Sand Off-BMW GS1300
Some builds are about pushing boundaries, and some are about celebrating bonds. This 2024 BMW GS13 Trophy is a bit of both. Born out of a 20-year friendship with Dare Jennings and Deus Ex Machina. Over the last two decades, I’ve customized almost every motorcycle in his garage, but a BMW GS had always eluded the chopping block. To celebrate our history and give him a proper send-off, it was finally time to give a Bavarian brute the signature Deus Camperdown treatment.
Prep for the legendary BMW Safari, a gruelling, dust-kicking journey from Uluru to Adelaide alongside 100 other riders. With the backing of BMW Australia and a handful of premium suppliers, we turned this stock GS13 into an outback cruiser.
Visually, we wanted to honour the heritage while adding a distinct street-credit twist. I teamed up with the crew at SKDA to design a custom Deus vinyl wrap. We kept the classic BMW blue, white, and red DNA but injected it with that unmistakable flavour. To make sure it survived the bush, we wrapped the bike in a full suite of Evotech protection. Every vulnerable point, the headlight, spotlights, radiator, and callipers received heavy-duty grills, which we hit with a striking "red hot" powder coat to make them pop against the classic livery.
When you're tackling the red centre, you need power, and you need it to breathe. We bolted on a full titanium Zard exhaust system, giving the big boxer a thunderous howl and a healthy bump in horsepower. To balance the massive exhale, I fitted a high-flow DNA air filter and rigged up custom snorkels to ensure the engine inhaled nothing but clean air, leaving the infamous Uluru red dust exactly where it belongs, on the trail.
For the upholstery, I wanted to add a genuinely unique Deus touch, so I got together with my go-to trimmer, Dave. We took the scissors to a couple of heavy-duty Cordura Deus riding jackets, a blue and a white one, repurposing the rugged, weather-resistant material to completely re-trim the rider and passenger seats, as well as the fuel tank protection pads. It’s tough, it’s functional, and it looks insanely cool.
Finally, to make sure all that torque actually meets the dirt, we shod the wheels in aggressive Metzeler Karoo 4 rubber, ready to chew through whatever terrain the Australian outback could throw at it.
Dare's GS13 isn't just a custom bike; it's a 20-year friendship forged in steel, titanium, and repurposed Cordura. The bike and I will conquer the Safari beautifully, and I will capture the whole dusty, glorious journey from Uluru to Adelaide. Stay tuned, because the footage from this one is just as epic as the build itself.
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