After months of waiting, many spy shots and patent leaks, the all-new BMW R 18 cruiser has been officially revealed.
The highlight of BMW Motorrad’s new cruiser is a gigantic twin-cylinder boxer engine. It's a 1,802 cc air/oil-cooled powerplant that is the highest displacement boxer engine that BMW Motorrad has ever built. It produces 157 Nm of peak torque that kicks in at just 3,000 rpm. The maximum power of 91 HP is delivered at 4,750 rpm. There is a 6-speed transmission linked to an open shaft drive. BMW Motorrad says that the top speed of the R 18 is over 111 mph (178 km/h).
The design of the BMW R 18 is quite simple yet very elegant and eye-catching. The flowing lines of the motorcycle add a soothing effect. And, of course, the huge boxer engine is the showstopper. The R 18 has numerous interesting features like the LED DRL in the round headlight, handlebar-mounted side turn signals, single-pod semi-digital instrument cluster, fishtail exhausts and machined fuel filler cap.
There are two variants of BMW Motorrad’s new cruiser - the R 18, which is base or standard variant, and the R 18 First Edition. Both of them are available in Black Storm Metallic colour. The difference between the two is that the R 18 First Edition gets exclusive double pinstriping and additional chrome elements. It is limited to the 2021 model year.
The R 18 comes with three riding modes as standard - Rain, Roll, and Rock. BMW Motorrad has also included ASC (Automatic Stability Control) and Drag Torque Control in the standard package.
The standard BMW R 18 has been priced at USD 17,495 (INR 13.36 lakh). For the R 18 First Edition, buyers will need to shell out an extra USD 2,150 (INR 1.64 lakh). There’s also a Premium Package on offer which includes goodies like adaptive headlight, hill-start control, reverse assist and much more. This package will further set you back by USD 1,450 (INR 1.10 lakh). BMW Motorrad is also offering a Select Package for USD 225 (INR 17,000 approx) that adds features like an anti-theft alarm, heated grips and lockable fuel filler cap.
Also Read: BMW Motorrad files ‘M 1000 RR’, M 1000 XR’ and ‘M 1300 GS’ trademarks in Germany
With the R 18, BMW Motorrad is now ready to compete with brands like Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle. As for the availability of the BMW R 18 in India is concerned, there’s no information yet.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog to get more BMW Motorrad updates and other two-wheeler news.
