BMW R 18 Crown celebrates 100 years of BMW Motorrad
The BMW R 18 Crown is a steam-punk style custom created by the customiser Dirk Oehlerking
BMW Motorrad celebrates 100 years of two-wheeled production, with the BMW R 18 Crown custom.
The bike has been created by the famed customiser Dirk Oehlerking who is no stranger to using the BMW R 18 as a donor bike, having already created the R 18 Spirit of Passion when the model was launched in 2021.
The bike is self-designed and built by Oehlerking, and he utilised sheet metal work as well as some complex fabrication during the creation of the machine. Particularly impressive is the double-wishbone front end of the bike which uses a central suspension strut.
Custom and fabricated parts aside, Oehlerking did manage to use some of the original parts from the stock R 18, including the headlight, footrests, switchgear, engine and rear end and swing arm. The bodywork of the bike was created using hand-formed steel and the bike was finished with a Champagne Platinum paint finish with mother-of-pearl accents.
The eight-litre fuel tank and the body parts were made of 2 mm thick aluminium sheet metal, which was cut, bent and driven by hand.
Speaking about the design approach used, Oehlerking said:
"I started with a new BMW R18 which I then stripped down. As always, I worked with hard foam and cardboard to create the shape, the lines and the design. The aim was for it to look powerful, elegant and fast combined with an innovative look,"
The bike was placed on display during the recent BMW Motorrad Days event that took place in Berlin.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
