Bernhard Naumann is also known as the Tin Man in the customising scene. He primarily creates sheet metal parts for custom bikes that are reminiscent of futuristic art. When he gets an R nineT, he does precisely what shouldn't be done.
Giggerl
Blechmann
Bernhard Naumann
R nineT
2016/2017
Concept Bike
A strong character needs a strong name. The "Blechmann" [Tin Man] is a name that is strong like metal. It is also the nickname of Bernhard Naumann, customizer and precisely one such personality. When he talks about his credo for modifications, it sounds almost lyrical. His words are manifested in his head as an idea that promises a great deal. "Fantasies that are brought to life by form and shape", the qualified body specialist says, roughly describing his work. Or: "soul-searching in the metal. Surfaces that are too balsamic for the eyes." As poignant as his statements might sound, his bikes nevertheless wholly reflect these claims. They are works of art made of metal and panels. It's no wonder that Bernhard Naumann is an avid sci-fi enthusiast. Looking into the future requires special powers of imagination, of which this customizer has plenty. His bikes seem like they come from a distant, far-away time.
Bernhard Naumann
Blechmann
The Tin Man gets his inspiration from the act of tinkering. Even when the R nineT is right in front of him, he still does precisely that which he should not do: he starts to dismantle the bike in order to give his ideas free range. "I actually don't have any fundamental inspiration. I dismantle the original parts and then come up with something starting from a blank canvas", he says. Sometimes, when it comes to the intensive phase of a project, he sits at home on the sofa, draws new parts and tries out new ideas on paper. But the modification has long since begun by this stage. This was then "more a case of experimenting with variations", the Tin Man says. For the R nineT modification, he must have done a great deal of scribbling on his notepad, because the timeframe was extremely tight and the intensity high. "I started around the start of the year and really had to put my foot down, because I knew that time would be tight".
Homemade
Tank, panel, homemade seat bench
USD suspension R nineT BMW
Modified wheel rims
Hand-made exhaust
Black, grey, red, light blue, dark blue
He does not perceive his version of the R nineT as a custom bike, but as a concept bike and an "opportunity". "The joke about this for me is that BMW went to an individualist and wanted him to build a non-standard version", says the winner of the Willie G. Davidson Design Award. But then he turned the joke back on its head and created "a machine that could easily have come from BMW". His motorcycle really just looks like a distant relative of the R nineT. Apart from the handbrake levers, handlebars and fork, everything originates from the metal-loving Tin Man's hands. For the electronics, the saddle and the paintwork, he received outside support. Only the name was missing. He has already christened his bikes "The weird rider" or "Carpathian dog". And his version of the BMW R nineT? "Friends mentioned that my bodyshell on the front was slightly reminiscent of a chicken's head(!)", the customizer recounts. "I then asked what the Bavarians had to say about this. Then I decided to call the machine 'Giggerl'." [The Southern German word for chicken]