Midnight Dancer: A custom BMW HP2 Sport by Cherry’s Company
Custom bikes are coming in all shapes and sizes. But the more style variations a custom shop adds to their portfolio, the more they run the risk of diluting their work. This is not the case with Kaichiroh Kurosu, better known as Cherry’s Company.
Not only does Kurosu-san do everything, but he also does it at the highest level. From sportbikes to choppers, we’ve seen him put in a consistently stunning job year after year. And it’s even capable of merging multiple styles into a single bike; No wonder he’s one of the leading figures in the Japanese custom scene.
His latest project, Midnight Dancer, began with the most unlikely donor: a 2008 BMW HP2 Sport. If you’re unfamiliar, the HP2 Sport was a hardcore, full-carbon bodied sportbike that made a claimed 130 horsepower and weighed 397 lbs dry. At the time, it was the lightest and fastest boxer that BMW had ever produced.
The HP2 Sport cost around $26,000 new and is now a collector’s item. It’s not a bike that people typically queue for. But this one had been in an accident and destroyed the body, but the chassis and running gear were intact. The choice was clear and the bike was taken to Cherry’s Company for a rework.
Since the donor bike was originally packaged in carbon fiber, Kaichiroh felt compelled to do his custom work in carbon fiber as well. He had used the lightweight material for his made-to-order “Highway Fighter” BMW R nineT models, but these kits were hand-assembled. In search of a better method, Kaichiroh discovered vacuum infusion technology.
We won’t go into the technical details, but the end result is parts that are higher quality and stronger than hand-laid parts. And the process enables shapes and forms that would otherwise not be possible and opens up new possibilities in design.
“When I exhibited the Midnight Dancer at the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show, many journalists asked me why I used a carbon exterior,” Kaichiroh tells us. “It seems they felt that the hot rod scene and carbon parts or resin parts didn’t go well together.”
“However, the hot rod scene has been customizing with resin parts since the 1960s, such as Tracy Nelson’s Fiberglas Works custom bikes with their one-piece fiberglass bodies. And now, more than 50 years later, even the aging of Tracy’s custom bikes, with their chipped fibers and faded paint, is part of the customization process I think.”
Once the production method was established, design could begin. The original idea was to build an 80’s style Grand Prix bike with big fairing and slightly exaggerated proportions – at least compared to today’s GP bikes.
Kaichiroh deliberately chose a design with overlapping parts. This allowed him to build his new fairing and fuel tank section over the BMW’s original inner fuel tank and utilize the existing mounting points. He even installed an aluminum intake just behind the fairing to direct air into the stock airbox.
Carbon fiber was also used to create new fenders and an extensive belly pan. But when it came to the tail section, Kaichiroh changed course. “I also wanted to make the rear cowl out of carbon,” he explains, “but during the production process I started thinking I wanted a style that would combine metal and carbon.”
“Even today, MotoGP or WSBK race bikes sometimes use aluminum as is, just for their fuel tanks. In the off-season, when a sponsor or livery hasn’t been finalized, race teams test bikes with an aluminum tank that’s raw and a carbon hood. And it’s cool.”
The bare metal provides a stark contrast to the predominantly black HP2 Sport. The sole color comes in the form of gold leaf flourishes around the fairing, fender and gas tank cover, adding a bit of show and finish. If you look closely, you’ll also spot fresh nickel plating on the frame.
Minor touches include a special rear license plate holder, an aluminum surround for the headlights and aluminum cowl braces that connect to the tank cover.
The HP2 Sport came from the factory with forged aluminum wheels, top-of-the-line Brembo brakes and Ohlins shock absorbers mounted to its Telelever front and Paralever rear suspension. Kaichiroh wisely kept all of that along with the stock digital components and just added a new set of Michelin Power Cup 2 tires.
A final touch comes via the custom exhaust muffler. The HP2 Sport’s stock unit is usually mounted just under the rear hood. Here it is hidden inside.
The combination of BMW engineering and redesigned HP2 components with Kaichiroh’s sculptural vision and the contrasting finishes is utterly transformative. The end product is a machine that still performs to a very high standard 25 years later – but now looks like only Cherry’s Company could make it.
Cherry’s Company | Facebook | Instagram | Pictures by Hiromitsu Yasui
