When BMW decided to re-enter the custom world with the R 18, it decided to do it from the front door. So, after having created a monumental engine, a motorcycle with an unmistakable style, soon declined in different variants, has also entered the universe of customisers. Those characters a little bit artisans and a little bit artists who with their unique touch are able to change the appearance and character of a motorcycle, making it a unique work. Thus, after leaving the R 18 in the hands of Roland Sands and Dirk Oehlerking, the Bavarian manufacturer repeated the same operation also with the Japanese Shinya Kimura. Kimura is the father of the so-called “Zero Style” motorcycle and began his career as a customizer in Japan in the early 1990s, eventually achieving international fame by creating his custom Harley-Davidson “Samurai Chopper”.
Today he is one of the most sought after customizers and only makes a handful of motorcycles a year, exclusively for customers towards whom he feels mutual empathy and no pressure. Also, until recently, Kimura worked mainly on more traditional motorcycles, but lately she has started to devote herself more and more to projects involving modern motorcycles. The BMW R 18 “The Wal” – German for whale – is one of them. “It all started with a visit to the BMW Motorrad R 18 development team in Germany. I got to know the passion and innovative strength that prevails at BMW Motorrad. Finally, in February 2021 in California, I drove the standard R 18. for a few hundred kilometers to become familiar with the bike. After getting to know it, I created my own interpretation of the R 18, in which I used all my customizer skills “says Shinya Kimura.
Kimura then started work in mid-February and by the end of June “The Wal” was already finished. “But there were some mechanical problems that kept me busy for another two weeks,” continues Kimura who is used to working directly on the bike, with no sketches, drawings or mockups during the build process. “I built the R 18 entirely for myself. I decided to keep the frame, the wheels and the tires, as well as the suspension elements and the brakes. It was essential for me to preserve the two characters of the R 18 as I experienced them during The ride. On the one hand the bike is wild and has almost inexhaustible power, while on the other it is totally friendly “concludes Kimura. The half-shell fairing houses two asymmetrically arranged headlights that almost look like eyes and, with a little imagination, actually give Kimura’s R 18 the look of a whale along with a ‘set of teeth’ embedded below.
