Dirk Oehlerking of Kingston Custom specializes in creating one-off BMW boxers out of a 100-year-old converted steel forge in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. BMW Motorrad is entering its 100th year of making motorcycles and tapped Oehlerking to lend his hand to a custom R 18 to mark the occasion. The result is The Crown, a unique take on streamliner speed bikes of the prewar era. Aside from the overall shape, the most striking feature of The Crown is the front suspension. Oehlerking engineered a custom front swingarm, eliminating the traditional telescoping fork, a feature seen on other BMW motorcycles over the years. The bodywork is hand formed in aluminum sheet, with tight-fitting slash-cut exhausts and a champagne and mother-of-pearl livery with gold accents and brass fasteners. For all the modifications, The Crown measures just two inches longer and weighs 88 pounds less than a stock R 18. The bike is on display at the BMW Motorrad Days in Berlin.
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