FEATURE – Kingston Custom BMW R 18
Words: Mike Ryan
Photos: BMW Motorrad
The last time JUST BIKES featured a build from Kingston Custom - the ‘Spirit of Passion’ in 2021 - we described it as the most individual creation we’d seen on the BMW R 18 platform. We’re going to have to reset that judgement, as Kingston’s latest creation, ‘The Crown,’ is even more individual and totally unique.
Thanks to builds like the ‘White Phantom,’ ‘Good Ghost,’ ‘Spirit of Passion’ and a string of BMW-based bobbers and café racers, Kingston Custom is now one of the best-known custom motorcycle houses in the world. Based in Gelsenkirchen, between Essen and Dortmund in Germany’s west, Kingston Custom was founded by Dirk Oehlerking in 2010.
Oehlerking has a history in motorcycling going back much further than this, though, with the man himself saying he has oil and petrol in his blood. Starting in motocross, Oehlerking switched to enduro racing and was a national champion in his native Germany. He competed at international level, too.
Since he caught the custom bug, Oehlerking has built all manner of one-offs, on platforms as diverse as Yamaha, Honda and Triumph. But his more recent - and most notable - creations have all been based on BMWs.
Streamlined Style
The style that Oehlerking and Kingston Custom are associated with today was first seen on the ‘White Phantom’ from 2016. Based on a 1986 BMW R80 RT, that build was a class runner-up at the 2016 AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building. Two years later, an R80 RT-based sibling - the ‘Black Phantom’ - arrived. What defined these two bikes was their wrapround aluminium bodywork that left the signature BMW horizontal twin cylinders exposed.
In 2019, famous motorcycle museum owner and custom motorcycle patron Bobby Haas commissioned Oehlerking to build a third custom in the same Art Deco style. Dubbed ‘Good Ghost,’ this took what had been developed on the Phantoms and upped the ante to create an aluminium skin that enveloped the whole bike, leaving only the handlebars and those boxer twin cylinder heads exposed. Themes explored on that creation can be seen in what’s presented here; a bike that Oehlerking calls ‘The Crown’.
Between the Good Ghost and The Crown, there was also ‘Spirit of Passion’ that JUST BIKES featured two years ago. That build was commissioned by BMW Motorrad to explore the customisation potential of the R 18 cruiser.
One of the key points of difference on the Spirit of Passion compared to past Kingston Custom builds is that the running gear and frame were almost entirely untouched. A similar process was applied to The Crown, too, even though it may not look like it!
The Simple Approach
As with the Spirit of Passion, Oehlerking’s technique in designing and building The Crown was low tech. By that, we mean it was all done without CAD, 3D printing or modern milling equipment. Even the sketches are low tech. Oehlerking starts with a pencil and Tipp-Ex, then works that sketch over and over until he has a feel for what’s right aesthetically.
With the design finalised on paper, the talented German then turns to foam and cardboard to mock up the shape in three dimensions – in this case on an R 18 that he'd already stripped-down - before replicating the form in metal.
“As always, I worked with hard foam and cardboard to create the shape, the lines and the design," Oehlerking explained. “The aim was for it to look powerful, elegant and fast, combined with an innovative look.”
As with past Kingston Custom builds, The Crown has a very Art Deco aesthetic. However, where the two Phantoms and Spirit of Passion were bulkier machines, evoking automobiles and trains in their styling, the streamlined shape on The Crown has more of an aviation look and feel, like the sleek planes built for the Schneider Trophy air races in the 1930s. One can also see C1950s jet fighter styling in the wraparound bodywork that’s more ‘fuselage’ than ‘fairing’.
At the front, The Crown’s bespoke body houses the factory R 18 headlight and almost looks like a jet intake, while the shape tapers to meet the R 18 swingarm and a rear wheel that looks like it’s gripped by the mudguard.
Oehlerking cut, shaped and formed the body from sheets of 2mm aluminium, then secured the panels with brass fasteners that contribute to this build’s retro looks.
