BMW motorrad marks its 100 years with R18 the crown motorcycle in aluminum sheet metal

BMW Motorrad celebrates its 100 years by presenting the design of Kingston Custom founder Dirk Oehlerking and his interpretation of the R18 ride with The Crown. The vehicle is a big boxer motorcycle with a bent aluminum sheet metal over the front-wheel suspension and a double-sided swinging arm with a central suspension strut.

Dirk Oehlerking, who also worked on the ‘R18 Spirit of Passion’, stripped down a new BMW R18 before incorporating his design. ‘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,’ he says.

images by BWM

Dirk Oehlerking and his team cut, bent, and sculpted the 2mm-thick aluminum sheet metal to form the 8-liter fuel tank and R18 The Crown’s body parts. While the engine and rear suspension remain faithful to their original design, the two stainless steel exhaust manifolds are completely made by hand.

The headlight, instrument, switch units, and footrest system followed, and Dirk Oehlerking slid them into the motorcycle. The clutch and handbrake fittings came from Magura, the rear mudguard and brackets from Wunderkind, and the leather-covered saddle also sprang from 2mm-thick aluminum sheet metal.

Dirk Oehlerking stripped down a new BMW R18 before incorporating his design

Dirk Oehlerking completes BMW Motorrad R18 The Crown with a Champagne Platinum paint finish in a mother-of-pearl texture, complemented by the BMW brand emblem adorned with a small crown. The resulting motorcycle stands out with its folded and sculpted aluminum metal sheet, protruding body parts, and gradient suspension tube that emerges from a surfboard-like metal frame.

Dirk Oehlerking considers the BMW Motorrad R18 The Crown as the essence of his creations to date. He has strived for individual and unusual motorcycles, bringing out aesthetics and technical elements that may not be present in the usual visual flow of the ride. For 30 years, he has been doing so in the Ruhr region, the home of Kingston Custom. His love for industrial culture and motorcycles comes forth in his recent BMW Motorrad, the R18 The Crown.

R18 The Crown comes with a bent aluminum sheet metal over its front-wheel suspension

there is also a double-sided swinging arm with a central suspension strut