Acquiring a top-tier custom motorcycle usually demands two things: a hefty bank transfer and the patience to endure a multi-year waitlist. But right now, you have an opportunity to bypass both. The BMW MOA has launched its fall Fun’Raiser that funds critical community programs like the M’Fest motor officer training, and the prize is an absolute showstopper. Dubbed the “Saturday Night Special,” this custom 1978 BMW R80/7 tracker could be sitting in your garage next month. The window to enter is closing, and once the winning ticket is pulled, the chance to own this one-of-a-kind airhead will be gone forever. [Secure your tickets for the MOA Fun’Raiser here.]
The mastermind behind this machine is Zack Witkowsky, a BMW MOA member and the founder of Black Wolf Touring and Custom LLC in Beecher, Illinois. For Zack, wrenching on vintage motorcycles is practically encoded in his DNA. He disassembled and reassembled his first airhead at just eight years old under the watchful eye of his father, Jeff. Growing up, Zack swept the floors of his father’s various bike shops, absorbing decades of mechanical knowledge. They worked side by side for over twenty years until Jeff’s passing in 2017. When Zack and his wife, Jen, decided to turn his dream of owning a custom shop into a reality, they named it in honor of his father, affectionately known as the “grey wolf.” Today, Zack balances a full-time day job while operating Black Wolf on nights and weekends, turning out high-caliber builds that command a waitlist of over a year.
To create the Saturday Night Special, Zack sourced a reliable favorite, a 1978 BMW R80/7. The vintage touring platform is famous for its 798cc boxer twin and five-speed transmission. More importantly, it possesses a raw mechanical purity, free from the complex sensors and intricate wiring looms of modern machinery. Before a single spark flew from a grinder, Zack meticulously went through the engine to ensure absolute reliability. Once the 50-horsepower boxer was completely rock solid, the real fun began.
Zack’s vision was to create a deliberate juxtaposition of styles. He wanted to contrast the steadfast vintage motor with a highly playful, modern aesthetic. The result is a brilliant mashup, part aggressive flat-track racer, part supercross racer. The transformation started out back, where Zack binned the heavy stock subframe, the bulky rear fender, and the massive bench seat. In their place, he mounted a slim, fiberglass flat-track race tail section topped with a custom tuck-and-roll seat pad. The modification dramatically lightens the rear end, visually shoving the bike’s mass forward for an aggressive stance.
Flanking that svelte new tail section is a custom stainless steel exhaust system. Rather than routing the plumbing underneath the swingarm, the custom exhaust exits the boxer heads, flows tightly beneath the engine case, then turns sharply skyward, terminating just under the updated tail section. Despite being fitted with internal glass packs, the pipes emit an aggressive, throaty bark that begs the rider to twist the throttle.
The front end received an equal attention. The heavy factory fender was replaced with an angular, repop Kawasaki unit from Acerbis, mounted high beneath the triple trees for maximum suspension clearance. Zack replaced the dated factory headlight bucket with a pair of modern, high-intensity LED Denali headlights, protected by a custom-fabricated steel crash cage.
To finalize the scrambler stance, the freshly powder-coated wheels were wrapped in aggressive Duro knobby tires, officially transforming the vintage road tourer into an off-road-capable hooligan machine. Up in the cockpit, a set of high-rise handlebars with an integrated cross-brace perfectly delivers that desired tracker feel.
The final aesthetic touch is a striking paint scheme utilizing a mix of black and blue to accent the bodywork’s natural lines, set brilliantly against a stark white powder-coated frame. The livery gives the tracker a distinct law enforcement feel, a nod to the BMW MOA’s First Responder Appreciation Month this September.
This flat tracker will be on display for the duration the Builders Best Motorcycle Show, presented by BMW MOA at BMW Motorrad Days during the Barber Vintage Festival in Birmingham, Alabama. But the absolute climax of the weekend will happen on Saturday, October 10th at 4:00 PM in the BMW Motorrad Days area, when one lucky ticket holder will be drawn to take the Saturday Night Special home.
You don’t need to be present at the festival to win, but you must have a ticket. Don’t let this opportunity slip through your fingers while someone else reaps the reward. Skip the waitlist, support the MOA programs and secure your chance to own a piece of rolling art.
[Click here to purchase your MOA Fun’Raiser tickets before time runs out!]
Photo Credit: Bill Wiegand
