Photo: BMW Motorrad
When German bike maker BMW Motorrad pulled the wraps off no less than seven customized R 18 motorcycles back in November 2022, one of them in particular caught my attention: the BMW R 18 Roadster.
The term roadster most often applies to open-top cars with two seats, so that was the first thing that stood out. Then, we have the fact that, for some reason, this particular build seems to have certain cars-of-old vibes to it, bringing a touch of luxury to a vehicle segment not used to having it.
The BMW R 18 Roadster is the work of Polish BMW dealer Inchcape Wroclaw. The shop makes no secret of the fact the design of the two-wheeler is inspired by automotive engineering of the 1920s and 1930s, sprinkled with a touch of Art Deco for the ultimate effect.
Changes began with the inclusion of a brand new hump seat bench and an additional fuel tank complete with a filler neck. Then, a wealth of body parts one usually doesn’t find on a stock R 18 were added: we get a stylish fairing up front surrounding the headlight, a bulky covering over what was the rear fender, and a massive fender up front, wrapping almost halfway around the wheel. The defining element of this piece is the small but effective BMW kidney grille featured on its face.
Neither BMW nor Inchcape Wroclaw provide any information about potential changes made to the bike’s powertrain, but most likely we’re still dealing with the stock engine. That would be the large boxer unit, 1802cc in displacement and pumping out 91 hp and 158 Nm of torque from its two cylinders.
Just like all other custom R 18s shown, the Roadster is a one-off, but also a preview of future builds based on a model that’ll certainly become a thorn in Harley-Davidson’s side.
The BMW R 18 Roadster is the work of Polish BMW dealer Inchcape Wroclaw. The shop makes no secret of the fact the design of the two-wheeler is inspired by automotive engineering of the 1920s and 1930s, sprinkled with a touch of Art Deco for the ultimate effect.
Changes began with the inclusion of a brand new hump seat bench and an additional fuel tank complete with a filler neck. Then, a wealth of body parts one usually doesn’t find on a stock R 18 were added: we get a stylish fairing up front surrounding the headlight, a bulky covering over what was the rear fender, and a massive fender up front, wrapping almost halfway around the wheel. The defining element of this piece is the small but effective BMW kidney grille featured on its face.
Neither BMW nor Inchcape Wroclaw provide any information about potential changes made to the bike’s powertrain, but most likely we’re still dealing with the stock engine. That would be the large boxer unit, 1802cc in displacement and pumping out 91 hp and 158 Nm of torque from its two cylinders.
Just like all other custom R 18s shown, the Roadster is a one-off, but also a preview of future builds based on a model that’ll certainly become a thorn in Harley-Davidson’s side.
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