The partnership between Roland Sands Design and BMW has been longstanding. Together we have developed a mutual level of trust and understanding through our collaborations on various builds. This relationship has given Roland the unique opportunity and privilege to get a peek behind the curtain on some of BMW's concepts and special projects. When the folks at Bavarian Motor Works gave Roland his first glimpse at the 1,802 cc two-cylinder boxer engine, BMW's highest displacement boxer ever built, without even seeing the full concept his literal fist words muttered under his breath were "Dragster." "The engine was so prominent and hulking; it immediately made me think of the stripped-down drag bikes that only carry the essential components necessary for going fast on a drag strip." Said Roland. Roland's family has always been into going fast; in fact, his father Perry raced drag bikes back in the day, so naturally, a ton of inspiration was drawn from Perry's style and old race bikes for the R 18 Dragster.
RSD X BMW R 18 Dragster
Aug 5th 2020
The R 18 Dragster custom bike in detail
- The frame has been modified completely, removing the rear
suspension for drag racing.
- Front and rear fenders have been slightly modified utilizing the stock
sheet metal parts in order to keep the classic R 18 silhouette.
- The headlight has been taken from the original R 18 and is
highlighted with the headlight bezel from the design collection of
milled aluminum parts.
- The standard exhaust has been replaced with a hand fabricated
Stainless Steel twin megaphone system utilizing the exhaust tips from
the milled aluminum parts.
- The hydraulic front brake and clutch master cylinders are from Roland
Sands Design.
- The tank has been taken over from the original R 18.
- The paint finish is a two-tone metallic blue with classic white BMW pinstripes
by Roland's long time painter Chris Wood.
- The fork has been taken from the BMW R nineT.
- The front braking system has been taken from the S 1000 RR
superbike.
- The seat has been built from scratch and is an RSD custom seat by
Saddlemen.