As the BMW MOA’s Road to Barber series accelerates toward the Barber Vintage Festival, the lineup of heavy-hitting talent continues to grow. We’ve already taken a close look at the incredible craftsmanship of Marek Kruszynski, Parker Zamarelli, and Zack Witkowsky. Now, the spotlight swings south to Boynton Beach, Florida, where Jesse Scott Baumann of Hex Moto is preparing to unleash a spectacularly conflicted BMW R100 cafe racer onto the Barber grounds.
While many builders we’ve profiled burn the midnight oil as weekend warriors, Jesse operates a full-time, fully staffed facility. Hex Moto Co specializes in repairing, restoring, and fully customizing vintage machinery, along with a select few modern classics. But it wasn’t always this grand. The operation started humbly as a side hustle, with Jesse executing full frame-off restorations and custom builds from the confines of a 200-square-foot screened-in patio. As the bikes piled up and the patio shrank around him, he signed a commercial lease, turning his pursuit of happiness into a full-time dedication to keeping clients happy and building beautiful machines.
For his trip to Barber, Jesse is bringing a striking BMW R100 that immediately grabs your attention. Like many builders, he started by removing the stock rear subframe, replacing the heavy factory setup with a custom subframe that supports a svelte, diamond-stitched solo seat. Cleverly, the seat pan features an integrated LED taillight, keeping the rear section minimalist, yet road legal. This visual diet drastically reduces weight while forcing the viewer’s eye straight to the iconic boxer engine block.
The suspension also got a modern performance upgrade to match the stripped-down look. Out back, the stock shocks were replaced with modern YSS units. Up front, the dated fork was completely binned. The R100 now runs a updated inverted front end, clamped by custom-machined triple trees. This modern inverted setup provides significantly stiffer front-end rigidity and razor-sharp steering precision.
The new triple trees also serve as the mounting point for a major technological leap. A high-intensity LED headlight is set neatly between the forks, outshining the vintage incandescent unit it replaced. Just above it, a Motogadget digital speedometer serves as the bike’s central command center. The ergonomics are race-inspired. Clip-on handlebars sweep back and feature minimalist Motogadget pushbuttons, while rearset foot controls force the rider into a committed, tucked-in cafe racer posture.
To squeeze a bit more thrill out of the 40-horsepower boxer motor, Jesse installed a pair of high-flow K&N pod filters to improve airflow. Spent gases are evacuated through a lightweight, beautifully welded stainless steel exhaust system sourced from MAD Exhaust in the Netherlands. To haul the airhead down from speed, Tokico dual front calipers bite hard up front, working in tandem with the factory rear drum.
The rolling stock is where things get truly interesting. The classic BMW snowflake wheels were freshly powder-coated in a brilliant gold and wrapped in aggressive Shinko knobby tires. It gives the motorcycle a delightful identity crisis: the aggressive ergonomics scream pavement-carving cafe racer, while the chunky rubber whispers dirt explorer. Perhaps the Florida shop knows something we don’t. Tying the whole aesthetic together is a deep, metal-flake forest green paint job across the stock gas tank and minimalist fenders, perfectly accented by a gold pinstripe that echoes the wheels.
This stunning R100 will be sitting under the lights at the Builder’s Best Show, presented by the BMW MOA at BMW Motorrad Days, held within the legendary Barber Vintage Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, from October 9 to 11. Better yet, if you are a BMW owner attending the festival, you are officially invited to ride your motorcycle directly into the Builder’s Best area on Friday and Saturday to show off your own machine alongside these world-class customs.
