"The Pope" and "a specially modified BMW R 18" are two things I never imagined being in the same sentence, but here we are, and it's all for the good of the children. Earlier this month, the pope was presented with a modified BMW R 18 Transcontinental for his blessing and signature. And what you might call the holiest bike on earth will be auctioned by Missio Austria via Sotheby's in October.
All proceeds from the auction will go to children's aid projects in Madagascar.
The motorcycle was donated by BMW Motorrad Deutschland, but it was Thomas Draxler, founder of JESUS-BIKER, who came up with the idea to put the most unlikely of combinations together: the Pope and a cruiser. Of course, if you're getting the Pope to sign and bless a BMW, it can't just be any old R 18 Transcontinental.
Before being blessed, the motorcycle was painted mother-of-pearl white, and the coat of arms of the Vatican was attached to it, along with a few other modifications. Then, the bike set off on a journey aptly named a 'Peace Ride' from Motorrad Witzel in Sennfeld to Rome, accompanied by church services and representatives of JESUS-BIKER, who mainly rode R 18s.
Eventually, the bike made it to the Vatican, where Markus Flasch, the CEO of BMW Motorrad, and Michael Sommer, Head of BMW Motorrad Germany, delivered the bike to the Pope. FlasCh said, "What initially sounded more like a crazy idea has developed into a great charity campaign. I am happy that we at BMW Motorrad can support aid projects for children in Madagascar with our R18 Transcontinental. I would also like to thank Pope Leo XIV for taking the time to support this project."
If you're lucky enough to be in Munich from September 15 to October 7, you can check the bike out in person at BMW Welt. The question is: how much do you think someone would be willing to pay for the holiest of two-wheeled machinery? Let us know in the comments.
