New bike, hu dis? It’s hard to believe that this steampunk beauty was once a 1980 BMW R100 RS. Props go to the Dirk Oehlerking’s Kingston Custom who modified the two-wheeler as a part of their Phantom Series, calling it the Good Ghost.
Created on the request of automobile-patron Bobby Haas (of the Haas Moto Museum), the Good Ghost’s aesthetic evolves on the other two bikes in Kingston’s Phantom Series, with a design that feels more superior and like an evolutionary progression. In classic Kingston fashion, the custom comes with little to no change to the bike’s original chassis. Everything is additive, with painstakingly hand-shaped 2mm-thick aluminum paneling covering the underlying structure of the bike in glorious steampunk fashion. The bike’s bulbous body-work sort of feels like a floating ghost, with a sheet draped over it. The outer clad conceals both wheels, and comes with a continuous leather saddle that goes from the dashboard to the very end. This design detail involved cutting into the fuel-tank, but Dirk fixed that problem by fabricating a small fuel cell to sit behind the transmission, with an external fuel pump to send the gas where it needs to go.
While the entire bike is an exercise in being visually interesting, Dirk of Kingston Custom went out of his way to outfit the Good Ghost with a variety of really eye-catching details. For starters, the bike comes with BMW’s signature split kidney grille, a detail that’s iconic to the company’s cars. Move past the flush headlight and onto the seat and you’ll notice the whole thing is upholstered in leather, including the dashboard. The entire seat lifts up to reveal a tiny compartment underneath that – wait for it – holds a bottle of wine and a glass. The lift mechanism for the seat even has a corkscrew and a spare spark-plug. You’re not allowed to drink and drive but you can surely carry a bottle of merlot with you wherever you go. A flap beside the rear wheel opens to reveal a comprehensive toolkit, and since Dirk imagined the Good Ghost to be a “gentleman’s bike”, the flap on the opposite side stores a selection of century-old silverware. The design finally transitions to its unusual rear, a pointed flair that not only combines both tailpipes, but also houses the Good Ghost’s taillight.
The Good Ghost is a culmination of a lot of eccentric ideas, but somehow, they all make for a great looking bike that, Dirk says, “When you ride it, it feels like you are in a different time.” The bike is all set to become a part of Bobby Haas’s precious collection at the Haas Moto Museum in Dallas, Texas.
Designer: Kingston Custom
