R 18 B HEAVY DUTY: Stunning custom bike by customizing icon Fred Kodlin
Fred Kodlin is nearly always mentioned in the same sentence as the American customs scene. He has devoted himself for more than 40 years to modifying motorcycles, from radically altered versions to intricate new ideas. He has had great success with his custom bikes throughout the 1990s and routinely took first place at significant Daytona events. He was the first person from outside the US to be honoured in the Sturgis Hall of Fame.
Along with his son Len, Fred Kodlin has now started modifying a BMW for the first time—the BMW R 18 B. "The R 18 B HEAVY DUTY was a real father-son project. There was a lot of creative input from Len which also goes to show that the next generation at Kodlin Bikes is already in the starting blocks," says the boss of Kodlin Bikes in Borken happily.
The frame was by far the hardest part of customising this year's crowd favourite at Florida's Daytona Bike Week. "We have completely remanufactured the upper tubes to lower the fly-line and thus the seat height of the R 18 B. We also redid the steering head and the triple clamps so that the caster fits despite the changed steering angle and so that the bike rides well," explains Fred Kodlin.
The R 18 B HEAVY DUTY, a bike in classic Kodlin fashion, was the end result. As viewed from the side, the fly-line begins at the rear of the vehicle and drops quickly into the low rear end and side cases produced by Kodlin out of glass fiber-reinforced plastic. The windscreen was cut from the Original BMW Motorrad Accessories line. The R 18 B HEAVY DUTY has a powerful waistline in the seat region and a flowing connection to the side cases, which are characteristics from the top.
The air suspension system in the front and back is the last technical highlight of the chassis. It is held up by a compressor that is barely visible under the left side case. This makes it possible to quickly lower and raise the R 18 B HEAVY DUTY. In order to park, lower the chassis until it rests on hidden support points, allowing the bike to crouch just a few centimetres over the pavement as you wait for the next ride. This is as impressive as it is practical.
The Kodlin team spent almost three months researching body structure in no less depth. The original sheet metal tank was fully replaced with a longer, more curved tank with indentations on the sides. For this reason, the connection between the tank and the rear frame was also altered. On the other hand, the R 18 B's original mobile phone charging compartment has been replaced.
Sheet metal is also used for the front mudguard, which fits snugly around the 21-inch front wheel, a front spoiler with a 3-colour underfloor lighting system, a feature that is popular throughout the world and not just in Daytona, and the front spoiler. Last, Kodlin joined two R 18 B rear mudguards together to make a similar piece for the back wheel. This counterpart features a very subtle integration of the rear and side indicator lights. The two sheet metal side covers, which seamlessly flow into the side cases, are created to order. Speaking of side cases, the interior is equipped with Marshall R 18 B loudspeakers and an amplifier. The cases' hinge panels, which are made of aluminium and are milled in the manner of the original R 18 B parts, again showcase Kodlin's meticulous attention to detail.
Another part of the design is the so-called winglets above the cylinders. Although they are also constructed of metal, they serve no practical purpose. Instead, they emphasise the R 18 B HEAVY DUTY's design and give it a distinctive appearance, especially when viewed from the front. The finishing touches to the customization include a seat constructed by Kodlin, an instrument cover with Alcantara and imitation leather covers, as well as custom handlebars and an exhaust system that was made from scratch.
Marcel Sinnwell has painted other Kodlin showbikes in the past, but he only uses a spray gun on very rare occasions now. He might paint boats or a R 18 B HEAVY DUTY, for instance. Translucent paint was used to totally airbrush the colour gradients for this project. The mixing of colour pigments in paint, particularly the way they first mingled to form streaks in the milky basecoat, served as the inspiration for this. The outcome blends in perfectly with Daytona Bike Week, where intricate and vibrant paint jobs go beyond mere aesthetics.
The R 18 B HEAVY DUTY also has hand-painted pinstripes and an airbrushed pattern on the rear mudguard that combines Kodlin and "100 years of BMW Motorrad." But the shifter, foot brake levers, and footrests that come standard from BMW Motorrad are all the same color.
But Fred Kodlin by no means laid his hands on all the assemblies and parts. What was a particularly positive surprise for him: "The bolts. They are all made of stainless steel, with a nice Torx head. That’s not the way it is on other bikes. The basic bike and especially the engine are very, very cleanly finished. All the electrical cables are already nicely hidden, so we didn't have to do anything to the engine," he explains.
Several R 18 B components were purposefully left alone or, at best, changed for this reason. For instance, the handlebar end weights and shorter hand levers. Technically speaking, the engine stayed unaltered as well. Just the intake snorkel, belt cover, and cylinder head covers were coated in shiny black.
Reverse gear, eCall, cruise control with distance control, and these features have not altered. The BMW R 18 B has entirely unique features in the world of cruisers, where no other manufacturers offer these amenities.