A few years back, BMW and Michael Lichter contacted Jeff Wright of Church of Choppers about customizing a 2015 BMW R nineT for the “Naked Truth Show.” As Jeff understood it, the plan was to take a brand-new bike and build a raw unpainted bike from it. Given this opportunity, Jeff wanted to do something different, of course. He stripped the bike and installed a Joe Hunt magneto for spark, and replaced the entire FI unit. Jeff also threw in some slight frame and tank modifications for good measure. “I didn’t get a chance to weigh it before it left, but I would not be surprised if 100 or more pounds were shaved from it,” he says. “If it doesn’t make it stop or go, off with it I say!” Which is pretty much what you’d expect from a guy whose shop has “choppers” in the title.
All of this you’ll pick up from looking at the pictures. What you’re not seeing is Jeff’s stalker: BMW Motorrad. The motorcycle manufacturer had followed Jeff’s artistic and fabrication skills on his blog for years. When the “Naked Truth Show” was gearing up, the company gave him a stocker to play with instead of kidnapping him with chloroform and duct tape like most stalkers. Very courteous of BMW, no?
And that thoughtfulness was rewarded with a very cool, stripped-down rider’s ride. Not only did Jeff remove the whole injector and electric system, he swapped in a pair of flat-slide Keihins to boot. All of this served to bring the bike back to the bare essentials of riding, which isn’t an easy quest to complete on a modern motor. He also modified the tank, then built his own seat and tail combo as well.