The Wal Custom BMW R 18 By Shinya Kimura

Following on from custom builds by Roland Sands and Dirk Oehlerking comes The Wal custom BMW R 18 by Shinya Kimura. And the latest in the SoulFuel collaborations is definitely unique and distinctive. And after riding a standard model in February 2021, it only took until the end of June for “The Wal” to be created, although mechanical problems took a couple more weeks to solve.

The Wal Custom BMW R 18 By Shinya Kimura
“The Wal” by Shinya Kimura

While elements like the suspension and brakes didn’t get changed, the fuel tank is longer for an extra gallon of fuel capacity, and to move the seating position further back towards the rear of the bike. The Kimura designed seat pad was handmade in a bucket style by Backdrop Leathers in Japan, with flowing lines over the lengthened tail unit round rear light.

The Wal tail
The Wal tail

“I also moved the foot rests back about two inches to have more flexibility for positioning the legs. At the same time, I lowered the handlebars and changed the seat,” said Kimura. And if you want to adopt a similar stance, you’ll need handelbars which are 8 inches narrower and 6 inches lower.

Wind protection on The Wal comes from the semi-shell fairing
Wind protection on The Wal comes from the semi-shell fairing

The purpose of the fairing may be practical, but the asymmetric headlights hark back to classic endurance racers. Meanwhile the lights and ‘teeth’ below give an appearance of a whale, or other marine animals. It’s complimented by the new side covers.

The Wal Custom BMW R 18 By Shinya Kimura
The Wal Custom BMW R 18 By Shinya Kimura

The whole bike was then given a special paint finish. The new panels and parts were hammered to give them texture and character, before being given a bronze powder coating. Which does echo the skin of a whale, as well as looking really cool, especially with the light and shadows creating changing constrasts all over the motorcycle. The exhaust was kept standard, but it did get some black paint to fit the look and style of the custom BMW R 18.

The Wal Custom BMW R 18 By Shinya Kimura
“The Wal”

“What I like best about my version of the R 18 is that I was able to change the style and seating position to my liking without destroying the excellent original functionality of the R 18. But drastically changing the seating position and adding my own style and taste was a big challenge in my interpretation of the BMW Heritage. Besides, all these computerised systems and wiring were quite new to me and I learned a lot,” says Kimura.

Kimura enjoying
Kimura enjoying “The Wal”

It’s definitely a very different approach and style to the previous Spirit of Passion custom BMW R 18 by Kingston Custom, as you’d expect from the father of “Zero Style” motorcycles and 30 years of custom motorcycle building in Japan and California. And the Chabott Engineering founder still follows the Japanese approach of wabi sabi (austere refinement).

You can keep up with all our coverage of new, custom and classic BMW motorcycles, here. Including the Wunderlich Rockbob R 18, or The Spirit of Passion R 18. Want to pick up a BMW R 18 and start customising it? Check out the selection currently for sale via eBay.

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