They say once you experience German engineering, you never go back. And this is certainly true of BMW Motorrad’s legendary motorcycles. BMWs feature unique flat-twin boxer engines, unmistakable style, and renowned mechanics that must live up to Berlin-level performance standards.
Launched in 1923, BMW has long been lauded for its line of airhead engines (1969–1995). The well-known R nineT and R80 series of Beemers (among others) have become the basis for quite a few masterful builds covered on these pages.
Sinroja Motorcycles have been producing sublime customs from their Leicestershire, England workshop for the past five years. This BMW R80 is their 17th build, and started life two years ago with a very simple brief. “I want a classic BMW in true Sinroja style, with a good mixture of modern and vintage details,” said the…
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We’ve always admired custom motorcycle workshops that keep pushing the boundaries. Austria’s Vagabund Moto have been doing good work since day one, but they’ve never rested on their laurels. The founding duo of Paul Brauchart and Philipp Rabl seems to level up on every build, relentlessly experimenting with new designs, materials and processes. Their 15th…
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We interviewed the team behind the development of the BMW R nineT a few years ago. They were adamant about one thing: the base bike should be easy to adapt to a wide range of styles. Now the German shop Hookie Co. are driving that point home, with their second plug and play kit for…
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This week we’re launching an occasional series of video reviews called ‘Fast Take.’ And we’re kicking off with riding impressions of the mighty BMW R18 cruiser. Inspired by the classic R5, the new R18 is the bike that BMW hopes will challenge Harley-Davidson and Indian. It also has the biggest and most powerful two-cylinder boxer…
Read more »Whenever a concept motorcycle becomes a production motorcycle, there are tears over how far the final product has strayed from the original…
Read more »We’re heavy on Bavaria this week, with a blacked-out BMW R18 from Harley specialist MB Cycles and a flat track-inspired R100 from…
Read more »Arjan van den Boom is one of Europe’s most successful customizers. The founder of Ironwood Motorcycles has well over 50 builds to…
Read more »Few new bike launches have been as controversial as the BMW R18. Seeing a German contender in the cruiser market has perplexed…
Read more »BMW Motorrad has a few quirky gems in the back catalog—like the early-90s R80R Mystic. As one of the last two-valve boxers…
Read more »BMW has wasted no time getting the new R18 into the hands of customizers. Five months ago, before the Bavarian cruiser was…
Read more »Nothing grows knowledge like experience. So the best way to figure out how to design a continent-crossing motorcycle, is to actually cross…
Read more »A new build from Spain’s Bolt Motor Co. is always a treat. The Valencia-based workshop has a history of high-end racecar preparation,…
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