BMW Motorrad has unveiled a custom R 18 motorcycle, dubbed Iron Annie.
Per BMW’s two-wheel division, Iron Annie was made by BMW partner VTR Motorrad and VTR Customs after one of their customers commissioned the Swiss custom bike builders to build the bespoke motorcycle.
Inspiration, according to the German motorcycle marque, came from an aircraft of the same name. Before being christened Iron Annie by Martin Caidin (who owned the airplane from 1970 to 1984), the three-engine commercial and transport aircraft bore the name Aunt Ju.
It had a gray-black color scheme that became particularly well-known worldwide.
The same color scheme was used on the R 18 Iron Annie. To achieve this, the bespoke vehicle builders stripped a BMW R 18 First Edition and painted all its chrome parts black. Likewise, the engine was removed and painted in a similar dark hue. The fork stanchions also received a black coating in the form of a Diamond-Like Carbon coat.
Doing so gave the R 18 Iron Annie the same color scheme as its namesake with a black front end and a gray rear. On that note, its rear half boasts aviation-style appliques like corrugated aluminum planking and a seat reminiscent of a riding saddle.
Other aircraft-inspired appointments include a speedometer integrated into the fuel tank (intended to represent old cockpit instruments) and access panels with quick-release fasteners — like those found on many aircraft.
Reminiscences of traditional metal aircraft construction are also provided by the numerous lens-head rivets.
As a further technical treat, racing-style HC3 pumps from Magura were fitted in place of the standard R 18 brake and clutch fittings. The dial of the customized speedometer also received a hand specially made by watchmaker Zeitzone Zurich.
“One of the big challenges with the R 18 Iron Annie was the replica cooling fins in the area of the rear silencers. Shaping these parts into parallel and beautiful radii and at the same time still fastening them harmoniously took a number of attempts,” said VTR Motorrad and VTR Customs Owner and Managing Director Daniel Weidmann.
Per the head honcho of VTR Motorrad & VTR Customs, working on the bodywork of the R 18 Iron Annie consumed countless hours as the fuel tank, the tail with the suggested tail fin of an airplane, the side panels, and the cockpit were all carefully hand-formed from an aluminum sheet.
“What almost pained us a little when we saw all the handmade, bright aluminum sheets shimmering and shining was that they would have to be painted. However, we are extremely satisfied with the result because the R 18 Iron Annie differs even more clearly from our well-known Spitfire, which is also designed in aviation style,” Weidmann added.
BMW Motorrad said that the R 18 Iron Annie is due to receive road approval and is sure to turn quite a few heads in its new home on Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
Photos from BMW Motorrad
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