Stories
Insights, guides, and stories from the Dapper Motor workshop
The Adler Rik restored, step by step
Long before the first BMW, Rik brought a classic Adler back to its former glory by hand. Eleven images from the restoration, from stripped barn find to road-ready.
10 best BMW K100 cafe racer builds for inspiration
The BMW K100 is a goldmine for cafe racer builds. Discover 10 inspiring custom motorcycles with tips for your own project.
3d printing for motorcycles: making custom parts yourself
Learn how 3D printing lets you create custom motorcycle parts yourself. From BMW K-series to cafe racer builds—all possibilities and limitations.
The accessories that complete your build (and your deduction)
Lighting, mirrors, a bag, a phone charger, comms: accessories finish a build and are often deductible for entrepreneurs, with reclaimable VAT. An overview of what completes your build.
Records and trip logging for a business motorcycle
A business motorcycle has no benefit-in-kind, but clean records keep your deduction tidy and defensible. With your invoices in order and a simple trip log, you stand strong. Here is how to keep it manageable.
Business branding on your custom motorcycle: colours, logo and style without going tacky
Weaving your business subtly into your build works better than a rolling billboard. With brand colours in the paint, a stitched detail or a small logo it stays stylish and credible. Here is how to do it tastefully.
Benefit-in-kind on a business motorcycle: why there is none
A company car means a benefit-in-kind addition every month. A business motorcycle does not. There is no addition over a motorcycle's catalogue value. We explain how it works and what to watch for.
Fuel prices keep climbing: why a motorcycle is far cheaper to ride
Every fill-up hurts a little more. A motorcycle burns far less fuel, costs less road tax and less insurance, and a custom build looks stunning on top of it. We do the math on the difference.
Reclaiming VAT on your custom motorcycle, parts and accessories
Thanks to the margin scheme there is often no VAT on the motorcycle itself, so nothing to reclaim there. But on new parts, accessories and gear that do carry VAT, you can reclaim it as a business. Here is how it works.
Your build as content: before and after, social and the story behind it
A custom build is a goldmine of content. From barn find to road-ready, every phase is a story. Before and after, the paintwork, the first ride: it feeds your social and ties your brand to craftsmanship.
The eyecatcher in the window: networking with your custom motorcycle at events
Put your build at a fair, a drinks event or outside the office and it does the work. A striking custom motorcycle is an eyecatcher that brings people to you and opens conversations you would otherwise have to force.
Leasing or buying a custom motorcycle, weighed up for business
Leasing works fine for standard vehicles, but a unique custom build is different. Buying gives you ownership, an asset on the balance sheet and the full tax advantages. We weigh leasing against buying.
Your custom motorcycle as a marketing machine: the rolling business card
A striking custom motorcycle does what an advert cannot: it sticks. Parked outside a meeting, at an event or in your feed, your build works as a rolling business card that opens conversations and makes you memorable.
Commuting on a custom motorcycle: cheaper, faster and a lot more fun
Past the queue, a parking spot found in seconds, and lower costs than any car. Commuting on a motorcycle saves time and money, and on a custom build your daily ride suddenly becomes the best part of the day.
Investment deduction (KIA) and your business motorcycle
A business motorcycle is an investment in a business asset, and the small-scale investment deduction may apply. Plus depreciation over several years. Here is how it works in broad strokes.
The margin scheme explained: why a custom motorcycle often falls under it
Under the margin scheme you pay no VAT on the motorcycle itself; the seller only charges VAT on their margin. No separate VAT on the invoice, so nothing to reclaim, but no VAT layer on top either. Here is how it works.
What does a motorcycle cost per kilometer? The real figures next to a car
Fuel is only part of the story. Add insurance, road tax, maintenance and depreciation and the real cost per kilometer of a motorcycle sits well below a car. We break the figures down.
The business motorcycle: sole trader, BV or freelancer, what suits you
How you put the motorcycle on the books depends on your legal form. Sole trader, BV or freelancer: each has its own rules for assets, deduction and private use. A plain-language overview so you have the right conversation with your accountant.
Road tax for motorcycles: how low it really is
Road tax for a motorcycle is a low, fixed amount, while a car's scales with weight. For a business motorcycle that is yet another line in your favour. We lay it out.
Maintenance, insurance and storage: the deductible costs of a business motorcycle
The running costs of a business motorcycle, maintenance, insurance, storage and consumables, are generally deductible for the business portion. And they are lower than a car anyway. Here is how to keep it in order.
Ride-outs and networking events: riding as business development
The best deals are rarely closed behind a desk. On a ride-out with other entrepreneurs a bond forms that a lunch cannot match. Your motorcycle is your ticket into a network that genuinely connects.
Expensing your riding gear through the business: helmet, jacket, gloves and boots
Riding for business safely requires proper gear: a quality helmet, a real motorcycle jacket, gloves and boots. For entrepreneurs this protective equipment is generally deductible. Here is how to handle it.
Buy-back guarantee and residual value: the custom motorcycle as a value-retaining investment
An average vehicle depreciates hard. A well-built, documented custom holds its value remarkably well. With a buy-back guarantee, your business motorcycle becomes a value-retaining investment rather than a cost.
From donor to business asset: how a Dapper build comes together for business
A Dapper build starts with a donor and a conversation about how you ride and what you do. From there it becomes a documented, hand-built machine that fits your business as an asset. This is the journey.
Riding a custom motorcycle through your business: the complete guide for entrepreneurs
A custom motorcycle through your business is often surprisingly affordable: no taxable benefit-in-kind, low road tax, deductible costs and VAT advantages on accessories. And meanwhile you ride a business card that sticks. The complete guide for entrepreneurs.
Buying through the business or privately: the sum for your custom motorcycle
Buy through the business or privately, which works out better for you? It depends on your use, your tax rate and your VAT position. We walk through the building blocks of the sum and point you to the calculator that does it for you.
