BMW Motorrad’s “Spirit of Passion” custom motorcycle is an Art-Deco masterpiece!

Looking at this customized BMW Motorrad R18, the one word that comes to mind is ‘Chariot’. That massive fairing, courtesy Kingston Custom is instantly visible, recognizable, and authoritative… sort of something you’d expect Batman to ride in the 1930s.

Dubbed the “Spirit of Passion”, BMW Motorrad recently collaborated with Kingston Custom for the second custom edition of BMW R18 in the ‘SoulFuel’ series. However, unlike the standard practice with most custom bikes, Dirk Oehlerking of Kingston Customs didn’t pull apart the entire thing to build a new chassis and body from scratch. “The BMW R 18 is so perfect that I left the technology as it is. The frame is 100% original and so sophisticated that nothing should be changed here”, said Oehlerking. Instead, he built on the existing design, creating what one can only describe as ‘difficult to miss’. The front of the Spirit of Passion is massive, yet elegant. Styled from head to toe in an art-deco inspired aesthetic, the bike is hand-finished to perfection, complete with that elongated kidney-grille on the front mudguard, which extends all the way from the dashboard, over the headlight, and near the twin-engine setup. Similarly, the rear mudguard of the motorcycle is an exquisitely designed piece that almost extends all the way to the ground, and integrates the taillight into itself rather beautifully.

The BMW R 18 exhaust has been modified in the Kingston Roadster style, while the saddle is taken from a range of universal accessories. For the most part, the custom bike maintains the same paintjob as the original R18, with the linework on the black body. Although if you ask me, it’s a stellar combination of BMW’s engineering and brand DNA with Kingston Custom’s eccentric ‘Bruce Wayne meets Great Gatsby’ style!

Designers: BMW Motorrad in collaboration with Kingston Custom

Feast your eyes on this BMW Cafe Racer from the future!

It does seem outwardly reductionist to look at this BMW Café Racer as just a design exercise, but that’s what Concept Designer Sabino Leerentveld describes it as. The Netherlands-based designer decided it was time to work on a two-wheeler after a string of conceptual car projects, and the car DNA is very undeniably present in this café racer too! While the concept doesn’t have a formal name, Sabino likes to think of it as a cross between traditional café racers and futuristic bikes. After all, the concept’s silhouette clearly has an undeniably futuristic sports vibe.

The bike’s form is pretty linear on the top, with one single wave-shaped swooping line going from taillight to headlight; breaking just once for the dashboard visor. Its body-work is primarily a combination of metal and carbon-fiber, which makes for some interesting paint-jobs including one in Yellow, and another in Red which was lovingly dubbed as the Iron Man Edition on Instagram. The bike sports a BMW logo on its side, and in keeping with BMW’s tradition, opts for a split headlight instead of the iconic split kidney-grille. The edge-lit taillight sits on the end of the seat too, which cantilevers off the bike’s main body, creating an absolutely enchanting side-profile!

Designer: Sabino Leerentveld

Art Deco meets Automotive with this vintage-inspired custom BMW C400X scooter

Harkening back to the halcyon days of pre-war motoring when transportation was equal parts speed, style, and skill, the Golden Age captures this sentiment in a modern incarnation. The Golden Age is best described as a modified version of the BMW C400X, with its spiritual ancestor being the classic 1930 Henderson Model KJ Streamline. With a curvaceous design that’s highly reminiscent of the automobiles from a century ago, the Golden Age is just a vintage-inspired treat to look at… complete with chrome trims to punctuate the curved black volumes, a classic circular headlight, and a plush leather throne for the rider to sit on.

“The sleek streamliner will be powered by a 2020 BMW 350cc engine producing approximately 35hp and will employ all the modern convenience, technology and reliability built into the C400X. Coupled with a low center of gravity, the Golden Age is designed to be both powerful and nimble on city streets, not to mention supremely practical and rakishly handsome”, says Alexander Niznik, founder of NMOTO, the company producing the custom body for the bike.

Among other details that the Golden Age borrows from the Henderson KJ is its beautiful vertical grille. Adapting it, however, for the BMW machine, the custom bike sports the signature kidney-style split grille, reminiscent of the BMW 328 Roadster. Unlike the Henderson KJ, however, the Golden Age aims at being practical and comfortable to ride. The scooter-style seating arrangement gives the rider a lot of leg-space and makes it easy to mount or unmount the bike. Fold-out footrests are even built into the body for a pillion rider, and a conveniently located refueling inlet on the front means you can fill gas into the bike without needing to deboard. The Golden Age is expected to be unveiled in Spring 2021.

