Thanks to an air suspension this bike lowers itself onto its kickstand to park
<!––>
by Sebastien Bell
March 13, 2023 at 18:34
<!––>
by Sebastien Bell
<!–
–>
The Sturgis Hall of Fame’s first inductee not born in the United States was Fred Kodlin, a German customizer who recently worked with BMW to create a singular custom bike based on the BMW R18 B. The result of months of work, the creation of the bike involved a significant amount of metalwork, and a staggering number of changes. The outcome is what Kodlin calls the R 18 B Heavy Duty.
“We have completely remanufactured the upper tubes to lower the fly-line and thus the seat height of the R 18 B,” said Kodlin. “We also redid the steering head and the triple clamps so that the caster fits despite the changed steering angle and so that the bike rides well.”
Typical of the customizer’s style, the bike features a chopped windshield and a fly line that drops sharply to the rear. Around the back wheel, the body lines meet custom-made side cases that form almost a waistline for the bike when seen from overhead.
In addition to being aesthetic, the cases are also functional, as the right-side unit hides a compressor for the air suspension unit. This raises and lowers the bike in less than a second. While that’s impressive enough on its own, it’s also helpful while parking, because the bike drops onto a hidden kickstand, which makes it look like it is simply standing there on its own.
Kodlin and his crew spent three months working on the sheet metal alone, creating a new gas tank, and a new mudguard to go around the 21-inch front wheel, while the front spoiler has a three-color underlighting system installed in it.
advertisement scroll to continue
The paintwork, meanwhile, was done by Marcel Sinnwell. More of a tattoo artist than a vehicle painter, he only picks up the airbrush for very special projects. The pinstriping is a nod to BMW Motorrad‘s 100th anniversary, while the tie-dye elements were inspired by watching paints mix. In addition, Kodlin also collaborated with his son Len on the creation of this custom motorcycle.
“The R 18 B HEAVY DUTY was a real father-son project,” he said. “There was a lot of creative input from Len which also goes to show that the next generation at Kodlin Bikes is already in the starting blocks.”