BMW has revealed the result of its latest collaboration with a legend of motorcycle design. The R18 One Eight C was built and designed by legendary bike builder Paul Yaffe, inspired by the iconic 1950s Mercury Lead Sled. Based on the BMW R18 Transcontinental, the design was only decided on after Yaffe spent more than 6,115 km riding the bike to Sturgis. It was on that trip that he decided he wanted to build a big wheel bagger unlike any he’d made before.
And he wasn’t messing around, the front
wheel was custom commissioned, and measures in at 26 inches by 5.5 inches
(660×140 mm). It was cut from a single, 181 kg block of aluminum and
requires a custom-made front tire. The front wheel is so large that the frame of
the BMW R18 Transcontinental had to be stretched and raked to fit it. In
addition, Yaffe had to get special triple trees (the yoke that connects the
forks to the frame) engineered to correct the trail measurement and optimize
handling.
Although that’s the most
attention-grabbing detail, it is by no means the only one-of-a-kind component.
The steel front fender was made from scratch, the R18’s faring was cut and
restructured, a new chin spoiler was developed to conceal the radiator, and a
set of Yaffe Monkey Bars was made special for this project. Leaning into the
Lead Sled aesthetic, Yaffe installed an air suspension and side pipes. To honor
the bike’s maker, they worked to retain the Boxer head pipes but removed the
catalytic converters from the head to make way for a custom perforated
high-flow baffle system.
To finish it all up, the team chose to go
with a simple paint finish. Yaffe says he didn’t want to distract from the
R18’s new stance and profile, so the emphasis was on creating a minimalistic
allure. The R18 One Eight C will make
its official public debut at the MBE Show in Verona, Italy.
