Customizing Championship 2023
This summer BMW Motorrad hosted the R 18 INTERNATIONAL SOULFUEL CUSTOMIZING CHAMPIONSHIP, a competition between BMW Motorrad dealers to build the most epic, customized R 18. The regional phase in the U.S. had 8 participant dealers and 10 impressive custom builds. The two winning projects from the U.S. will had the opportunity to move on to compete in the ONLINE INTERNATIONAL SEMI-FINALS.
The people have spoken, thousands of votes were processed, and voting is now concluded for the U.S. round of R 18 Customizing Championship 2023.
But, before revealing the big winners, we would like once again to congratulate all participants, who brought their vision to life and creatively demonstrated how the R 18 is perfect for customization.
The winners from the Unites States of America moving to the ONLINE INTERNATIONAL SEMI-FINALS were BMW Motorcycles of Miami's "Sugar Mama" and San Jose BMW's "California Special R 18." Congratulations to both dealers, ensuring that the Unites States was strongly represented in the ONLINE INTERNATIONAL SEMI-FINALS of the Customizing Championship 2023.
And we are thrilled to announce that San Jose's "California Special R 18" is one of the winners of the INTERNATIONAL SEMI-FINALS and has advanced as one of the seven finalists going to Berlin for the final round. Congratulations to the team at San Jose and thanks to everyone who voted.
Customizing Championship 2023
How It Works
How It Works
The U.S. customized builds were judged via online voting which was open to public from June 12 to July 12th. First and Second place winners from the U.S. have been selected and participated in the international online semi-final competition. The winners were then judged by a professional jury, resulting in six finalists. At the same time, there was a public voting selecting the most popular customization project among our internet followers.
The six international finalists will travel to Berlin for the world final. All six participants will spend a full day with the BMW Motorrad design team at the sanctum sanctuary, a BMW Motorrad design department where they can discuss the most pressing issues with those who create great BMW motorcycles.
Official BMW Motorrad Accessories are available for the personalization of your R 18 and available through authorized BMW Motorrad dealers and www.shopbmwmotorcycles.com.
These are custom motorcycles and not for sale. Some of the customizations or accessories featured in this competition are not manufactured, warranted or endorsed by BMW Motorrad. Check with your dealer on what accessories are available for your R 18 and what types of customization changes might impact the performance of your motorcycle or its warranty.
International Semi Final Winners
- United States of America
- Germany
- Italy
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- China
- Portugal
California Special R 18
Built by San Jose BMW Motorcycles
Rabbit Ground
Built by Rabbit Ground Customizing
Sturm and Drang
Built by FMW Motorcycles.
Iron Annie
Built by VTR Customs
Unbreakable
Built by BMW Motorrad of Ukraine
Qingdao Junyi
Built by BMW Motorrad China
Maverick
Built by RW Motorcycles
Legal Disclaimer:
Please note: The vehicles shown may be equipped with accessories from third party suppliers and/or components that are neither manufactured nor distributed or tested by BMW. The BMW of North America, LLC accepts no liability for the installation, characteristics and use of these components.
Make It Your Ride
Whether from the factory or as a separate factory, Option 719 offers the style an distinction to make your ride, your ride. The name Option 719 originates from a code used for builds at the BMW factory that were "special" builds, making them unusual and sometimes completely unique. There are a range of accessories available for many models and can make your R 18 even more of a special bike.
Option 719 direct from the factory is often showcased in special distinctive paint schemes, like the Galaxy Metallic Dust / Silver Metallic on this R 18, which flops between two rich colors as light passes across it. Some paint treatment processes make each paint scheme truly unique like the water-transfer paint process used on the K 1600 B Option 719 Midnight.
Take a look at models of the R 18 family and see what options are available from the factory, and then the accessories to make it your own. From there, the only thing stopping you is the limits of your own imagination.