BMW’s motorcycle building division encourages tuners and builders to view the R18 cruiser as a blank canvas for customization. It has been converted into a dragster, it has worn kidneys and the latest build transforms it into a futuristic two-wheeler unlike anything on the road.
Russia-based Zillers Garage gave the R18 a complete makeover with a new exterior design and major suspension changes. Still called R18, the bike looks like it’s been blasted into 2021 from a distant future; it gets body panels made from carbon fiber, wheels machined using a CNC machine and various 3D printed components. Seen from the outside, there’s nothing to indicate that this bike started life as a BMW.
One of the coolest and most surprising tweaks is an air suspension system that replaces the factory-fitted steel setup. While air suspension systems are relatively common in the automotive world, and have been for over two decades, they are almost unheard of on the motorcycle planet. As a result, you won’t see the R18 on a stand; it rests on a pair of spikes bolted to the skid plate.
It sounds like Zillers left the mighty engine of the R18 untouched. Power comes from an air-cooled 1.8-liter flat-twin that develops 91 horsepower and a solid 116 pound-feet of torque. It sends the R18 to a top speed of 118 mph, and we bet it sounds absolutely amazing doing it.
Prices for the Zillers R18 start at $44,900, which is a huge number for a motorcycle, and buyers can order it as a fully built turnkey model or as a kit to build themselves – or pay someone else to buy it. to build for them. Production is limited to 13 units worldwide and delivery takes approximately four months for a kit and six months for a complete bike. At the time of writing, there are five build slots available; two have already been built for customers, according to enthusiast website Bike Exif, and the company has received six additional orders.