Eddie Lawson on a BMW? Human sacrifice? Dogs and cats living together? Why yes! Here is Swiss builder VTR Customs’ R1200R inspired by Steady Eddie

Picture American race legend Eddie Lawson for a moment. You’re probably thinking about him on the early 80s Kawasaki Z1000 he made famous. Or maybe it’s the mid-80s 500cc World Championship Marlboro Yamaha. Or, at a stretch, it could be his Rothmans Honda of the late 80s.

Unless you’ve had one too many disco biscuits, a BMW boxer is probably the last bike that has come to mind. That would never work. Or would it?

Maybe we’ve all had one too many biscuits because from the moment we laid eyes on this Eddie-inspired #21 R1200R, the latest build from Switzerland’s VTR Customs, we were smitten.

Eddie on a Beemer?
Count us in.

It would be fair to say that VTR’s first ‘Goodwood 12’ R1200R, a bike that broke cover in early 2016 and went on to win second prize in the 2016 Essenza Design Jury Competition and third place in the race rankings, was one that made quite the splash globally. Being human, they decided that if they could do it once, then there was a good chance they could ring that bell again. And when you’re one of Europe’s best custom shops with the backing of Switzerland’s biggest BMW dealership, we’d say that chance is a pretty good one.

“We toyed with the idea of a build that was somehow related to the Goodwood 12,” says Dani Weidmann, owner and general manager of Stucki2Rad and VTR Customs.

“In the end, we decided to go for a completely new shape. So we needed an idea to inform the build, and since we are all old petrolheads who started our racing careers in the 80s, we realised that we were all heavily influenced by Eddie Lawson’s cool AMA Kawasaki Z1000 in the early 80s. So it was decided – we’d build a BMW R1200R styled on his bike.”

Hip to be squared

The specific design would try to emulate the Kawasaki Z-style ‘squared’ lines with a scaled-down, Z-style tail. Naturally the paint would also have to be in the Z1000 style and include a nice, big racing number plate at the front. And let’s not forget the best parts – a ‘Kerker’-style exhaust system and as many high-end racing parts as they could possibly afford. Gentleman, start your chequebooks!

“To get the desired overall look, it soon became clear that this time we would have to modify the R1200R airbox and gas tank,” says Weidmann, referring to the standard tank and box on the Goodwood 12. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to get the squared ‘Z’ look we were hoping for.”

Since VTR do all their metal work in-house, they started by hand-building the tailpiece, then moved to the airbox and tank. Weidmann’s biggest challenge was obtaining the required shape. He wanted to get the bike’s lines as low as possible, but also had to match the existing look, dictated by the factory subframe and chassis. Then, while they were elbow-deep in the airbox build, they had the idea of relocating the instruments to its upper surface, freeing the ’bars to be as clean and minimal as possible.

Flame out

“We also love our craftsmanship, so when it came time for the seat to be made, it was down to the talented hands of Yves Knobel, our go-to seat and upholstery guy, said Weidmann. “All the bike’s logos were hand-painted by Johanna Vogelsang, and the rest of the paint job was done by our ‘house’ paint shop, Freuler in Benken, They are close friends, and their businesses are quite close by.”

And that race shopping list we mentioned? There’s Kineo custom-made wheels with a 6 x 17 rear and a 3.5 x 17 front shod in Bridgestone racing slicks at 200/55-17 and 120/70-17. The exhaust is an Akrapovič Titan downpipe with a fully open Unit Garage muffler. “It shoots half-metre flames out of the can when it’s quickshifting through the gears, and it sounds like hell!”
Weidmann says.

The rear shock is an Öhlins item and the brake and clutch masters are Magura C3 race items. There’s also a Rizoma gas cap, and BMW HP racing footrests.

Enter Essenza

With the Swiss bike show having been in February, we were keen to find out how it had performed.

“It went really well,” says Weidmann. “So well, in fact, that we were again nominated for Essenza.”

Not heard of it? Put simply, it’s a custom bike contest with a mixture of concours shows and sprint races. “Very few private bikes are included, as most of the ones that are asked to attend are from the big motorbike makers themselves.

“Amelie Mooseder, who works for BMW Motorrad in Munich, was our pilot for Goodwood 12 and she will also be riding Eddie 21 this year,” he smiles. 

“For good luck, she always puts on some lipstick before racing. As you can probably imagine, it was a bit of a hassle for her to do this on a bike without mirrors, so we added a little something to make sure she would sign on for another year. It says ‘Amy Special’ on the front, and it has a mirror on the inside.”

So, are you sold yet? A BMW for ‘Steady Eddie’? It seems a lot like rewriting racing history, but with what VTR has done with this bike, it’s almost like Eddie should have been riding a Munich Marauder all along. Don’t you think the name ‘Stabil Edmund’ has a nice ring to it?

Words Andrew Jones FOR PIPEBURN.COM

Photos  ANDRI MARGADANT