Ryan Reynolds Commissions One-of-One BMW R 12 nineT S from Boxr Moto
ERIE, Pa. — September 16, 2026 — When actor Ryan Reynolds wanted a custom motorcycle for an annual long-distance ride with his brother, he turned to Boxr Moto, an Erie, Pennsylvania-based custom BMW motorcycle builder founded by Joshua Snider.
The commission began with an email.
Reynolds contacted Snider directly after discovering Boxr Moto’s work on Instagram, explaining that he had been a fan of the company’s motorcycles and wanted to discuss having one built.
“At first, I saw the name Ryan Reynolds at the bottom of the email and basically thought, ‘Sure, Ryan Reynolds,’” Snider recalled. “Then, about two minutes later, Ryan Reynolds started following Boxr Moto on Instagram. I realized very quickly that this was real.”
Snider responded, and the two spoke by phone that same evening.
Reynolds’ initial request was straightforward: he wanted a motorcycle that was both distinctive and dependable, describing his goal as a “badass reliable custom bike.” Reliability and comfort were particularly important because Reynolds intended to use the motorcycle for long rides, including an annual trip with his brother.
He already had the platform in mind: a nearly new 2025 BMW R 12 nineT S.
The motorcycle was delivered to Boxr Moto from MAX BMW with just 49 miles on the odometer.
It would become Boxr Moto Build No. 63.
From 49-Mile BMW to “Casper Project”
The R 12 presented unfamiliar territory for a shop whose reputation had largely been built by radically transforming vintage BMW motorcycles.
Founded in 2021 after Joshua and his twin brother, Jeffrey Snider, began building motorcycles together in 2018, Boxr Moto had completed exactly 62 custom motorcycles before Reynolds reached out.
Build No. 63 would be its first project based on BMW’s modern R 12 platform.
Rather than dictate a finished design, Reynolds and Snider developed the motorcycle collaboratively.
They discussed the shape of a new rear subframe and solo seat, upholstery stitching, handlebars, paint details and the overall stance of the motorcycle. For much of the remaining design, Reynolds gave Boxr Moto creative freedom and asked to be surprised by the finished result.
One instruction, however, was unmistakably specific.
Reynolds described the color he imagined as “a gallon of white paint with a drop of red.”
Snider mixed two custom paint samples and mailed physical spray-out cards to Reynolds. After Reynolds selected his preferred sample, Snider reproduced the formula in a larger batch for the motorcycle.
The resulting pale blush-pink color received a name unique to the project:
Jamie Palomino.
The name is a reference to Jamie Palamino, Reynolds’ character Chris Brander’s high-school crush in the 2005 film Just Friends.
What began as a custom paint color quickly became the defining visual language of the motorcycle.
One Color, Three Coating Systems
Reproducing Jamie Palomino across an entire motorcycle was considerably more complicated than painting a fuel tank and fenders.
Once the BMW arrived in Erie, Boxr Moto disassembled the nearly new motorcycle down to its individual components. The selected paint sample was then used as the reference for custom-matched powder coating and Cerakote, allowing the same visual color to be applied appropriately across components requiring different coating processes.
The result was three separate finishing systems developed around a single color.
The motorcycle’s fuel tank, frame, wheels, forks, fenders, final drive, handlebars, headlight bucket, hand controls, frame brackets and brake calipers were among the components finished to carry the Jamie Palomino theme.
Even the individual wheel spokes were powder coated.
So was one component Reynolds would see every time he started the motorcycle: his BMW key fob was painted to match.
Platinum Powdercoating and Fabrication of Erie, Pennsylvania, worked with Boxr Moto on the project’s coating and fabrication requirements, including construction of the custom rear subframe.
That subframe supports a bespoke solo seat upholstered in tan and black Alcantara, using a Daytona-inspired stitching pattern associated with classic Ferrari interiors. The warm upholstery provides one of the few deliberate visual breaks from the extensive blush-pink bodywork.
Boxr Moto also replaced and reworked the motorcycle’s lighting, electrical components, handlebars and controls, incorporating components from companies including Motogadget and Euro MotoElectrics.
Internally, the BMW engine and drivetrain were left intact. Boxr Moto removed the factory airbox, installed DNA pod filters, and performed Stage 1 and Stage 2 tuning while avoiding invasive internal engine modifications.
The decision reflected the original brief: create a dramatically different motorcycle without losing the fundamental reliability and road-going usability Reynolds wanted from a nearly new BMW.
“He Was a Ghost, and He Was Friendly”
The motorcycle’s name developed during conversations between Reynolds and Snider.
While discussing details for the BMW fuel tank, Reynolds had asked for the BMW insignia to appear large and “ghostly.”
Snider later jokingly suggested naming the motorcycle “The Adam Project,” after Reynolds’ 2022 film.
Reynolds appreciated the reference but had another idea.
