Motoring / Cars and Bikes

BMW Motorrad Strips It’s Custom Concept R18 Down To The Essentials

A motorcycle is the biggest accessory you can wear.

Aug 26, 2020 | By Julia Roxan

With time weā€™ve seen an endless variety of custom-made BMW motorcycles by enthusiastic engineers and motorheads alike, all of which have led to this moment, in 2020 where we witness one by the brand itself. Announcing the highest capacity boxer motorcycle ever produced, the German multinational company presents a pure, stripped-down, and raked-out BMW Motorrad custom concept armed with an all-new prototype flat-twin engine.

BMW Motorrad Strips It’s Custom Concept R18 Down To The Essentials

Dubbed the ā€˜Concept R18ā€™, this cruiser follows hot on the heels of the original R90S, the Concept 101 six-cylinder ā€˜baggerā€™ and the R5 Hommage, as BMW Motorradā€™s design departmentĀ continues to create a spectacle of every Concorso dā€™Eleganza Villa dā€™Este event.

Unveiled at the 90th anniversary ā€˜Concorsoā€™ celebratory event, the Concept R18 represents a modern interpretation of a cruiser backed by immense heritage and history ā€“ the kind BMW Motorrad Head of Design, Edgar Heinrich feels ā€œother companies would kill forā€.

Physically much larger in size than the average 500cc engine, the Concept R18 features characterful spoked Metzeler-branded RILLE tyres (21ā€ front and 18ā€ rear) which match the bikeā€™s considerable proportions and the overall stance, alongside a modified front end and fishtail exhaust intended to enhance its hand-made aesthetic, and BMWā€™s highly recognizable Pagusa-style seating, with embossed logos and hammered area on the leather.

Showcasing polished aluminium cylinder covers, subtle colour treatments, a teardrop tank and fork, plus areas of pin-striping with golden yellow effects in the deep, layered paint treatment, the Concept R18 is finished in one-of-three metal surface treatments which include being, blasted, painted or polished, to create a clean, authentic atmosphere around the bike.

Branded as the biggest accessory one can wear, the Concept R18 utilizes a similar open shaft-drive, cantilever rear suspension, and twin-Solex carburetor from every iconic BMW 2002 car, whilst boasting a 1950s Bosch-inspired LED headlight mounted between its fork legs, and concealed switchgears.


 
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