Ever since its inception, the BMW R 18 has gathered a lot of attention (read love) from custom bike builders and it isn’t stopping anytime soon. The latest addition to the list of custom R 18s comes from popular bikemaker Workhorse Speed Shop, with the inspiration for the motorcycle coming from none other than Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars.

Custom BMW R 18 By Workhorse Speed Shop

With several mind-blowing custom bikes under its belt, the hopes were equally high for the custom R 18 and it didn’t disappoint. According to Brice Hennebert (shop owner), the pre-build inspiration came from the AVUS race circuit in Berlin, which doubled up as a public road as well as a race track. This versatility is what Brice wanted to showcase for the project too.

With this clear, Brice opened up the design cookbooks and was starstruck by the Bentley Blue Train from 1949 and the Rolls-Royce Phantom Jonckheere Coupe from 1935 which serve as the design inspiration here.

Coming to the bike, the first noteworthy thing here is the bike’s squat stance. Credit here goes to the hand-fabricated belly plan (inspired by the Bentley) and the upgraded suspension setup. The front suspension now comprises 43mm Ohlins forks while the rear monoshock also comes from Ohlins.

Separating the front forks is a re-designed yoke (wider than the stock one) to make way for the custom 21-inch spoke wheel. Similarly, there’s also a custom 18-inch spoke wheel, wrapped in a 240-section tire. Besides this, the custom braking setup is a work of art in itself featuring cater-made Beringer inboard brakes and custom hubs to house the ABS sensors.

Next, we come to the bodywork. To start off, the bikemaker emptied the space under the custom seat by moving all rehousing the electric components behind the gearbox. Post this, a 3D-printed nylon nacelle made its way up front that hides a pop-up smartphone mount behind it, as requested by the owner.

Rounding things off are reverse-style clutch/brake levers, redesigned engine casings, air intakes, a custom handlebar (with brakes lines tucked inside), a finned rear fender (inspired by the Rolls-Royce), and a mesmerizing blue livery.

Apart from the redesigned casing, the Boxer engine also boasts a hand-fabricated exhaust system built out of race car mufflers, which is neatly tucked inside the custom belly pan. It’s safe to say the bike will announce its arrival quite well now.

Can You Buy It?

Sadly, you can’t. However, the owner of this motorcycle has permitted Brice to create a limited series of ten such bikes if he gets any requests. So if you dig this (like we do), all you need to do is book a plane ticket to Germany, buy a BMW R 18, and hit up Brice ASAP.