This Glittering Orange 2002 BMW R1200C Is Looking For A New Home

Every day, in every way, you and I make a series of choices. From what to eat for breakfast, to whether or not we should wear pants, to whether we should try to hit triple-digit speeds on our way somewhere, the consequences will clearly vary. Similarly, when you customize your bike, the choices you make are ones you’ll either have to live with or eventually change.  

Folks, this is a 2002 BMW R1200C, finished in classic Halloween orange and black, with silver accents. It’s not just any R1200C, though. For some reason, someone decided to painstakingly bling it out with over 200,000 Swarovski crystals, which they applied to most available hard surfaces on this bike. The auction listing says it was displayed at the 2002 Independent Spirt Awards prior to its current owner getting their hands on it in 2009.  

It’s, uh, it’s something, that’s for sure. Seriously, the crystals are in all kinds of places, not just the tank. Among other things, you’ll also find them located on the tail section, the fork legs, and—get this—the grab rails! If you like ripping open your hands every time you hang on through a corner, you should absolutely ride pillion on this bike. 

Gallery: 2002 BMW R1200C

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We’re kidding, of course. This is clearly meant to be a show bike, not a go-bike, even though the seller does include a running video with this listing. Even so, that 1,170cc boxer does sound quite nice in the video, as you might expect. Notably, somewhere along the way, at least a couple of people have put a handful of miles on this bike since 2002, as well. The clock currently shows 237 kilometers on it, only a handful of which the seller says they’ve personally put on in the past 11 years.  

Putting our opinion of its questionable aesthetics aside for a moment (I mean, to each their own, and clearly someone thought this was a good idea), this bike seems like it would be the ultimate inducement to anxiety to take out on the road. Think about every single zipper, button fly, or keychain catching on those crystals and ripping them off as you cruise down the road. You might not even realize the damage until later, when you dismount the bike and notice all the gaping cavities in that glistening façade.  

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Also, please bear in mind that we’re talking about adhesives that were applied in 2002, and which are now nearly 20 years old. While the work was done by a recognized and well-respected specialist in crystal application, age eventually comes for even the best adhesives. It’s just … a lot, on multiple levels. 

Anyway, this particular bedazzled BMW R1200C is located in Fountain Hills, Arizona. The current bid on its Bring a Trailer auction is $10,000 as of October 8, 2021, and it ends on Monday, October 11, 2021. So, if all that bling puts a sparkle in your eye, that means you have three days to decide if you need it to sparkle in your garage, too. 

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