It’s the last month of 2022, and for the second year in a row, BMW Motorrad Germany is holding a customization contest. Unlike last year’s contest, though, participants had the option of basing their builds on more than just R 18s. For 2022, BMW decided to open the competition up to custom R nineT builds, as well.
What you now see before you are the 13 bikes built by a variety of custom shops across Germany. Eight BMW R 18s and five BMW R nineTs are available for you to vote on, via the link we’ll include in our Sources. Votes will be accepted through December 11, 2022, and those who vote will automatically be entered in a prize drawing for a season with a bike in the R 18 family. (For the purposes of this contest, BMW defines a season as “April-September 2023”.)
Were there any rules for customization? As far as creativity goes, not really. Participants were given a timeframe of three months in which to build their creations—but beyond that, they could do whatever they liked with the bikes. That’s reflected in the variety of builds you’ll see here, some of which may even have taken 200-plus hours to complete.
Gallery: BMW Motorrad Germany 2022 Customization Contest
A total of 12 different builders took part in the 2022 competition. This included ahg Autohandelsgesellschaft mbH Eningen, Auer Gruppe GmbH, Auer Biker Village Stockach-Zizenhausen, Becker & Tiemann Motorrad Lage, Cloppenburg GmbH Erfurt, Klaus Mayer GmbH & Co. KG Mannheim, Motorbike Bögel GmbH Ibbenbüren, Motorbike Guhs e.K. Schwarzenbach an der Saale, Motorradzentrum Helmig & Sohn Wietmarschen, Motorrad Huber GmbH Unterreit, Procar Automobile GmbH & Co. KG Cologne, Motorrad Witzel Sennfeld, and Zweiradwerke Vertriebs GmbH Rosenheim.
Why only 12? Cloppenburg GmbH Erfurt was the one shop that built both a custom R 18 and also a custom R nineT. From a custom paint job inspired by Iron Maiden to one that makes copious use of brushed stainless steel, you’ll find a variety of design theories to appreciate among this year’s entries.
Voting for your favorite custom build is simple, although of course you’ll need to enter your personal data on BMW’s webpage. Please be aware that the Country dropdown menu includes a variety of countries other than Germany, but the U.S. is not among them. If your country is listed, though, you should be able to participate. Happy voting!
