A fully handcrafted chopper built on a BMW R18 chassis was finally presented to the public at the Top Marques show in Monaco recently. The customization project was made by European bike builder Radikal Chopper.
Commissioned by Officine Riunite Milanesi, a R18 was entrusted to the genius and art of Andrea Radaelli from Radikal Chopper. It was considered by motorcycle enthusiasts as “an extreme reinterpretation of the German maxi cruiser where luxury, craftsmanship and the nobility of the materials used meet in this unique and fascinating motorcycle.”
Completely handmade using brass, aircraft grade aluminum and well-chosen and treated wood, the BMW R 18 Magnifica is inspired the vintage motorbikes of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s and in particular the BMW R 37, objects that “have an incredible charm that even today many modern motorbikes cannot replicate.”
“The bike has to be my own creation, I don’t feel like dredging up or modifying a concept already set up and done very well by others,” Andrea Radaelli, chief designer of Radikal Chopper as he also explained that he wants a design unlike any other custom. For example, the use of a particular material such as wood is a strong reminder of the motorbikes of the past, which used it for certain details such as the grips; an idea that also came to mind when thinking of the old BMW cars of the 1940s with wooden steering wheels. The use of wood also responds to the desire to put something ‘alive’ on the motorbike as it fits coherently with the design of the R 18 Magnifica, giving this custom a chic, retro, and modern effect at the same time.
The idea of building a custom bike based on the BMW R 18 came from Raffaello Polchi, owner of Officine Riunite Milanesi and a lifelong motorbike enthusiast.
No CAD or render as a starting point, but at most a sketch of the bike: the rest is all down to the creative imagination of Andrea Radaelli. The R 18 was initially considered without all the elements necessary for series production and then rethought respecting the proportions between the front and rear of the bike, to achieve a harmonious visual logic. Nothing on the R 18 Magnifica is bought, everything (or almost everything) has been thought out and built by hand.
The forks have the same slope as the original ones but a look reminiscent of those on vintage motorbikes, inside, however, they are completely modern, built from billet parts. The electrical system has not been modified; everything is fully functional.
The exception are the rims, machined from billet and machined with numerically controlled machines, but always to a design by Radikal Chopper. Even the innovative brake discs and calipers were specially created. The tail and seat are one-piece suspension and give the idea of floating in the air. The rear end is mahogany with a polished stainless steel center section, giving the motorbike a jewel-like appearance.
The dimensions, rims, and tires have remained true to the original: the bike is perfectly serviceable. Beneath the retro aesthetics lies a technologically modern motorbike, lightened by around 100 kg: the weight of the BMW R 18 Magnifica is in fact around 250-260 kg, compared with 345 kg for the original model.
