BMW MOTORRAD POLAND UNVEILS 7 AMAZING CUSTOM R18 BIKES
Modifying of motorcycles is a worldwide phenomenon and a popular choice for fans of BMW is the BMW R 18, and 1800 cc cruiser that serves as the perfect base for a fully customised show bike, but it’s still a good-looker in OEM form, of course. We’ve seen these amaning BMW R 18-based projects in Italy, Japan and Canada and now Poland is on board and so that side of BMW Motorrad jumps on board with seven Big Boxeer showpieces. It starts off with the BMW R 18 Isle of Man by BMW Dobrzanski Team Customs. “The famous Isle of Man, where the Tourist Trophy has been held since 1907 and where Georg "Schorsch" Meier won the Senior TT for BMW in 1939, inspired BMW Motorrad sales partner Dobrzanski Team Customs in Kraków to create the sporty BMW R 18 Isle of Man. The design of the BMW R 18 Isle of Man evolved from the heritage of Georg Meier's victorious BMW factory racing machine, the BMW RS 255 Kompressor. Adorned with "Schorsch" Meier's starting number 49 this motorcycle ties in with the tradition of road racing and represents the history of the Isle of Man as a special place for motorcyclists and for the history of BMW Motorrad. The "Isle of Man green metallic" paint finish, familiar from the BMW M4, defines the bike’s dynamic look and emphasises the love of speed and the affiliation to the world of exceptional BMW vehicles”.
The BMW R 18 Speedy Gonzales comes from BMW Inchcape Poznań. “BMW sales partner Inchcape in Swadzim chose the fastest mouse in Mexico as the namesake for its BMW R 18 customising creation. Voilà, the BMW R 18 Speedy Gonzales. In fact, you can well imagine this customised BMW R 18 on the highway in the northern Mexican desert, riding past huge cacti and nothing but a seemingly endless ribbon of asphalt ahead - similar to the adventures of the TV cartoon mouse. Indeed, the BMW R 18 Speedy Gonzales with apehanger and comfortable single seat seems made for riding along never-ending asphalt roads. Inspired by automobile construction of the 1920s and 1930s, the front and rear mudguards are powerful and curved and, together with the tank, side covers, headlamp cover and instrument housing, give the bike great presence together with its extraordinary paint finish - executed in blue-black with elaborate airbrush technique and filigree lines. This bike is characterised by absolutely perfect craftsmanship and, together with the long fishtail rear silencers, is a real eye-catcher and feast for the eyes!
The wicked BMW R 18 Liberty was the submission from Nine Hills Motorcycles in Chelmo. “Nine Hills Motorcycles in Chełmno is a renowned tradition-steeped Polish company, led by a true enthusiast - Paweł Stachura. His designs are recognised all over the world and the motorbikes have already triumphed on the world's best custom stages. His commissioned project based on the BMW R18 called Liberty includes handmade body components designed from scratch, such as fuel tank, front and rear mudguards, seat bench, lamp trim with small LED headlight and handlebars. Special features include the round instrument integrated into the tank centre tunnel, tank filler necks that are flush with the tank surface and can be opened under pressure, as well as exclusive leather components that are also handmade, such as seat upholstery and side pocket. For the chassis, in addition to a lowered and fully adjustable rear suspension and a slightly lowered fork, three-piece wheels from Rick's Motorcycles sized 8 x 18 inches at the rear and 3.5 x 21 inches at the front with 240/40-18 and 130/60-21 tyres respectively are used. Numerous CNC-milled parts such as cylinder head covers or the specially designed oil cooler as well as brake callipers and footrests from Beringer tastefully complement the R 18 Liberty, which is elaborately painted featuring airbrush work. A short black FCR exhaust system rounds off this stylish look.”
