The Sturgis Hall of Fame’s first inductee not born in the United States was Fred Kodlin, a German customizer who recently worked with BMW to create a singular custom bike based on the BMW R18 B. The result of months of work, the creation of the bike involved a significant amount of metalwork, and a staggering number of changes. The outcome is what Kodlin calls the R 18 B Heavy Duty.
“We have completely remanufactured the upper tubes to lower the fly-line and thus the seat height of the R 18 B,” said Kodlin. “We also redid the steering head and the triple clamps so that the caster fits despite the changed steering angle and so that the bike rides well.”
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Typical of the customizer’s style, the bike features a chopped windshield and a fly line that drops sharply to the rear. Around the back wheel, the body lines meet custom-made side cases that form almost a waistline for the bike when seen from overhead.
In addition to being aesthetic, the cases are also functional, as the right-side unit hides a compressor for the air suspension unit. This raises and lowers the bike in less than a second. While that’s impressive enough on its own, it’s also helpful while parking, because the bike drops onto a hidden kickstand, which makes it look like it is simply standing there on its own.
Kodlin and his crew spent three months working on the sheet metal alone, creating a new gas tank, and a new mudguard to go around the 21-inch front wheel, while the front spoiler has a three-color underlighting system installed in it.
The paintwork, meanwhile, was done by Marcel Sinnwell. More of a tattoo artist than a vehicle painter, he only picks up the airbrush for very special projects. The pinstriping is a nod to BMW Motorrad‘s 100th anniversary, while the tie-dye elements were inspired by watching paints mix. In addition, Kodlin also collaborated with his son Len on the creation of this custom motorcycle.
“The R 18 B HEAVY DUTY was a real father-son project,” he said. “There was a lot of creative input from Len which also goes to show that the next generation at Kodlin Bikes is already in the starting blocks.”
