Born with a mixture of oil and gasoline in his blood, Kingston Custom founder Dirk Oehlerking is now one of the world’s most recognized customizers.
He won his first motocross race riding a borrowed Yamaha and wearing rubber boots. In 1985 he became German champion and took part in the World Cup in Spain. By the time his riding career ended, he had won over 230 trophies and awards.
Today, his technical talent and passion is applied to very individual and extraordinary custom motorcycles—including official commissions from manufacturers such as BMW Motorrad.
“Something really big is coming” and “It’s 3.9 meters long” were the only clues that Dirk Oehlerking of Kingston Custom gave us about his latest project. We knew that he had a Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 on the bench after winning last year’s Malle Mile Custom Build Challenge, and we’re well familiar with his work.…
Read more »
The tenth running of the Malle Mile is in the books, and from what we’ve heard, it was one for the ages. Scores of motorcycle nuts descended upon the regal grounds of Grimsthorpe Estate for a weekend of dust, gasoline, and grins. In between the chaos, a curated selection of custom, vintage, and rare motorcycles…
Read more »
Dirk Oehlerking’s name has become synonymous with cosmic art deco machines that wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery. But the German custom bike maestro also knows how to build everyday motorcycles that stun with their simple elegance. He’s just used that approach on a classic BMW R80 boxer, turning it into an…
Read more »
Whenever Dirk Oehlerking builds another custom BMW boxer, it feels like his signature art deco style has reached its zenith. But then the next project rolls into the Kingston Custom workshop, and the German artisan flips the script again. Flitting between vintage boxers and the newer BMW R18, Dirk constantly pushes himself, and his imagination,…
Read more »
We live in a world where you can stream entire discographies of music straight to your phone, yet vinyl sales are booming.…
Read more »
Bobby Haas left a giant hole in the custom scene when he passed away unexpectedly last year. As the owner and curator…
Read more »
BMW R nineT owners are spoiled for choice when it comes to personalization options. The bike has been out long enough that…
Read more »
Malle London describes their annual Malle Mile event as “a non-stop celebration of the speed, music and art of the motorcycle culture.”…
Read more »
We all know Hagon for their shocks, often fitted to the custom motorcycles that grace these pages. But company founder Alf Hagon’s…
Read more »
BMW has wasted no time getting the new R18 into the hands of customizers. Five months ago, before the Bavarian cruiser was…
Read more »
The Honda CB650R has a lot going for it. The middleweight roadster is easy to ride and well made, and it comes…
Read more »
Dirk Oehlerking has a portfolio of incredible builds, but there are two machines that stand out. They are the White Phantom and…
Read more »