- BMW presents Pope Leo XIV with a modified R 18 Transcontinental.
- Bike finished in white, with the Vatican coat-of-arms affixed.
- Signed and blessed by the Pope, headed for charity auction.
Pope Leo XIV is now rocking a customised BMW R 18 Transcontinental motorcycle, gifted to him by BMW Motorrad Deutschland, with modifications by Motorrad dealership Witzel and Thomas Draxler, founder of the Jessus-Bikerbiker club.
The bike is finished in Mother-of-Pearl White and has the Vatican coat of arms affixed. It also now carries Pope Leo's signature.
It's unlikely the Pope will be hitting the road on the new machine, though. It will be auctioned by Missio Austria via Sotheby's in October 2025, with the proceeds going to children's aid projects in Madagascar.
The idea came from Witzler and Draxler, although the Vatican has form with motorcycles. Pope Freancis was gifted a Harley-Davidson with accompanying leather jacket in 2013 as part of the US brand's 110t birthday celebrations, which were auctioned in 2014 and fetched US$350,000.
Jesus-Biker also gifted Pope Francis a white motorcycle in 2019 (also a Harley).
The BMW R 18 Transcontinental began its journey to Pope Leo on 31 August 2025, with a "Peace Ride" from Motorrad Witzel in Sennfeld to Rome, passing through Schaafheim, Altötting and Verona and accompanied by church services. Representatives of Jesus-Biker, BMW Motorrad and BMW Witzel joined the journey, mainly riding BMW R 18 motorcycles provided by BMW Motorrad Germany.
On Wednesday 3 September, Markus Flasch, the CEO of BMW Motorrad and Michael Sommer, head of BMW Motorrad Germany, presented the motorcycle to the Pope for blessing and signing.
"What initially sounded more like a crazy idea has developed into a great charity campaign," says Flasch. "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."
While Pope Leo did take the time to sit on the bike, it's now headed to BMW Welt in Munich, where it will be on display from 15 September to 7 October 2025, until the auction.