The BMW R 18 Black Jack originates from BMW Motorrad sales partner ZK Motors in Kielce. “The customisers did not only use black lacquer, but also applied black chrome extensively, which gives the R 18 Black Jack a very special high-grade appeal. The list of such galvanically treated components is long and includes the headlight ring, speedometer surround, engine housing cover, handlebar weights, cylinder head covers, pushrod tubes, intake manifold trims, intake grille, air filter cover, handlebar clamps, wider beach bar handlebars, fuel filler cap, fuel filler trim element and the hanging rear view mirrors. Small 16 inch wheels with big-sized tyres give the R 18 Black Jack an elongated, low and masculine appearance. The thoroughly black look is further enhanced by a matt black sidepipe-style exhaust system and high-grade milled elements. The cylinder head covers and the engine casing cover feature milling trim in Roland Sands design and the "Black Jack" emblem on the engine has also been elaborately milled from aluminium. Other black parts such as hand levers, the front indicator lights and the indicator and rear lights recessed into the holder of the rear mudguard round off the harmonious design. The quilted single seat, the tinted headlight lens and the licence plate holder on the left also blend in with style. Two Black Jack cards on the rear mudguard are the icing on the cake.”
The BMW R 18 Roadster hails from BMW Inchape Wrocêaw. “BMW and MINI sales partner Inchcape Wrocêaw in Wroclaw took its inspiration for designing the BMW R 18 Roadster entirely from1920s and 1930s automotive engineering. The focus is on clear and straightforward lines and, together with a dash of Art Deco, ultimately led to a very clean and equally unique look for the R 18 Roadster. A completely newly developed hump seat bench with additional fuel tank and "Monza Cap" filler neck helps give the rear end R 18 Roadster a very sporty appearance, which is complemented at the front by matching cockpit trim and special handlebars. The longitudinal beading in the hump seat bench and fairing are style-defining design elements of this bike. This design language is taken up in the openwork trim elements on the sides of the tank and on the aerodynamically designed front mudguard, the front of which features the legendary BMW kidney grille harking back to BMW automotive construction.”
BMW Team Długołęka is responsible for the stylish BMW R 18 The Great Wave. “Together with UNIKAT Motorworks, BMW sales partner Team Długołęka initiated the BMW R 18 The Great Wave. The leitmotif here: to modify the BMW R 18 inspired by Japanese art painting and the Japanese style of bobber-style motorbikes. Its patinised paintwork makes you think that the R 18 The Great Wave has been around for decades and has just been found in a barn. This special paintwork technique was entrusted to the best artist in Poland - Łukasz Elbalenko. With reference to Japanese culture and art, the theme of the Great Wave in Kanagawa was chosen - one of the most famous works of art from Japan by Hokusia, created around 1831. The Japanese bobber style features details such as the rear ducktail mudguard and the shortened frame rear section with single seat covered in natural brown leather. Sonorous sound is generated by short, handmade silencers with slotted copper-coloured end pieces and hexagonal cross-section. You will also find the exclusive copper coating on the shaft drive, brake callipers and cylinder head covers. Finally, classic Shinko tyres with a very large cross-section and grooved tread give the R 18 The Great Wave a particularly masculine look. Flat drag bar handlebars with genuine leather grips and personalised emblems on the engine round of the well-balanced look of the R 18 The Great Wave."
The BMW R 18 Roar, the subtlest bike chose (in our option) comes from BMW Smorawiński. “BMW sales partner Smorawiński in Poznań had the 2019 R 18 Concept study entirely in mind when creating his R 18 Roar. In particular, the Smorawiński team focused on a very light-looking rear section. Harmoniously designed details such as the short rear mudguard and the swinging saddle with two coil springs make the bike look particularly light. The extremely short, "silencerless" exhaust system in sidepipe style not only generates great sound, but also adds to the light look of the rear section. Together with wire-spoke wheels and chrome brake callipers, the result is a very purist R 18 that conveys a purist motorcycle feel. Roar!”
Take a look at the YouTube video from BMW Motorrad that shines a spotlight on the amazing BMW R 18 cruiser in it's original form, which is a brilliant base for a fully customised showpiece: IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The new BMW R 18 | BMW Motorrad
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