It’s the world premiere that the custom scene has been eagerly awaiting – a BMW Motorrad custom concept featuring a new prototype flat-twin engine – the highest capacity boxer motorcycle ever produced. Simply christened ‘Concept R 18’, this pure, stripped-down, raked-out bike gives more than a hint of what’s coming our way in the cruiser segment. It has become something of a tradition for BMW Motorrad to present breathtaking design studies in Italy every May at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este event on the shores of Lake Como. Visitors to the world’s most exclusive ‘beauty contest’ for historic cars and motorcycles have witnessed some outstanding two-wheeled contributions from BMW Motorrad’s design department in recent years. These have included the Concept Ninety homage to the original R 90 S, the Concept 101 six-cylinder ‘bagger’ and the R 5 Hommage – a tribute to the original and iconic 1936 model.