For decades, BMW Motorrad was a notoriously insular brand, but the 21st-century motorcycle industry is a different beast, and input from around the world is essential for success. Over the weekend, the company won its first WSBK title, thanks to a Turkish rider competing with a British-run team. Off the track, the German brand is constantly trying to grow sales, especially in markets that are truly motorcycle-mad. As part of that effort, BMW Motorrad Japan announced the ‘R12 Custom Project’, and to tap into the local culture, four of the country’s most iconic names were tasked with building truly unique Bavarian-born cruisers. Each one is a masterpiece, representing the builders’ signature style and proving without a doubt just how versatile the R12 platform is.
The first BMW of the quartet rolls out of HAMANS Custom, one of Japan’s best-known chopper builders. Owner Matsumoto has a deep love for American cars from the ’50s and ’60s, and his metalwork is second to none. So, it should come as no surprise, that even as he sought to give the cruiser a more café racer vibe, he did so with some simply stunning one-off body pieces.
First, he had to lower the factory subframe and fabricate a pair of seat rails that run parallel to the ground. From there, he had the perfect base, and the handmade tail cowl, with a stunning inset leather seat, instantly transformed the lines of the bike.
The tank was a more complex task; the top has smooth flowing lines, while on the lower edges, he had to navigate the tight gap between the frame’s backbone and the top of the engine. The finished result is beautiful, and the hand-formed custom side panels help give the bike that old-school vibe.
At the front of the BMW is a small cowl, which continues as a single piece, wrapping around the upper clamp and encircling the digital dash. Matsumoto chose to ditch the factory headlight in favour of twin projector lights, but his true love is never far away, as the factory wheels were stripped and then Cerakoted to take on that old-school mag wheel appeal.
If you want to capture the ethos of the nation, then who better than MOONEYES, which has been cultivating Japan’s custom culture for many years, including organising the prestigious Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show? So, how do you capture the MOONEYES style on a custom cruiser? “The theme we arrived at was the ‘sense of speed’ that was embodied in the old MOONEYES racing machines.
You can’t achieve that look without the famous moon disc wheel covers! To make the aluminium circles work correctly, the team swapped the rims over for K-series items. But bolting them on showed a need for a unique curve, allowing the discs to just clear the braking system.
The rest of the build follows suit, with the entire body of the bike handmade from aluminium and given a brushed finished. The R12 looks like it’s doing 200mph while standing still, largely thanks to that incredible front cowl, which neatly wraps around the bike and partially covers the slick front tyre.
The fuel tank and seat unit are all shaped into one piece, the incredibly long lines a masterpiece of fabrication. The seat lets the rider lay down over the tank, which required a change to the foot controls, and the front clip-ons have been dropped way down the forks. Finally, with the graphics applied, the whole thing was slammed to the floor to create a low and loud land speed racer.
The most practical of the builds earns the appropriate name “Legal Weapon R12” and has been built by the talented team at Trijya Custom Motorcycles. Okamoto and his team of highly skilled specialists weren’t going to waste the chance to work with a major manufacturer and have taken the time to carefully 3D scan the body and begin producing parts with an eye toward future commercialisation.
The side covers for the oil cooler are 3D printed from the scans and incorporate a unique winglet. The same styling is also applied to the valve covers and their lower counterparts, which add style points as well as some useful crash protection. To show they have the old school skills too, the factory fuel tank was removed and has been heavily modified for a more dramatic effect. While to really help steal the show on this everyday bike, the modular wheels are one-off items produced especially for the build-off.
A 3D-printed front fender and tail tidy are both instant hits and you can imagine they’ll sell like hot cakes, with the seat and tail section keeping the classic styling flowing at the rear. As part of the process, Trijya brought in some of their most trusted suppliers and have already created a range of parts, like suspension from YSS, which is featured on the build and for sale to the public.
All such practicalities and market-based legalities are of no concern to the wild bunch of bikers who organise the beach-based drag racing for each year’s Chirihama Sand Flats. In crafting their “R12 Sand Speeder Mark I”, the only things they had in mind were going fast in the sand and looking badass while doing it. Those long-legged front forks are more than 2 inches over standard and are all completely custom-made, with newly machined triple clamps to suit. The solid front wheel, in its uber-polished finish, makes a bold statement, and brakes? Well, they’re just for the rear! At the back end, things are just as wild, with the suspension removed, making it all rigid, and a big tyre to grip the salty stuff.
The bodywork around the backbone is seriously minimal and shows off the stunning frame, which is almost always hidden on a BMW R build. But such a tight-fitting piece required repositioning of the battery, and even the fuel pump and filler have been moved under the seat. The long and low tailpiece is for both form and function; that sand will go 30 feet high if not faced with an aluminium barrier.
The flat bars with mid controls mean you are locked in tight when it comes time to mash the throttle. The engine breathes easier thanks to two massive pod filters, which are only dwarfed by those wickedly long exhaust pipes that really capture the Boxer beat. One bike, four builders, and when the big Bavarian teams up with the best of Japan, it’s no wonder the results are this good.
