BMW Motorrad seeking Germany’s best custom bike
BMW Motorrad Germany have once again kicked off their major customising competition, after an extremely successful 2021 contest focused on the R 18 cruiser.
In contrast this year’s customising contest will also focus on the R nineT roadster legend, as well as the R 18. A total of 13 conversions – eight BMW R 18s and five BMW R nineTs – give a glimpse into what’s achievable.
The BMW Motorrad partners had three months to design and build their own vision of the R nineT or the R 18. 13 great-looking bikes were built – from the oldschool heritage bike with Springer forks based on the BMW R 18 to the highly dynamic sports bike based on the BMW R nineT. No limits were set on creativity, only to the time available. The entire conversion had to be completed within three months, with vastly different hours applied between builds, some tens of hours, others hundreds, and obviously with budget not a constricting factor.
ahg Eningen R 18 Edition #01
Rideable, but exciting – that was the motto for Ronny Jelitte, Bastian Franke and Max Koller when customising their R 18 Edition #01. Including planning, parts procurement and conversion, the team invested a total of around 90 hours and the result was an R 18 in bobber style.
The short, compact rear end features a Walzwerk Bobber Kit in conjunction with a side number plate holder by Wunderlich. The Corio saddlery in Metzingen made a matching seat in scotch-coloured buffalo leather.
Great sound is provided by a Jekill & Hyde Beat Short Slashcut sports exhaust system in conjunction with ceramic-coated exhaust manifolds. Black engine covers and add-on parts, the BMW Beachbar handlebars as well as headlight cover, hand lever and fuel filler cap in 2tone Black from the Original BMW Motorrad Accessories range round off the conversion.
As the icing on the cake, Petrolo in Kusterdingen gave the R 18 Edition #01 a special paint job in 312 British Racing Green, which in combination with the Metzeler ME 888 Marathon Ultra White Wall tyres is a feast for the eyes.
Cloppenburg GmbH R 18 Tansanit Titan
Applying their motto “Go with the flow”, the team of Cloppenburg GmbH took on the challenge and came up with the R 18 Tansanit Titan. Classic, simple and elegant.
Under the direction of Christian Gelbhardt and Kevin Gehrt, a very classically oriented R 18 was created. The bike’s design was to be simple and elegant. Rideability, comfort, ergonomics as well as functionality were at the top of the to-do list.
Chrome-plated BMW forged wheels in 21 inch format at the front and 18 inch size at the rear are fitted, supported by the original rear fender and carrier of the R 18 B as well as a front fender by Walzwerk.
The BMW Day Rider brown seat fits in perfectly here and, in conjunction with the original handlebars and Rizoma risers, provides a relaxed riding position. The mirrors, handlebar-end turn indicator lights, the 3-in-1 rear Club S lights and the number plate holder are off the Rizoma shelf as well.
The front end and cockpit of the R 18 Tanzanit Titan feature a windshield, headlamp lowering by Wunderkind and a speedometer integrated into the tank by means of an LMC conversion, including a retractable fuel filler cap.
At the rear, a Wilbers shock absorber type 640 Road with 20 mm suspension lowering and a Fehling luggage rack are used.
The very tasty customising menu was rounded off with a Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde Beat Long Chrome Slashcut Chrome Extender exhaust system as well as a paint job in BMW Tanzanite Blue II metallic and hand-painted double lines on the tank.
Klaus Mayer GmbH & Co. KG R 18 Daytona
Daytona was the motto for the R 18 conversion by Klaus Mayer and his team, because the paintwork of the tank, front and rear mudguards, side panels and front is based entirely on the legendary BMW R 90 S in Daytona Orange.
The beautiful paint finish is highlighted by the aluminium brushing and white trim lines. The R 18 Daytona is also a treat when it comes to the technical side.
The bike features the 21-inch Contrast Cut BMW forged wheel at the front and 18-inch wheel at the rear, with Metzeler ME 888 Marathon Ultra tyres. The Remus Custom stainless steel chrome silencers with Short Cut aluminium chrome end caps are quite something to hear.
Rizoma Club S turn indicators at the rear, a Wunderlich lamp mask with Sport smoke grey windshield and a Low rear conversion round off the R 18 Daytona custom build.
Klaus Mayer
“Despite the customising appeal, our Daytona should still be reminiscent of the classic R 18 and the origins of BMW Motorrad. Accordingly, we have not changed the basic line of the design, but individualised it with various accessories and based the paintwork on the R 90 S and the Daytona Orange, which also gave the bike its R 18 Daytona name.”
Motorrad Bögel GmbH Iron R 18
If you immediately recognise the Iron R 18 lettering on the sides of the tanks, you are probably also familiar with the sound of the British metal band Iron Maiden.
The Iron R 18 from the Motorrad Bögel team is as unique as the heavy metal style of Iron Maiden, the conversion to Springer forks at the front unparalleled in the R 18 world.
Featuring a handmade bobber seat in the form of a swinging saddle, sissy bar and Z handlebars, the Iron R 18 pursues its very own style – also when it comes to the exhaust system.
