BMW’s Finest Retro Street Bike Looks Better than Ever with This Porsche-Inspired Revise

Rough Crafts follows up its stunning Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 build with an R 12 nineT modeled after an iconic sports car.

Brown leather motorcycle seat with metal eyelets on a gold and red rear fender above a knobby tire.

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By Steve Mazzucchi

Published December 10, 2025

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Updated December 11, 2025

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Based on a range of treatments we’ve seen this year, BMW’s R 12 nineT might be the most custom-ready factory bike.

Germany’s Diamond Atelier muscled it up into an urban marauder while Japan’s 46Works minimalistically leaned into café racer vibes.

Custom gold and brown cafe racer motorcycle with knobby tires parked on a stone floor in front of a traditional wooden building. — Amidst no shortage of competition, the Rough Crafts x GRS BMW R 12 nineT may have just seized the “best custom R 12 nineT” belt.

Enter renowned Taiwanese custom builder Winton Yeh’s Rough Crafts, which recently made headlines with a fantastic limited-edition spin on Royal Enfield’s Shotgun 650.

Presented with a custom-made safari-style vintage Porsche 911 as inspiration, Yeh turned the R 12 nineT into a street tracker that’s arguably even more jaw-dropping.

Boxers unite

Per the custom documenting kings at Bike Exif, this project was commissioned by Hong Kong-based streetwear label GrowthRing & Supply Co., which already had the 911 on hand.

Tapping into the Porsche’s boxer engine, Yeh decided BMW’s boxer was the perfect pairing for a bike officially dubbed the Rough Crafts x GRS BMW R 12 nineT.

Custom beige and brown motorcycle with a leather seat parked on gravel, with a vintage brown car in the background. — For comparison, the custom R 12 nineT is pictured here with the custom Porsche 911 that inspired it. (I think the bike looks even better, but I do have a bit of a two-wheeled bias.)

In the process of bringing another R 12 nineT project to Japan, Rough Crafts took a similar approach to this bike, crafting all the parts in Taipei and then transporting them to Motorrad Sagamihara to complete the build for launch at the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show.

Staggering logistical details aside, let’s take a look at how Yeh and co. nailed the challenge of echoing the car without simply copying it.

Close-up of a gold and brown motorcycle front with a round headlight protected by a black grille and Beringer brake reservoirs on the handlebars. — The compact LED headlight nacelle still manages to hide the bike’s small TFT screen behind it.

Starting at the front, the bike features a chopped fender, tidy LED headlight nacelle with signature Rough Craft grill, Koso turn signals and a TFT screen tucked in behind.

The Porsche-derived details really begin to emerge with the fuel tank, whose silhouette recalls the 911’s roofline, while the wood-trimmed tank rack mirrors the car’s roof rack and the knee indentations mimic the wheel wells.

Custom beige and brown cafe racer motorcycle with large rear tire and dual exhaust pipes. — The wood-trimmed tank rack is a particularly outstanding detail of the build.

The cockpit itself spares no expense, boasting Gilles Tooling handlebars, Rough Crafts risers, Beringer brake and clutch master cylinders and Motogadget bar-end mirrors.

At the rear, sitting atop a custom subframe and bookending a snazzy leather-appointed seat, the handmade tail cowl calls to mind classic flat-track styles.

Close-up of a motorcycle engine and exhaust system with a brown leather seat and gold fuel tank. — Note the luxurious leather seat, meticulous pipes and handmade tank badge topping the powerful 1,170cc boxer engine.

Koso LEDs serve as taillights and turn signals, while a DK Design bracket mounted to the swingarm holds the license plate.

Lower down, upgrades include Öhlins suspension, Gilles Tooling foot controls and DNA filters.

Brown leather motorcycle seat with beige and red stripe detail above dual stainless steel exhaust pipes. — Riding high and running the length of the bike, the exhaust system alone is sure to turn heads.

Finishing touches include a Rover Works paint scheme perfectly matched to the car and handmade tank badges by Abnormal Sides.

Of course, the coup de grâce, particularly for an exhaust fetishist like yours truly, has to be the super-clean high-mounted twin pipes, which I dare say draw as much inspiration from the finest scramblers as they do from any four-wheeled vehicle.

Availability and pricing

The Rough Crafts x GRS BMW R 12 nineT is a one-off, unfortunately, but the site sells a number of accessories to give your own bike some aftermarket style.

I’d be terrified to even ask the price for a custom job like this one, but safe to say it’s significantly more than the R 12 nine T’s base of $17,245.

Respectfully note that Yeh himself (below left with the proud new owner, GrowthRing & Supply’s Kenji SK Wong) eschews DMs, making his services as rare as his builds.

Two men standing behind a custom gold and brown motorcycle with thick tires in an outdoor setting.

Rough Crafts x GRS BMW R 12 nineT

Rough Crafts lays down the “best custom R 12 nineT” gauntlet with this bespoke build inspired by a custom-made safari-style vintage Porsche 911. Highlights include a wood-trimmed tank rack, stitched leather saddle, Rover Works paint scheme, a host of premium components and the most glorious high-mounted twin exhaust pipes you’ve ever seen.

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About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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