R18 Bobber, with a difference

I already mentioned that this project will focus on the “Bobber” style of customisation - this is true to the heritage of the R18, with key elements being; freeing up the rear wheel, having a single saddle (often old-fashioned, like an old bicycle saddle with springs) and removing all non-essential hang-on parts. That means quite a lot of modifying of the standard rear-end shown below.

I have been inspired by some of the other local and international builds (I visited Motorrad Days in Berlin in July), but decided to do something different with the rear-end. Instead of removing the large rear cast sub-frame (see picture below) and fabricating new seat brackets and even a new seat, I decided to cut the existing sub-frame short and use that as the seat mount. Furthermore, I decided to use the standard seat, as it flows so well with the bike’s diagonal line (see above) and gives it a more modern touch, than the old bicycle-style Bobber saddles (and it’s more comfortable).

I want a look which blacks-out as much chrome as possible, so I had all the chrome parts stripped and sent for black ceramic coating at “Powerkote”. This provides a great finish and is much more durable than any normal paint finish (which in itself is difficult with chrome). However, be warned, it was not quite trouble-free… the front engine cover warped during the process, so I had to order a new one in black from BMW (over 10k of unexpected cost to the project). Then a number of parts needed to be sent back for re-work, as the ceramic coating did not hold. When it works, it looks great (see below), however, if any of you know of a good quality method of coating chrome parts in a satin black finish, please let me know!

Fitting to the stripped down Bobber look, I again went for black bullet style indicators up front and combination rear lights / indicators at the rear. This required special brackets to be made up, as the normal rear mounting points had been cut away.

Support for the above-mentioned fabrication work, as well the cutting of the rear sub-frame and various mechanical work is being done for me by BMW Centurion (you might know them as Bavarian Motorcycles - just ask for Lenny), as their custom build R18 had a lot of features that I liked. Furthermore, BMW Stellenbosch helped me with advice from their build, and in the process with Powerkote. I think it helps using professionals like these dealers to ensure a good quality build which maintains the integrity of the original BMW product.

In the next Post, we’ll look at the exhaust. Then it’s time to go more into the visual theme for this build.