Designers: Tamas Jákus, Rostyslav Matiukhin, and NMOTO

The BMW Motorrad R Nine T-X shows that you can make a sexy superbike with simple geometry

Informed by bold, brutalist design cues found in urban setups and modern architecture, the R Nine T-X takes a different approach to designing a superior two-wheeler. Instead of an overly aggressive design, faceted paneling, brutish chassis, abundance of air-intakes, and saturated color-schemes, the BMW Motorrad R Nine T-X concept opts for simple shapes, a sensible design approach, and subtle palettes. The result is a remarkable bike that’s difficult to ignore. It’s commanding yet unaggressive, and clearly looks like the adult in the room.

An interesting part of the BMW Motorrad R Nine T-X is the way it’s built. Rather than having a standard chassis forming the frame for the entire bike, the R Nine T-X sports a central mass which holds all the bike’s innards, and acts as the supporting element for all of the bike’s parts, including the two wheels which branch out from it, and a snap-on frame that holds the seat/saddle. With a centralized hub so large, it would be pretty safe to assume that the R Nine T-X sports an electric heart, with a large battery pack to drive the beast. Despite its visually commanding central mass, the R Nine T-X is built like a café racer, with a relatively flat upper profile. The seat transitions pretty seamlessly all the way to the headlamp, with tight curves, and a simplistic LCD dashboard tops off the bike concept’s overall simple yet superior looking design.

Designer: Hyun Jik Song

BMW’s newest conceptual bike shows us zooming into the cyberpunk themed future!

The BMW Motorrad Concept Link seemed like a vision too distant, back in 2017; and now the Definition CE 04 scooter brings to life what BMW envisioned zero-emission mobility to be. This is the closest BMW is to designing an electric scooter for the production lines, as the final version is not going to much different from the Definition CE 04. Edgar Heinrich, Head of Design at BMW Motorrad says, “ The BMW Motorrad Definition CE 04 is the logical continuation of the electromobility strategy for urban conurbations and provides a concrete preview of what a contemporary production vehicle could look like, with which we will take two-wheel electric mobility in metropolitan areas to a new level, both technically and visually.”

The electric scooter designed for short city rides (approx. 12 km per day) is a true amalgam of urban styling and digitally connected aesthetics that will ultimately define the future. It is unlike any other scooter on the roads with a low profile, an elongated design that rises diagonally at the front to create a silhouette for a modern look. The low battery positioning gives more freedom for storing things like a helmet or a laptop bag. To give the cool ride its distinct character, there is the dual-tone –  Mineral White metallic and a matt black well complemented by the hints of orange. Interestingly, BMW Motorrad has left the drive unit, cooling ribs, single-sided swingarm, spring strut, and tooth belt exposed to give a sneak-peak into the innards. The U-shaped front LED lights and the C shaped rear lights also lend a distinct appeal to the Cyberpunk 2077 worthy look.

User-friendliness and practicality are always at the forefront for BMW Motorrad, hence, the Definition CE 04 is totally connected to the rider with a companion app and the 10.25-inch display. Even more interesting is the connected white-colored warm parka that has flexible protectors, integrated light guides in the sleeves, back, and hood for greater visibility. It also has an integrated wireless phone charger in the pocket. Isn’t that amazing, already!

As Julia Lein, Head of Rider Equipment Design at BMW Motorrad rightly explained, “We deliberately wanted to create a fashionable look that is urban yet highly functional rather than classic motorcycle clothing. We want to develop products with which you can get off the vehicle and go about your everyday business hassle-free. At the same time, the rider equipment offers the protection you are used to from BMW Motorrad and even becomes part of the vehicle communication to the outside world.” We are already imagining ourselves zooming into the future!

Designer: BMW Motorrad

This BMW Motorrad electric concept is bringing back retro with the WWII-era sidecar!

We love seeing designers get creative with electric bikes! Each one is unique with its features and our current favorite is this conceptual electric BMW Motorrad blended with El Solitario MC elements that is nothing like we’ve seen before in the e-bike world. It is bringing retro sidecars back with a cool new makeover!

This electric motorcycle is designed for long-distance journeys keeping in mind any tough conditions that can come up on the way. The aesthetic has been inspired by the iconic Ural motorcycles with the designer adding his own modern twist on the post-WWII BMW customs. Why is this e-bike different from the rest you ask? Because it swaps the traditional passenger cart for a sidecar which will be equipped with tools and essential gear. The extra storage space also includes straps to hold down the cargo or tools you are carrying and with a flat base, there is room for extra batteries too.

To assist with night vision during long off-road adventures, there are three LED spotlights in the front of the detachable sidecar. The designer gives a modern tribute to the Ural motorcycle with the detailed elements of the design. The smooth yet angular body of the e-bike sports a slate gray paint which gives it a minimal appeal despite its otherwise muscle-y build. The translucent mudguards placed above the thick threaded wheels help to slim down its physical form visually.

