The R 18 is the new motorcycle from BMW Motorrad designed to meet customer demand for cruisers and custom models intended for pleasure use on major roads. We invite you to learn more about the BMW R 18. Designed to maximize its customization, the R 18 has a refined look revealing its frame supporting an 1802 cc Big Boxer flat-twin engine developing 91 horsepower. The R 18 showed its excellent basis for custom with the Japanese from Custom Works Zon.
R 18 Dragster Concept
It is the turn of custom motorcycle designer Roland Sands to look at the R 18, which he has decided to offer in a Dragster version by taking the basic principle of the R 18 and articulating the entire model around the engine, leaving it visible as much as possible. Roland Sands drew on the world of muscle cars and drag racing, where machines are pushed to their limits for a final straight-line race. “My dad was a drag racer. I wanted to return to my origins with this concept by imagining a model made to go fast,” he concludes.
R 18 Dragster Modification
The R 18 Dragster retains the neo-retro style of the R 18 and its philosophy with a completely modified look. The removable rear frame and easily removable parts of the R 18 simplified the work of the teams responsible for the modification. The rear frame is completely modified, the front headlight is the one available in the accessories catalog, the fork is that of the R Nine T and the braking system comes from the S 1000 RR. The engine has also been adapted to meet the speed requirements imposed by Roland Sands: nitro kit added, original exhaust removed… But the profiled tank remains the original one. It is painted metallic blue and accented with white lines by Chris Wood, an artist who has all the confidence of Roland Sands.
It took three months of design and assembly to arrive at this R 18 Dragster, which inaugurates two lines of specific accessories for the R 18 with rims, meter covers, handlebar supports, covers, and mirrors. The new cruiser from BMW Motorrad continues to amaze us and fuel the curiosity and passion of amateurs and professionals…