roland sands unveils interpretation of custom bike based on the brand new BMW R 18

renowned custom bike designer roland sands has unveiled his interpretation of a custom bike based on the brand-new BMW R 18. sands’ creation stripped down the motorcycle to create a straight line dragster featuring the iconic and massive boxer powerplant. the result is the R 18 dragster, a 2-wheeled vehicle built around the impressive 2-cylinder big boxer.

all images courtesy of BMW motorrad

presented in april 2020, the BMW R 18 is the german car manufacturer’s first series production bike for the cruiser segment. like no other BMW motorcycle before it, this model stands entirely in the tradition of historical BMW motorcycles – both technically and with regard to its design. for the R 18 dragster, roland sands used his personal history for inspiration: ‘with an engine that’s so visibly the center piece, I immediately thought of muscle cars. my family has always been into going fast and my dad was a drag racer, so I thought it made sense to strip the bike down to the essentials and shape it to go fast on a straight track,’ sands explains.

roland sands always starts by sketching his ideas. this allows him to figure out the basics of the shape and what the stance and the geometry of the bike could look like. ‘in the end, the real magic happens when we bring the sketch to life,’ he explains.

apart from its technical characteristics, what’s impressive about the R 18 is how highly customizable it is. it features an easily removable rear frame and simple-to-dismantle painted parts set. this gives the customer a high degree of freedom for easily converting the rear end of the new R 18 to suit personal preferences. in addiction, you can also change the paint finish to suit your personal taste.

‘the electronics were definitely the most difficult task we had to deal with as we put in nitrous oxide, stripped out the stock exhaust and changed the intake drastically. it was a bit of an experiment, but we dialed it in! the final product is impressive and characterized by a high level of craftsmanship, as can be expected from BMW motorrad. right from the beginning, I couldn’t wait to get customizing!’ roland continues.

for the R 18 dragster, roland sands and his team retained the stock neck geometry of the R 18, removed the bikes rear end and turned it into a drag racer. they also modified the front and rear fender to fit the modified frame. the whole customizing process took about three and a half months and the bike then head to the workshop for final assembly and a day at a drag strip.

‘every bike needs different sources depending on the build, special materials or parts,’ roland concludes. ‘every new bike concept is a bit of a learning process even after having built over 200 bikes. we always want to understand the genre of the bike we are building in, it’s the key to keeping it authentic and functional.’