BMW Motorrad Unveils R 18 Spirit of Passion Custom, Goes Full Retro

BMW Motorrad is throwing it all the way back to the ‘20s, with the latest project for the “SoulFuel” series, which sees it partnering with select customizers. This time, it’s legendary Dirk Oehlerking of Kingston Custom who’s doing all the custom work for a one-off project he calls Spirit of Passion. It’s full-on retro, with a superb Kingston Custom fairing that, some might argue, completely reshapes the identity of the BMW R 18 underneath.

You can see Spirit of Passion in the gallery above and in motion in the video at the bottom of the page. Though with a design inspired by classic art deco, there’s an ominous feel to the bike – which is further emphasized in the gloomy, almost too-dark-to-see photoshoot. If there ever were a fancy bike to draw the eye of one Darth Vader, this would probably be it.

Modifications are mostly to the body, BMW Motorrad says. There’s the Kingston fairing with what resembles a massive grille in the front, with most of the electronics hidden from view, and the handlebars and custom mudguard. The exhaust has also been modified so as to fit the new body, as was the saddle. The turn indicators are new, while the LED frontlight is integrated – sunk would be more fitting – into the fairing.

The wheel suspension and fuel tank are original, and Oehlerking hints that the R 18 is intact underneath, including the 2.0-liter two-cylinder engine known as Big Boxer. Or, as he puts it, the machine itself was perfection, so there was no need for him to change anything about it. “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,” he says.

Before setting out to the task, he assured BMW Motorrad that, “This won’t be just any old, stunning PR bike. It will be one with a soul, a spirit.” And a very striking presence, that much is certain.