Narrow, streamlined styling doesn’t really suit a big 1800cc BMW flat twin though, so some compromises were made on the fuselage body. Along with cutouts for the engine cylinders, Oehlerking added similar openings for the footpegs, pedals and hand controls. On the nearside, the lever to activate the R 18’s reversing function and a 12V outlet poke out of the bodywork, too.
As eye-catching as this body is, the more intriguing elements are the front outriggers that mask a custom steering arrangement.
The Low Road
Making a bike so low and lean meant the standard steering couldn’t be used, so Oehlerking innovated with a “back to front" approach.
In place of the factory forks, yokes and handlebar, Oehlerking fabricated a double-sided swingarm for the front wheel that pivots off a central strut incorporated into the frame. It’s all hidden under the fuselage body, so how it exactly works isn’t clear, but a Wilbers shock is used, and as Oehlerking makes all his creations rideable, suspension travel is there. At a guess, it’s probably only around 6cm, though, compared to 12cm in factory form.
The steering works off this custom set-up, too, via cables and clip-on handlebars. Those outriggers on the front end lead to the presumption that The Crown has no turning ability at all, but it is there – just not a lot of it. U-turns would be interesting!
Removable covers that look like reversed air scoops allow access to the front axle, with their shape mimicked by a bespoke stainless steel exhaust system that closely hugs the body and ends in unsilenced, slash-cut tips ahead of the rear wheel.
The oh-so-low styling that necessitated ditching the factory front end also meant the factory fuel tank had to go. In its place is a fabricated 8-litre unit that’s incorporated into the body and accessed via a classic flip-up fuel cap. This sits between the factory instrument pod and a seat that’s definitely NOT factory!
Taking a leaf out of past Kingston Custom builds, the saddle on The Crown is finished in suede, with retro-look quilted stitching and little more than a sliver of padding. A small hoop at the trailing edge prevents the rider’s backside from interfacing with the rear mudguard.
That mudguard, by the way, is one of the few custom elements on this build that Oehlerking didn’t create from scratch. It was sourced from Wunderkind, along with the brackets that hold it in place. Those brackets also feature LED tail lights, but you wouldn't spot them at first glance. Same goes for the front indicators, which are tiny Kellerman units, located at the junction between the two main body sections.
Stock . . . and Not
The wheels, brakes and rear suspension on The Crown are all the stock BMW R 18 items, with the pedals and pegs unchanged, too.
Switchgear and grips are also factory, but the levers are from Magura, as are the master cylinders. Adding mirrors would have spoiled the lines and that low stance, so they’re absent entirely.
Speaking of low, one image of The Crown with Oehlerking alongside it shows just how low it is – probably less than 900mm (the standard R 18 is 1232mm high, including the mirrors).
Although the dimensions aren’t provided, The Crown is clearly narrower than an R 18, too, thanks to those clip-ons, while stripping the factory fuel tank and front end would have certainly reduced weight. One report puts The Crown at around 40kg lighter than a stock R 18, though this is unconfirmed.
Paint has been a key component on past Kingston Custom builds, but is used to more subtle effect here. Some of the hand-formed aluminium panels have been left raw, with others coated in what Oehlerking calls ‘Champagne Platinum’. White contrast panels on the flanks and rear mudguard are edged in double gold coachlines, evoking detailing found on the earliest BMW motorcycles.
The gold also picks up on the brass screws and very subtle Kingston and BMW branding that’s applied to the front outriggers, rear mudguard and under the headlight.
The exterior is said to include Mother of Pearl accents, too, but these are hard to spot in the images presented.
On Show
The Crown had its official unveiling at BMW Motorrad Days in Berlin this past July. The 2023 edition of this annual event devoted to all things BMW motorcycles coincided with BMW Motorrad’s centenary, which explains why it was the biggest ever, with more than double the crowd of last year.
As The Crown was built for BMW, they’ll presumably be taking it around other shows in 2023 and beyond, and maybe give it some additional exposure at the all-new BMW Motorrad Welt (BMW Motorcycle World) facility that’s due to open alongside BMW Motorrad’s Berlin factory in September.
Given we thought Oehlerking couldn’t go better than his previous build – and were proven wrong – we won’t make such a rash judgement about this one. All we can say is, having seen The Crown, we look forward to what’s coming next from Kingston Custom.
