Bowker Motorrad has a long history of producing bespoke “one off” bikes for our customers, whether it be a race replica RR , R nineT based Bobber or Dakar Replica Urban GS. When the R18 was introduced into the Motorrad family everyone at Bowker wanted an opportunity to bring to life their own vision of a custom build to the big boxer engined bike.
We were very proud to have our technician, Shannon Constable, step up to the challenge and oversee the build. Her vision of subtle customisation to the bike, with concentration on styling and stand out accents really set it off. Shannon chose to cerekote all the engine components in a satin black, including standard exhaust headers and modified shorty silencers.
Bodywork was stripped back and painted “in house” to match the swapped-out Heritage tank badges in BMW colour Arizona Sun. To compliment the new colour scheme, a rework of the seat was needed. Local company Bootleg Bike Seats put a little twist of “rock and roll” into it with a gorgeous recovered standard seat in diamond stitch.
With styling all taken care of, it was then time to look at the wheels. At the top of Shannon’s wish list was a set of RSD diamond cut billet alloy wheels and , is if by magic, a set suddenly appeared by her work bench clad in Avon Cobra rubber one day. The 21” front and 18” rear wheel totally change the stance of the R18 and instantly adds presence. Shannon has taken the First Edition R18 and successfully kept form, function and reliability whilst adding her own vision of individuality and styling to the bike.
