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

The BMW R100 gets an absolutely gorgeous custom steampunk makeover!

New bike, hu dis? It’s hard to believe that this steampunk beauty was once a 1980 BMW R100 RS. Props go to the Dirk Oehlerking’s Kingston Custom who modified the two-wheeler as a part of their Phantom Series, calling it the Good Ghost.

Created on the request of automobile-patron Bobby Haas (of the Haas Moto Museum), the Good Ghost’s aesthetic evolves on the other two bikes in Kingston’s Phantom Series, with a design that feels more superior and like an evolutionary progression. In classic Kingston fashion, the custom comes with little to no change to the bike’s original chassis. Everything is additive, with painstakingly hand-shaped 2mm-thick aluminum paneling covering the underlying structure of the bike in glorious steampunk fashion. The bike’s bulbous body-work sort of feels like a floating ghost, with a sheet draped over it. The outer clad conceals both wheels, and comes with a continuous leather saddle that goes from the dashboard to the very end. This design detail involved cutting into the fuel-tank, but Dirk fixed that problem by fabricating a small fuel cell to sit behind the transmission, with an external fuel pump to send the gas where it needs to go.

While the entire bike is an exercise in being visually interesting, Dirk of Kingston Custom went out of his way to outfit the Good Ghost with a variety of really eye-catching details. For starters, the bike comes with BMW’s signature split kidney grille, a detail that’s iconic to the company’s cars. Move past the flush headlight and onto the seat and you’ll notice the whole thing is upholstered in leather, including the dashboard. The entire seat lifts up to reveal a tiny compartment underneath that – wait for it – holds a bottle of wine and a glass. The lift mechanism for the seat even has a corkscrew and a spare spark-plug. You’re not allowed to drink and drive but you can surely carry a bottle of merlot with you wherever you go. A flap beside the rear wheel opens to reveal a comprehensive toolkit, and since Dirk imagined the Good Ghost to be a “gentleman’s bike”, the flap on the opposite side stores a selection of century-old silverware. The design finally transitions to its unusual rear, a pointed flair that not only combines both tailpipes, but also houses the Good Ghost’s taillight.

The Good Ghost is a culmination of a lot of eccentric ideas, but somehow, they all make for a great looking bike that, Dirk says, “When you ride it, it feels like you are in a different time.” The bike is all set to become a part of Bobby Haas’s precious collection at the Haas Moto Museum in Dallas, Texas.

Designer: Kingston Custom

If Elvis Were a Motorcycle

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Mind the title… but that’s all I can see when I look at this custom BMW build by Kingston Custom. It’s like Elvis’ white, bedazzled jumpsuit morphed into a motorcycle!

It’s called the White Phantom and it’s actually all 80s on the inside! The donor bike was a 1980s BMW tourer. After some chopping, however, it’s a much slimmer version of its original self, save for a protruding turbocharger from that 798cc engine. It has some kick to it, sure, but without any significant wind screening, you can bet it’s strictly for looks.

Designer: Kingston Customs

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