Behold Achilles, a Beastly BMW R 1250 RS Drag Bike Built for the Sultans of Sprint

Simply being the fastest in this competition won’t necessarily warrant a top spot on the podium, though, because looking fly is just as important as outright speed. Entrants score points based on both their race results and stylistic ingenuity.

Motorcycles have to look great and go like stink at the same time, which leads to some very interesting machines hitting the racetrack at each event. Take, for instance, the brutal BMW R 1250 RS dragster dubbed Achilles, a joint venture between Philipp Ludwig (aka Kraftstoffschmiede) and Krzysztof Szews of Man and the Machines. The former is a regular participant at Sultans of Sprint, while the latter is an accomplished industrial designer.

In 2019, BMW Motorrad provided them with a brand-new R 1250 RS to be modified for racing in the Factory Class, and the guys spared absolutely no expense. With 136 hp and 105 pound-feet (143 Nm) of torque coming from its 1,254cc boxer-twin mill, the donor was undoubtedly a great basis for this undertaking. However, little of the original motorcycle remains besides the engine and main frame.

Sticking to what they each did best, Philipp took care of the engineering while Krzysztof penned the initial concept. They envisioned a forward-leaning beast with bold graphics and styling inspired by land speed racers, and the Beemer was promptly dismantled so the real fun could begin. First things first, some significant suspension upgrades were on the menu.

The project’s authors turned to premium aftermarket solutions from Wilbers, offering full adjustability fore and aft. A piggyback shock absorber supports the bike’s modified subframe at the back, while front-end suspension duties are assigned to high-grade inverted forks with blue-anodized tubes. These are held in place by offset CNC-machined triple clamps, which lengthen the R 1250’s wheelbase without any modding of its frame headstock.

As the stock Brembo brakes were already potent enough, Philipp chose to leave them just the way they came out of the box. However, they are now worn by lightweight Kineo hoops measuring 19 inches at the front and 17 inches on the other end. The rims are enveloped in grippy Shinko tires and laced to blue-anodized wheel hubs matching the Wilbers forks. With these goodies installed, Kraftstoffschmiede was ready to tackle the first bit of bodywork fabrication.

This involved crafting a long monocoque structure out of aluminum, seamlessly merging the fuel tank and tail section into a single unit. Much of the creature’s electronic equipment is now stored inside the tail, and there is also a NOS canister placed underneath. There is a quick-action filler cap installed on the gas tank, along with lateral cut-outs revealing a pair of K&N pod filters.

Custom-made foot pegs were mounted as far back as possible, but you may be surprised to learn that no swingarm extension has been performed. Although the Paralever rear end appears to be longer at first glance, the look was actually achieved with a shorter subframe and tighter proportions up top. Besides the nitrous setup and K&N air filtration, the BMW’s twin-cylinder boxer also benefits from a new exhaust.

It is a premium stainless-steel arrangement from Hattech, terminating down low just ahead of the rear wheel. As their next port of call, Philipp and Krzysztof turned to KKN Engineering and Creabis for what remained of the bodywork fabrication. The entire bike was meticulously 3D-scanned, and KKN came up with digital renderings of how it was going to look when completed.

Creabis took over from there, firing up the 3D printers to create some wild-looking front and side fairings out of polyamide. They complement the monocoque tank and tail combo perfectly, while giving Achilles a commanding presence to match what’s under the hood. We’ve already mentioned the motorcycle’s bespoke rearsets, but the other points of contact with the rider are clip-on handlebars and a thin, but very stylish saddle.

Finally, this unrelenting R 1250 RS drag bike was painted in a mixture of black and grey done in a satin finish. These understated base hues are topped with a collection of snazzy graphics all throughout, displaying things like the specimen’s nickname, workshop logos, and brands whose parts were used on this project. Three stripes depicting BMW’s motorsport colors run from front to back up top.

All in all, it took Philipp Ludwig and Krzysztof Szews six months to put Achilles together, and the result of their painstaking labor speaks for itself. The elbow grease really paid off at Sultans of Sprint, as well, because their machine took first place in the Factory Class! It was up against some serious competition from other top-tier European builders, but Achilles came out on top in the end.