Shinya Kimura is one of the most enigmatic custom motorcycle builders working today. His bikes have zero respect for conventional styles, prevailing trends or the laws of symmetry, and are instantly recognizable by their organic shapes. But how does that approach gel with BMW’s monstrous retro cruiser, the R18"
To answer that question, BMW Motorrad commissioned Shinya Kimura to build the third officially sanctioned BMW R18 custom. The Japanese builder responded with a brutal and quirky take on the 1,802 cc boxer, nicknamed ‘The Wal.’

Kimura-san kicked the project off with a visit to Germany, to meet the R18’s development team. Some time later, BMW dropped off a brand new R18 at his Chabott Engineering workshop in Azusa, California. Shinya typically only builds a handful of bikes a year, is selective about his clients and doesn’t like deadlines. So the fact that there was no brief attached to the R18 suited him well. But before he tore it down, he went riding?to get a feel for the bike, and to figure out what he was going to do to it.

“I built the R18 entirely for myself,? he says. ?When I rode the production R18, I thought it might suit my build and riding preferences better if I designed it to be a little more front-facing with a fairing. I also wanted to be able to ride for long distances with my R18 while feeling and enjoying the legendary boxer engine.?
?It was very important to me to preserve the two characters of the R18 ...