Built to compete in the Rocket Race Club league, this BMW R 12 nineT 1/8th-mile racer matches hand-formed bodywork to a gnarly NOS system.
“It's all one-off—no kits,” says Dani Weidmann of the bodywork on this custom BMW R 12 nineT. “If you could please mention that, it would save me answering a lot of emails.”
Dani captains the team at the VTR Customs, the in-house custom arm of the Swiss BMW motorcycle dealer Stucki2Rad. His statement underscores the philosophy that drives VTR; they have no interest in wholesaling their work, preferring instead to hit the reset button on each new project.
That said, there is one style of motorcycle that the Swiss maestros keep revisiting. They are regulars on the European sprint racing scene and are continuously creating machines that go fast and look wild.
The BMW R 12 nineT is VTR's contender in this year's Rocket Race Club league, a successor to the uber-popular Sultans of Sprint series. They're competing in the Moonshot class for twin-cylinder bikes, which has very few rules beyond the restriction of launch control devices and wheelie bars.
The 1/8th-mile drag racing series is driven by passion rather than prize money, with friendly wagers in abundance. “Stefan Bronold (Radical Speed Shop) and I have been racing each other for over a decade,” says Dani. “Every head-to-head race we have, we bet a case of beer and then double the number.”
VTR started with a 2024-model R 12 nineT from Stucki2Rad's demo fleet. Since it had already been run in, Dani and co. had one less box to tick before they debuted the bike at the Rocket Race Club event at the popular Glemseck 101 festival.
The team stripped the bike down, took a photo, and printed it out for Dani to draw his ideas onto. “We're very old school,” he tells us. “No CAD planning, no wooden buck for forming alloy parts—just a quick sketch and off we go, making decisions on the final lines and details on the run.”
“Since we grew up as race bike kids in the 1980s, we wanted to build an 80s endurance racer, but with a modern twist.”
VTR started by swapping the R 12 nineT's fuel tank out for the skinnier unit from the base model R 12, modifying it to accept an endurance-style filler cap. Next, the crew fabricated an aluminum fairing, belly pan, and tail section, with a custom-built subframe to support the latter. The extra pieces complement the OEM BMW tank perfectly, creating a silhouette that recalls 80s racers, but with a tighter, more tapered design.
A slim leather seat sits up top, with a classic Bates-style taillight poking out of the rear hump. VTR bikes often feature hints of Dani's previous career as a vintage aircraft technician. Here, the numerous fasteners holding the windscreen fulfill that role by mimicking the rivets on old planes.
A ton of consideration went into the R 12 nineT's new headlight arrangement. The idea of running a pair of lights in front of the fairing was carried over from vintage endurance racing bikes, while the mismatched sizes are a nod to BMW's long history of designing asymmetrical headlights. VTR staffers Stefano and Cello came up with the concept of styling the headlight bracket after the aero winglets on modern race bikes.
Elsewhere, VTR installed a Wilbers rear shock to lift the rear end a little, and swapped the wheels for ultra-light and super-luxe carbon fiber hoops from Rotobox. ABM clip-ons adorn the handlebars, while a titanium exhaust muffler and connector from Unit Garage eliminate the bike's catalytic converter. “This is the loudest bike I have ever ridden, other than Polizia Uno,” Dani confirms.
In true VTR fashion, the BMW wears an exquisite livery with a smorgasbord of blacked-out parts. Look closer, and you'll spot all the plumbing for a Wizards of NOS nitrous injection system.
The addition of NOS takes the R 12's output from 109 hp to 160 hp, with the potential to unleash about 25 hp more. “We have a 75-horsepower nozzle, but we programmed the system to deliver 'only' 70% of it, resulting in 50 hp more than stock,” Dani tells us.
“Fun fact: the system arrived without its throttle position sensor, which gives the 'go' signal for the NOS. There was no time to get it, and there was no way we were racing without NOS against our friends from Radical Guzzi.”
“Cello worked his magic—installing a micro-switch on the throttle, and a 3D-printed lever on the grip that activates the switch at full twist. My biggest fear was that our Guzzi friends would turn that little lever on the grip to prevent the NOS from activating... but they were too drunk.”
