BMW R 18 Crusier: Picture Gallery

Take a closer look at BMW’s stunning rival to the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy

BMW is trying its hand at cruisers once again. It has been 16 years since the last time the Bavarian giant made a cruiser motorcycle, the R 1200 C being the last one of its kind. With the new BMW R 18, the German bike maker has sought inspiration from its past and aims to deliver a rumbling performance capable of winning the war it has raged on American cruisers. Take a closer look here:

BMW has delved back to the late-1930s for the design inspiration of the R 18. Back then, the Bavarian manufacturer used to produce motorcycles such as the R 5 (pictured alongside the R 18) and the R 51.

As is evident, the swooping easy-on-eye lines have all filtered down onto the R 18. The gloss black colour does total justice to the heritage of the brand, with just enough chrome to not appear gaudy.

It gets a clean rear look as well with BMW too going for a hardtail bobber look, just like the Triumph Bonneville Bobber, the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy and other Softails, and even the Jawa Perak.

The pear-drop-shaped tank gets the traditional white pinstripes with the BMW badge emblazoned on both sides. This is an exquisite touch to an already gorgeous motorcycle.

On the face of it, the headlight might look a bit simple. It is LED lit though and gives off an elegant vibe.

Thankfully, there is no deviation from the old school character with its single-pod info cluster. There is a digital inset which will help you toggle through electronic aids, trip meters and the tachometer. The speedometer is analogue though.

Integrating the tail light into the LED turn indicators is a nice touch but it isn’t something new. We have seen this done on several Harleys and even the Triumph Bonneville Bobber. The advantage is that it gives a clean rear look, helping BMW flaunt those signature white pinstripes on the tail panel as well.

You get the usual smattering of electronic aids that one finds on a BMW motorcycle. It gets rider modes, traction control, stability control, dual-channel ABS, hill start assist and reverse mode. The last two have to be unlocked separately by opting for a Premium package. These settings can be tweaked via the switches on the left panel. These switches aren't particularly new, as you can find the same on other BMW bikes like the S 1000 RR and the R 1250 GS.

BMW will be offering a plethora of customisation options for the R 18, just like its American counterparts. You can avail yourself of different sized rims, ape hangers, seats and all the bells and whistles to give the thick Harley-Davidson accessories catalogue a slight complex. BMW has also signed up with legendary custom bike builder Roland Sands for its design collections as well as with exhaust specialists Vance & Hines.

We particularly like this floating seat to replace the stock one on R 18 as it harks back to the German and British bikes of the 1930s and 1940s.

As its name suggests, the R 18 is powered by a 1,802cc air-cooled boxer twin engine that produces a staggering 158Nm and 91.1PS. The output figures are on par with its American counterparts.

In typical BMW fashion, you also have a shaft drive with an exposed coupling from the 6-speed gearbox and the rear wheel.

The fishtail tips make a comeback, a neat touch to the dual exhaust pipes.

Mechanically, the double cradle chassis is suspended by a telescopic fork and monoshock unit. You get 1930’s inspired fork sleeves for the telescopic fork while the monoshock is neatly tucked underneath the rider seat.

Braking duties are handled by twin discs at the front and a single disc at the rear, all acted upon by a four-piston fixed caliper. 

BMW will be offering the R 18 across the world in two trims: standard and First Edition. The latter gets the white pinstripes on the fuel tank, a seat badge, a little bit extra chrome and the ‘First Edition’ moniker slapped on to the side panels.

We believe that the R 18 would arrive on our shores by the end of 2020. Prices for the bike are expected to be around Rs 24 lakh for the standard model and Rs 28 lakh for the First Edition, ex-showroom India.