BMW R 18 B motorcycle revamped for Daytona bike show

For more than 40 years, Germany’s Fred Kodlin has dedicated himself to customising motorbikes, from radically modified creations to sophisticated new designs.

His custom bikes have won various shows and he was the first non-US citizen to be inducted into the Sturgis Hall of Fame, an organisation dedicated to preserving the history of motorcycling

Together with his son Len, Kodlin has customised a radical-looking BMW R 18 B Heavy Duty for what is reputed to be the world’s largest motorcycle event:  Daytona Bike Week, which took place in Florida from March 3-12.

The biggest challenge in customising this crowd puller was the frame, according to Kodlin.

“We have completely remanufactured the upper tubes to lower the fly-line and thus the seat height of the R 18 B,” he said.

Viewed from the side, the fly-line drops sharply to the rear from the chopped windshield taken from the original BMW Motorrad Accessories range, and finally runs harmoniously into the side cases made by Kodlin out of glass fibre-reinforced plastic and the low rear end.

The technical chassis highlight is an air suspension at the front and rear, supported by a compressor.

This allows the R 18 B Heavy Duty to be lowered and raised, both as useful as it is spectacular: to park, lower the chassis, and it rests on hidden support points letting the bike crouch just a few centimetres above the asphalt.

A completely new sheet metal tank was created — longer than the original, flowing in shape and with indentations on the sides. The connection of the tank and rear frame was also modified for this purpose. 

Metal winglets above the cylinders do not fulfil any function. Rather they underline the design for an unmistakable appearance, especially when viewed from the front.

The seat too is a custom job by Kodlin, as is the instrument cover made of Alcantara and imitation leather, and the specially made handlebars and exhaust system.

Custom painter Marcel Sinnwell created the striking paint job, airbrushed with translucent paint. Additional design touches are hand-painted pinstripes and an airbrushed pattern on the rear mudguard that combines Kodlin and “100 years of BMW Motorrad”.