BMW’s Latest Customized R 18 Is A Classically Cool Cruiser

BMW Motorrad has presented its latest customized motorcycle which is based on the R 18.

Created by Bernhard Naumann, who is known as Blechmann in the customizing scene, this R 18 has been given a sporty makeover.

As you can see, the bike has a unique ‘face’ and custom headlights with a subtle kidney shape. The latter, of course, recalls the grille used on models such as the 4-Series Coupe.

Also Read: BMW’s New R 18 Comes With Retro Looks And A “Big Boxer” Engine

Elsewhere, the R 18 has a short windscreen and a customized fuel tank. The bike has also been equipped with knee cutouts, a Kellermann rear light and a stub handlebar which is based on the original steering tube.

Other highlights include a brown leather seat, chrome accents and a “discreet” black paint job with white pinstripes. Despite all of this, Blechmann and his team only used original mounting points and kept frame changes to a minimum.

The end result is an impressive looking bike that manages to look modern and retro at the same time. Of course, that wasn’t an easy task as the project took approximately 450 hours to complete.

While that’s a fair amount of time, Blechmann doesn’t consider himself a traditional customizer as he explained “My work begins by removing parts of the original version until a white canvas remains.” He went on to say, “As the construction progresses, the design develops. I call this ‘rapid-prototyping-Blechmann-style.’” Given this, it’s probably not surprising to learn that Blechmann doesn’t sketch out bikes in advance.

BMW Motorrad didn’t say much else about the bike, but the standard R 18 has a 1.8-liter two-cylinder boxer engine that develops 90 hp (67 kW / 91 PS) and 117 lb-ft (158 Nm) of torque. It enables the motorcycle to hit a top speed in excess of 111 mph (179 km/h).