It was built in-house with a fishtail tailpipe rising upward steeply. 21-inch Big Spoke rims at the front and 18-inch format at the rear not only give this special R 18 a harmonious look but also a sensational riding feel.
The bike is also completely dedicated to the theme of heavy metal with its paintwork, as the airbrush painting on the tank clearly shows. Like the Springer forks, the manual gearstick with steel helmeted gear knob is technically anachronistic.
Motorbike Guhs e.K. R 18 Steelbody
The name says it all for the Motorrad Guhs customising project and project leader Taimo Frömel. “R 18 Steelbody” because wherever the eye travels over the old school R 18 built in the style of pre-war motorbikes, there is hardly an angle where the R 18 Steelbody, equipped with 16-inch wheels, does not shine with bright, finely brushed steel.
For example, the tank or the adapted front and rear ducktail fenders, the old-school theme is also emphasised by the customised Springer forks, and the more technically savvy observer is hardly surprised that around 200 hours of work went into this project. Almost everything that was changed had to be individually adapted.
The side covers, which have been narrowed by 2 cm, or the speedometer, which now sits atop the left cylinder with a specially made holder. The same applies to the swinging saddle with boxer engine and gold-framed BMW emblem on the seat by Samwel Supplies or the mounting of the original BMW headlight on the Springer forks.
Finally, the R 18 Steelbody’s harmonious appearance is rounded off by self-made handlebars, black-coated cylinder head covers and covers for the injection system, an LED tail light in bobber look, running boards with gearshift paddle as well as black-coated exhaust manifolds and a long Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde sports exhaust with fishtail end caps.
Motorradzentrum Helmig & Sohn R 18 fifty-seven
The R 18 fifty-seven is a sporty, modern chopper with boxer heart and the traditional Nürburg Green paintwork from the 1970s. The stylish one-off was created in around 18 hours at the Helmig & Sohn Motorradzentrum by adding fine technical ingredients.
Walzwerk supplied both the front and rear fenders as well as the stylish bobber seat and the Hardcore Bar handlebars. A sporty exhaust system made of high-quality stainless steel was provided by the renowned exhaust specialist Hattech.
Motorrad Huber GmbH R 18 Huabas First Edition
The motto was “Just do it completely differently” for the Motorrad Huber team around Michael Hauser. They had great fun on the job and three days later the R 18 Huabas First Edition was completed featuring the original BMW spoke wheels with black rim rings.
The rear end has been significantly altered, with a fender and single seat made by Jacky’s Garage, giving it a much slimmer and reduced appearance. A Z handlebar from Fehling puts the rider in a cool seated position and an exhaust system from Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde delivers the right sound. Turn indicators by Kellermann and various milled BMW Motorrad machined parts round off the stylish custom bike.
Procar Automobile GmbH & Co. KG R 18 Bloody Sunrise
Procar Automobile in Cologne, together with mechatronics engineer Till Becker, wanted to go in another direction and build a classy bike – with lots of chrome and polished surfaces as well as an exceptionally high-quality paint finish that also includes the frame.
Thanks to the work of Big Chief Custom Painting, we see the bike all in red with coarse metal flake in 1970s customising style, complemented by airbrush work with stencilled scale and line patterns.
It’s no wonder that a total of around 250 hours went into the project, especially as the technology also had to undergo drastic changes. Rick’s Rad Design contributed the three-piece polished wheels measuring 3.5 x 21 inches at the front and 8 x 18 inches at the rear, while Walzwerk supplied the front mudguard and LMC-Bikes’ Hardline 2 is used as the rear fender.
Other stylish goodies on the R 18 Bloody Sunrise are the Wunderlich RockBob swing saddle, the polished stainless steel exhaust system from Walzwerk and the handlebars custom-built by LMC Bikes in conjunction with 1 ¼ inch high risers. The high-end chopper is rounded off by a tank conversion with integrated instrument, a headlight lowering system from KDF and 3-in-1 mini turn indicators at the rear from Kellermann.
Auer Gruppe GmbH R nineT Beemer
With its unusual colour combination in the racing Gulf scheme of the 1960s and 1970s in matt blue, and orange and white gloss, the R nineT Beemer is an eyecatcher. The conversion was planned and thought through by sales consultant Maximilian Michael Walden, and implemented by the powerful team around Bernd Wesle and Dario Gatto.
In total, the crew invested around 20 hours in the bike and did not skimp on high-quality ingredients. While the spoked wheels are series production wheels, Königherz produced a seat including hump cushion made of leather and Alcantara with diamond quilting pattern and double stitching.
Exhaust specialist Hattech, meanwhile, set about customising a high-mounted exhaust system. Further highlights are the K&N air filter dummies, the reduced rear with mini turn indicators and side number plate holder as well as the handlebar end mirrors without mirror glass with integrated turn signals as well as the Belly Pan by AC Schnitzer and the milled fuel filler cap with BMW emblem.