“I was thinking Casper Project,” Reynolds told Snider. “He was a ghost, and he was friendly.”
The name stuck.
Together, Casper Project and Jamie Palomino gave the motorcycle an identity that was personal without simply branding it as a celebrity motorcycle.
For Boxr Moto, that distinction was important.
The motorcycle was approached as Build No. 63, not as a promotional prop. Reynolds had contacted the shop in essentially the same way other prospective Boxr Moto customers had: he had seen its motorcycles, liked its design language and wanted one of his own.
A Motorcycle That Looks Fast Standing Still
Although Casper represented a new BMW platform for Boxr Moto, Snider said the finished motorcycle retains the characteristics that have come to define the company’s builds.
Boxr Moto’s design philosophy favors visually simple motorcycles with aggressive proportions, stripped-down details and a stance that communicates performance before the engine is even running.
“They look fast and mean standing still,” Snider said.
That philosophy had previously been expressed primarily through older BMW motorcycles.
The company itself began almost accidentally.
Joshua and Jeffrey Snider acquired an old BMW, rebuilt it, finished it — and discovered that finishing the motorcycle was the problem.
They missed building it.
So they found another.
Then another.
What began in 2018 as two brothers rebuilding motorcycles eventually became Boxr Motorcycles LLC in 2021. By the time Reynolds’ email arrived in early 2026, the shop had completed 62 builds.
For Joshua Snider, learning that Reynolds had already been following that body of work carried significance beyond simply having a recognizable client.
“Every one of those first 62 motorcycles mattered,” Snider said. “Every project was another step. When I realized Ryan already knew our work and wanted us to build his motorcycle, I remember thinking, ‘We did it.’”
“It was one of those moments where years of work suddenly felt like they had led somewhere. I was proud of every motorcycle that got us there.”
The Early-Morning Reveal
Casper Project began in early March 2026, with completion targeted for early June.
When the motorcycle was finally ready, Joshua and Jeffrey Snider personally transported the finished BMW to Reynolds.
The trip ran later than planned, pushing their arrival into the early morning hours. Rather than reveal the motorcycle in the dark after the long drive, Reynolds offered to put them up for the night.
They agreed to meet again at dawn.
The following morning, on Reynolds’ property, the cover effectively came off a motorcycle that had started three months earlier as a 49-mile BMW.
His reaction was immediate.
“You did it!” Reynolds exclaimed, according to Snider. “You did the impossible. This is my dream bike!”
For Snider, the reaction settled any lingering question about whether Boxr Moto had successfully interpreted a design brief that had begun with something as abstract as a gallon of white paint and a single drop of red.
“He had this huge smile,” Snider recalled. “At that point I knew we had nailed it. We spent time taking photos, talking about the motorcycle, other bikes and just sharing stories. It was a pretty surreal morning.”
There was, however, a considerably less polished observation between the two brothers once the motorcycle was finished.
After months of fabrication, paintwork, wiring, assembly and design decisions, Joshua and Jeffrey stepped back to take in Build No. 63.
Their assessment was concise.
More Than Build No. 63
For Boxr Moto, Casper Project represents more than a high-profile commission.
It marks the point at which a company born from two brothers repeatedly rebuilding old BMWs was entrusted with an essentially new BMW by a client who had discovered their work from afar.
It also represented a technical transition: from the vintage BMW platforms on which Boxr Moto built its identity to a contemporary BMW motorcycle requiring an entirely different approach to electronics, fabrication and customization.
The underlying philosophy, however, remained unchanged.
Asked to describe what Boxr Moto means to him, Snider doesn’t use the language of a conventional company biography.
“It is my life, my pain, my pleasure,” he said. “I bring classics back from the dead.”
Casper may not have needed to be brought back from the dead.
It had only 49 miles, but by the time Boxr Moto was finished with it, there wasn’t another BMW quite like it.
About Boxr Moto
Boxr Motorcycles LLC, commonly known as Boxr Moto, is an independent custom motorcycle builder based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded by Joshua Snider in 2021 after Joshua and his twin brother Jeffrey began building motorcycles together in 2018, Boxr Moto specializes in bespoke BMW motorcycles characterized by aggressive stance, simplified design and extensive attention to mechanical and aesthetic detail. The company began by rebuilding and customizing vintage BMW motorcycles and has since completed more than 60 individual builds, with an emphasis on creating motorcycles that combine distinctive design with real-world usability. Boxr Moto’s work is guided by a straightforward philosophy: create individually commissioned BMW motorcycles that are unmistakably their owners’ while retaining the aggressive visual identity that defines a Boxr Moto build.
Media Contact
Company Name: Boxr Motorcycles LLC
Contact Person: Joshua Snider
Email: Send Email
City: Erie
State: PA
Country: United States
Website: https://www.boxrmoto.com