It also features a screen display with essential controls that make communication easier with its simple UI. The swingarm supports a slim brown saddle leather seat with handlebar grips. The whole motorcycle is powered by an 18.7 kWh battery supported by the cargo sidecar’s extra supplies. It is still a concept so the exact performance is not known but it was designed for long-range rides and is pretty neat for an electric bike that balances nostalgia with a futuristic build

Designer: Iago Valino

The “Khan” might be the most otherworldly BMW bike ever made

Pretty much bridging the gap between concept bikes and concept art for games and movies, Mehmet Doruk Erdem’s “Khan” is an eclectic mix of unbelievable, dangerous, and beautiful. However, if you’ve followed Mehmet’s work in the past, you know exactly what level of aesthetic beauty the Turkish designer works on. Khan, in many ways is classic Mehmet, but at the same time it’s just surreal for us mere mortals who have, up until now, only seen relatively normal-looking motorbikes.

Erdem’s “Khan” concept takes a BMW R 1100 R twin-cylinder boxer engine and giving them an absolutely new lease of life, with a front-heavy wasp-inspired exterior and an almost naked frame at the rear, much like Erdem’s Alpha concept, and dominated by an extremely large rear wheel, and a seat in the middle, resting on a twin-suspension. There isn’t much method to Erdem’s madness, or maybe I don’t spot it, but the Khan is surely a beautiful beast. Unique from practically every angle, the Khan has a remarkable silhouette no matter where you stand… and it especially looks dangerous from the front. I mean, I wouldn’t want to be standing in the path of the Khan as it zoomed towards me!

Designer: Mehmet Doruk Erdem

Made to showcase its vintage BMW engine, the ‘Birdcage’ has a wireframe design

At first glance, the BMW Motorrad Birdcage looks like a 3D model viewed in wireframe mode. It’s easy to make that mistake, because the Birdcage, sure enough, has an incredible, wireframe-inspired design. Designed as an homage to the BMW Motorrad boxer engine the company developed 50 years ago, the Birdcage houses the absolutely stunning piece of engineering in a titanium see-through mesh-esque cage that gives the engine the attention it deserves. The titanium frame allows the curvilinear boxer engine to be viewed from practically every angle, and was assembled along with the other individually crafted components such as handlebars, footrests, shift lever, seat and unique carbon suspension.

The team at Revival Cycles, headed by Alan Stulberg took a lot of inspiration from Ernst Hennes’ record-setting machines from the late 1920s and early 1930s, and put together the entire Birdcage motorcycle in a stunning span of 5 months, just in time for the 2019 Handbuilt Show.

Designer: Revival Cycles

This custom BMW motorbike is a sinewy beast!

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Probably it’s German humor that my mind isn’t capable of grasping, or just the most absurd name for a bike this vicious looking, but this custom bike is called the Giggerl, Bavarian for “chicken”.

However, there’s nothing chicken about the way it looks, or the fact that it comes from legendary motorcycle customizer, Bernard Nauman, or Blechmann, as is the nickname bestowed upon him. The Giggerl is a custom version of the BMW R NineT, modded so much that one wouldn’t ever recognize it. From curvaceous beauty, Blechmann takes the R NineT to new heights with an aesthetic that makes you want to fear and respect the motorbike, with its aggressive and incredibly futuristic style. Blechmann makes rather fantastic use of sheet metal, creating multiple planar surfaces placed at positions making the motorbike look ripped. He even gives it BMW’s signature “kidney grille” on the front along with a spectacular metallic paint job and a BMW logo, completing his absolutely unchained-beastlike masterpiece.

Designer: Bernard “Blechmann” Nauman

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The Zero-Emission BMW Mission

Just hours ago we were introduced to this mean machine, the BMW Motorrad Concept Link. Fresh from its reveal at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2017 in Italy, the Concept Link is BMW’s concept scooter aimed to usher in a new era of urban mobility.

The design of the Concept Link is by far the most interesting. The e-scooter is broad, dominating, low-slung, and you immediately notice the majority of horizontal straight lines making it feel like the scooter is zipping forward. Looking like it was picked right out of a transportation designer’s sketchbook, the scooter’s aesthetic and silhouette are immediately striking and novel. Showcasing BMW’s absolute love for the black/gray color combination, the Concept Link features electric orange highlights that stand out beautifully, almost like war-paint, giving the bike a sense of dynamism.

The sleek e-scooter doesn’t just showcase a different aesthetic, it boasts of a connected approach to transport. The Concept Link “knows what’s in the rider’s calendar and therefore his next destinations.” This allows the two-wheeler to plan the fastest route or even the most scenic. The design features two displays, a windshield HUD display shows vital stats like battery, speed, navigation, while a lower touch-capable screen is reserved for other functions.

The Concept Link is envisioned to be a fully electric, zero-emissions ride and even features a reverse gear. The seats are adjustable length-wise and we can’t get enough of the way the below-seat storage opens up! What’s more, BMW plans to launch a range of connected clothing that are compatible with the Concept Link. A specific touch-gesture on the sleeve of the connected-jacket, for instance, opens and closes the bike’s sliding cargo door! I’m so excited for the future!

Designer: BMW Motorrad

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Images via BMW Motorrad