With a venerable global presence and oodles of public attention thrown their way, Deus Ex Machina is among the great success stories of the bike-modding community. Based solely in Sydney, Australia, at first, the company went on to establish new outposts abroad and thus grew into an international sensation over time.
Deus’ history spans back more than 20 years, and they’ve got no shortage of amazing projects to show for it! Having been revealed on their official website just a few days ago, the aptly-named Art 9T comes courtesy of the firm’s initiatory outfit down under, which is led by Jeremy Tagand. As you might’ve already guessed, the starting point for this project was BMW’s R nineT – a bone-stock 2014 model, to be exact.
The shop’s client Artem was after a cafe racer conversion blending retro design cues with modern tech, and his mind must’ve been blown upon meeting what we now refer to as the Art 9T! Following a complete teardown, Jeremy and his team decided to replace the factory gas tank with that of a Suzuki GS1100 from the 1980s.
Sure enough, much tweaking was needed before the new tank could properly fit on the Beemer’s skeleton, and local collaborator Kansai Giant stepped in to help. Out back lies a custom subframe fabricated in-house, supporting a curvy saddle with thick padding and brown leather upholstery.
Most electrics are stored below the seat pan, but the motorcycle’s ABS module and ECU sit underneath the fuel chamber. To finish off the rear-end adjustments, the Aussies installed dual-function Kellermann LEDs, Sato Racing rearsets, and a Wunderlich license plate holder that attaches to the swingarm.
The bike rides on 18-inch wheels shod in Michelin rubber, and a healthy dose of extra stopping power is made possible thanks to Beringer calipers and master cylinders. Suspension remains stock, though it’s been anodized in-house and then serviced by the lads over at Shock Treatment. Now, let’s see what’s at work in the cockpit.
Sir Tagand’s specialists got rid of the OEM top clamp to make room for a CNC-milled substitute complete with Motogadget’s digital Motoscope Pro speedo. You will also find adjustable ABM clip-ons sporting glassless mirrors, bar-end turn signals, and machined grips, as well as a KTM RC8 throttle. In addition, the stock seven-inch headlamp was swapped with a smaller aftermarket unit.
As far as the powertrain modifications go, Deus fitted the donor’s 109-hp, 1,170cc boxer mill with DNA air filters, a handmade two-into-two exhaust, and a Power Commander 5 control module from Dynojet’s inventory. RB Racing was then called upon to have everything tuned, while the fuel tank and smaller-than-stock front fender received a splash of Nardo Grey paint.
For the most part, the remainder of the Art 9T was powder-coated black, and keen eyes will be able to spot new rocker covers supplied by Roland Sands Design. Glancing toward the front of the engine, we discover a snazzy belt cover from Rizoma and braided oil lines running to a retrofitted cooler, which had once belonged to an unidentified Honda.
To quote the description on Deus Ex Machina’s website, this build offers “a wink to the past, a nod to the present, and a helmet full of smiles per hour.” Unsurprisingly, the total cost of the transformation hasn’t been disclosed, but we’re inclined to think it probably wasn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
