The BMW R18 Concept, that was first
showcased at the Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este last year, seems to be
finally taking shape to become a reality. A bunch of leaked patent images gives
the first look at the production BMW R18, which will reportedly be a flat-twin
cruiser.
Apparently, BMW Motorrad has two different
types of cruisers in mind. One is with a cleaner look, similar to the original
R18 Concept. It has no windscreen, a simple instrument console, somewhat
stylish exhausts, and spoke wheels. The other one is slightly different. It has
a large windscreen, front fairing, an elaborative instrument console, hard-case
panniers, more comfortable seats, differently-styled front and rear fenders,
simpler exhausts, and alloy wheels. All these features are more than enough to
put this bike into the ‘Bagger’ category.
While there are indeed many variations
between these two models, they have a one ‘big thing’ in common and that’s the
Boxer engine. It is a massive 1,802 cc powerplant which is the largest Boxer
engine BMW Motorrad has ever built. It has 8 valves, a simple OHV, and
air-cooling. It produces 91 hp of max power at 4,750 rpm and an enormous 16
kgf.m or 156 Nm of peak torque that kicks in from as low as 3,000 rpm. The
total weight of the engine, including the intake system, clutch and 6-speed
transmission, is 110.8 kg. The suspension setup on these flat-twin cruiser
motorcycles appears to be similar to that of the original R18 Concept. Instead
of a 21-inch front wheel, there's a smaller, 18-inch unit.
With its new R18 Concept-based flat-twin
cruisers, BMW Motorrad is, perhaps, trying to enter a segment that is lead by
companies like Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle. When these new
motorcycles do get launched, it would be an interesting battle to watch. It is
being anticipated that BMW Motorrad would showcase both the flat-twin cruisers
at the EICMA 2020.