To steal a phrase from my Two Enthusiasts Podcast co-host Quentin Wilson, this bike is pinnacle weird. And while the Watkins M001 is certainly one strange duck, it is also incredibly alluring, with its boxer engine, metal plate frame, and funky front-end design.
The work of Jack Watkins, an engineer by trade, the Watkins M001 is nine years in the making, a date that is helped measured by the air-cooled BMW R1150RT engine that resides at the machine’s center.
The hub-center steering design is inspired by Stellan Egeland’s BMW Harrier, which first caught out attention back in the early days of Asphalt & Rubber, again a nod to how long Jack Watkins has been working on his custom, in his spare time.
The build is impressive, especially when you consider it is a first-effort. True to Watkins’ craft, the design on the M001 is meticulous, though maybe a bit “over-engineered” at times, which is more of compliment than anything else, considering Watkins’ trade.
The mechanical details, and the inner workings are fascinating, even to the untrained eye. Watkins gives a pretty good account of the engineering challenges and thoughts in this piece done by BikeEXIF, give it a read as well.
Source: Watkins via Rocket Garage
Comments