Becker-Tiemann Motorrad Lage R nineT X
A helmet in metallic blue served the Becker Tiemann Motorrad team as inspiration for the paintwork for this custom bike. With the R nineT X, they wanted to show how an R nineT can be transformed into a genuine enduro.
Originally planned as an exhibition bike for the Custombike trade fair in Bad Salzuflen, the aim was to build a competitive enduro: Higher, softer and with as much suspension travel as possible, but still good to ride on paved roads. The team subjected the enduro to the complete Wunderlich protective parts range for the R nineT, implanted a longer suspension strut from Wilbers and the fork legs of a BMW F 850 GS with customised triple clamps and special brake caliper adapters.
Pirelli Skorpion STR tyres were fitted to the original rims and lowered footrests, together with a blue-stitching seat, now provide an off-road suitable seat position. A rear conversion by Wunderlich and a paint job in satin blue metallic – to match the helmet already mentioned – round off the conversion together with rim decor made of red-chrome matt foil.
Last but not least, all conversions – if not provided with a general operating permit or E test mark – were approved by the TÜV German Technical Inspection Agency with an individual permit.
Cloppenburg GmbH R nineT Mighty NineT
With the Mighty NineT, the Cloppenburg GmbH team picked up on classic BMW Motorrad design features and reinterpreted them. Ann-Kathrin Peterseim, Kevin Gehrt and the rest of the team spent around 20 hours working on their custom bike.
The aim was to put a roadster of days gone by on the road for everyone to ride, so the team got to work on an R nineT Scrambler with 19-inch cross-spoke wheels at the front and 17-inch format at the rear. Linear Wilbers fork springs at the front and a Wilbers and a type 640 Road suspension strut at the rear lower the bike by 25 mm, which further enhances the look of a BMW Boxer Roadster of days gone by.
The original scrambler seat was given a leather cover in black with decorative stitching and simple pipe quilting at Unit Garage. Unit Garage also contributed the stainless steel Scrambler rear silencer, complemented by black-wrapped original manifolds. The stainless steel covers for the intake manifolds are also by Unit Garage.
The Rizoma range supplied the tapered handlebars, Spy-R bar-end mirrors, Club turn indicators at the front and 3-in-1 Club S turn indicators at the rear, the Outside number plate holder and crash bars. A matt black, finely textured powder coating was applied to parts such as the fork bridges, handlebar clamp, cylinder head covers, seat carrier, footrests, intake snorkel covers and the fuel filler cap.
The Mighty NineT is finished in the original BMW car colour Flamenco Red Brilliant Effect Metallic, complemented by double hand-lining and subsequent clear coat. The knee pads, borrowed from the R nineT /5, exude the roadster charm of days gone by.
Motorbike Witzel R nineT Green Mile
Volker and Steven Witzel spent 120 hours converting an R nineT into a Green Mile and thus into a so-called dirt bobber. The two customising fans benefited from their customising experience gained by converting previous R 18s. As the name suggests, the custom bike is based on the film “The Green Mile” starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan alias John Coffey and is painted in British Racing Green.
The team is convinced that the seemingly overpowering masculine appearance of the film character Coffey, as with the R nineT Green Mile, is “in absolute contrast to what it looks like on the outside”. However, the cinematic inspiration was not only implemented with green paint, but also with plenty of technical adaptations.
The BMW Motorrad Option 719 milled parts packages 1 and 2 were used, a single seat with green decorative stitching from Baehr and RF Biketech fenders front and rear, supplemented by integrated turn indicator and rear lights and a side number plate holder.
Sonorous boxer sound is provided by an SP Cobra exhaust system in conjunction with black ceramic-coated manifolds. The team opted for Continental TKC 80 tyres to ensure good handling characteristics despite the coarse tread of the tyres.
Zweiradwerke Vertriebs GmbH R nineT Boxermeister
With its orange paintwork and generous lettering and many stickers, the R nineT Boxermeister lives up to the motto “classic meets modern” with a good shot of inspiration from racing cars of the 1970s and 1980s such as the BMW M1 Procar Jägermeister, which Kurt König drove in the 1982 German Racing Championship.
Inspired by this, Christopher Hagl and Robert Dojkic created the Boxing Master in around 90 hours. With the emphasis on sports, of course. So they went for gold wheels from AC Schnitzer in conjunction with Metzeler Racetec RR 190/55 ZR17 at the rear and 120/70 ZR17 at the front.
The hump seat and the front fender, on the other hand, were made in-house. Sporty sound is provided by an exhaust system from Jekill and Hyde and the AC Schnitzer Clip handlebar stubs in conjunction with the BMW Motorrad Option 719 footrests ensure a dynamic seating position. BMW Motorrad cylinder head covers in the style of the old two-valve motorbikes and a lamp mask and front spoiler from Ilmberger Carbon round off the harmonious look.
Last but not least, the two enthusiasts fitted the Boxermeister bike with handlebar-end turn indicators from Motogadget, tail lights and a side number plate holder from Rizoma and suspension struts from Öhlins.
