMW K100. However, the width is from Suzuki to use the Tokico calipers and the Yamaha R1 disc brake.” Nicolae also admits that “the triple clamps have been the hard part of the construction, as it involved engineering, sourcing the proper raw fabric, and the CNC. Another hard part of constructing The Mechanik came from integrating the Moto Gadget electronics into the motorbike.
Not all information is straight away obvious. However, that doesn’t lead them to be any leads. For instance, the fuel cap is from an antique Boeing 707 jetliner. “From the beginning, o”ce I saw the BMW K one hundred gasoline tank, I knew that the first-rate fuel cap might be that one,” Nicolae stated. “I used to” work in the air”ne industry for a few years, and I still have the contacts. The preservation facility for airplanes is located right across the road from my shop, so I was given one. Of course, I needed the device to engineer some components. However, the result is good.”
A headlight is an outstanding object. The seemingly over-engineered unit can speedily be flipped over to reveal quite a number plate. “The topic of the bike is r”ady mechanics,” Nicolae says. “I idea tha” making the hea”light reversible might be a pleasant challenge, and it turned into! It’s formidable. However, it is far from what it’s worth.” sizing chanit’swas ch” sen over powder coating to defend aluminum elements for practical and aesthetic reasons. “Powder coating adds a variety of thickness to the components—like. Four, Five mm, even,” in step with Nicolae, “th” it’s okay for huge elements “like the chassis.
But the arrival is cumbersome for smaller parts—you know what I suggest. Anodizing adds 0 thickness, the rims stay edges, and the machining can be visible. From a technical standpoint, the anodizing technique e Mechanik turn shields the aluminum components virtually welled into “want to be more than a showpiece. “Form follows feature. A mo”orbike should be ridden, to start with. If it occurs, this additionally looks interesting; it’s even better. It’s likeit’s019 1000cc recession motorbike,” Nicolae says, “with much “less electricity” however excellent managing and brakes.” Like most builders, Ni”olae is willing to part with his firstborn. “I enjoyed building this bi”e,” he says, “but I’m driving” at I’m 25,000 to 28,000 kilometers annually. I’m much more into lengthy, I’mended journeys than the Shopping Centre. It’s a high-quality ‘bike, but I’m not using it. So, I’ll I’mmote it.”
That, of I’llpath, the way th”t Nicolae had to admit that he finished The Mechanik. “It’s like with the painting. “It’s painter will never say that a particular portrait is completed—it can always be better. I assume the sound might be higher. But what can you expect from an automobile with a four-in-line engine? The ‘technology’ recognizes that while forestalling doing (or redoing) matters, the identical precept applies to custom bikes.” Next up for Gabi Nicolae “is extraordinary. “A boxer engine BMW, or a h”ge engine KTM,” he divulges, “to be a few”forms of adven”ure motorcycle, however at the least at the equal stage of customization as the Mechanik.”
