Motorcycles

BMW Motorrad Concept R 18: The beginning of a full frontal attack on the cruiser marketplace

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Harley still rules the cruiser marketplace globally, having sold 228,000 hogs last year, compared to BMW's worldwide sales of 165,000 motorcycles across myriad segments ... but the new BMW 1.8 liter boxer engine seems to fulfill all the criteria required to give both Harley and Indian a run for their money.
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019 - the nomenclature suggests it has a capacity around the 1800cc mark.
BMW Motorrad
The BMW Motorrad Concept R18 is immediately recognisable as a genuine BMW: boxer engine, cradle frame, exposed universal shaft and drop-shaped fuel tank with its black paintwork and hand-applied contrast lines interpret typical design icons of BMW Motorrad classics, while displaying confidence along with modern-style linearity. 
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's "Concept R18" motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019 - the nomenclature suggests it has a capacity around the 1800cc mark.
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's "Concept R18" motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019 - the nomenclature suggests it has a capacity around the 1800cc mark.
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's "Concept R18" motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019 - the nomenclature suggests it has a capacity around the 1800cc mark.
BMW Motorrad
Those protruding pots are HUGE, and after 98 years of producing horizontally-opposed motorcycle engines, BMW has suddenly raised the boxer engine's capacity by a whopping 50 percent, stepping it up several orders of magnitude from middleweight to heavyweight class
BMW Motorrad
Simplicity is one of the themes of the bike, with the chrome-plated universal shaft laid bare. There are no further covers anywhere on the motorcycle, which serves to keep its engineering clearly visible. 
BMW Motorrad
The BMW Motorrad Concept R18 is immediately recognisable as a genuine BMW: boxer engine, cradle frame, exposed universal shaft and drop-shaped fuel tank with its black paintwork and hand-applied contrast lines interpret typical design icons of BMW Motorrad classics, while displaying confidence along with modern-style linearity. 
BMW Motorrad
The engine block and transmission are made of glass bead-blasted aluminium, contrasting the hand-polished aluminium components as well as the belt guard and valve covers. Dual Solex carburettors hark back to the brand’s construction history. 
BMW Motorrad
Those protruding pots are HUGE, and after 98 years of producing horizontally-opposed motorcycle engines, BMW has suddenly raised the boxer engine's capacity by a whopping 50 percent, stepping it up several orders of magnitude from middleweight to heavyweight class
BMW Motorrad
Harley still rules the cruiser marketplace globally, having sold 228,000 hogs last year, compared to BMW's worldwide sales of 165,000 motorcycles across myriad segments ... but the new BMW 1.8 liter boxer engine seems to fulfill all the criteria required to give both Harley and Indian a run for their money.
BMW Motorrad
For decades, BMW motorcycles ran a hardtail rear end, and the Concept R18 retains the look, albeit with the suspension hidden.
BMW Motorrad
The new large capacity boxer engine is believed to be ready for production in both 1800cc and 2000cc capacities, with further derivative models to be shown later this year and next year (2020).
BMW Motorrad
The first showing of BMW's new 1800cc motor was December, 2018 when it appeared in a custom motorcycle dubbed 'Departed' and created by Japanese master craftsmen Custom Works Zon
BMW Motorrad
 'Departed' was shown last December (2018) at the fabled "Mooneyes Show" in Yokohama in Japan. In the 27 years the show has been running, it has become one of the most important on the world custom stage, and the December show attracted 300 show cars and 650 show motorcycles. 'Departed' won the prestigious "Best of Show Motorcycle" award, at the same time as creating a stir among BMW aficionados about the engine which was publicly acknowledged by the BMW factory as a prototype for the first time.
BMW Motorrad
 'Departed' was shown last December (2018) at the fabled "Mooneyes Show" in Yokohama in Japan. In the 27 years the show has been running, it has become one of the most important on the world custom stage, and the December show attracted 300 show cars and 650 show motorcycles. 'Departed' won the prestigious "Best of Show Motorcycle" award, at the same time as creating a stir among BMW aficionados about the engine which was publicly acknowledged by the BMW factory as a prototype for the first time.
BMW Motorrad
 'Departed' was shown last December (2018) at the fabled "Mooneyes Show" in Yokohama in Japan. In the 27 years the show has been running, it has become one of the most important on the world custom stage, and the December show attracted 300 show cars and 650 show motorcycles. 'Departed' won the prestigious "Best of Show Motorcycle" award, at the same time as creating a stir among BMW aficionados about the engine which was publicly acknowledged by the BMW factory as a prototype for the first time.
BMW Motorrad
Six weeks ago (in April, 2019), a second custom bike using the BMW prototype engine appeared at the annual Handbuilt Show in Austin, Texas. Austin is also the home of renowned American custom craftsman Alan Stulberg's Revival Cycles, and the 'Revival Birdcage' show bike was clearly inspired by Ernst Hennes' speed record BMW machinery from the late 1920s and early 1930s, which wore similar polished aluminum teardrop valve-gear covers.
BMW Motorrad
Six weeks ago (in April, 2019), a second custom bike using the BMW prototype engine appeared at the annual Handbuilt Show in Austin, Texas. Austin is also the home of renowned American custom craftsman Alan Stulberg's Revival Cycles, and the 'Revival Birdcage' show bike was clearly inspired by Ernst Hennes' speed record BMW machinery from the late 1920s and early 1930s, which wore similar polished aluminum teardrop valve-gear covers.
BMW Motorrad
Those protruding pots are HUGE, and after 98 years of producing horizontally-opposed motorcycle engines, BMW has suddenly raised the boxer engine's capacity by a whopping 50 percent, stepping it up several orders of magnitude from middleweight to heavyweight class
BMW Motorrad
Not the Concept R18 but the R 5 Hommage Concept of three years ago. This heritage custom was obviously testing public opinion when it was shown at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2016
BMW Motorrad
Not the Concept R18 but the R 5 Hommage Concept of three years ago. This heritage custom was obviously testing public opinion when it was shown at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2016
BMW Motorrad
Not the Concept R18 but the R 5 Hommage Concept of three years ago. This heritage custom was obviously testing public opinion when it was shown at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2016
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad's Concept R18 motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019
BMW Motorrad
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"A picture is worth a thousand words" is a well-known adage reflecting the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with a single image, which more effectively conveys its essence than does a description.

That adage came immediately to mind when the new BMW Motorrad "Concept R 18" was shown at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este on the weekend.

Whilst it is indeed only a concept for the flying propellor brand, the "Concept R 18" is effectively the first shot in a war. It represents the first offensive on Harley-Davidson and Indian territory.

Harley still rules the cruiser marketplace globally, having sold 228,000 hogs last year, compared to BMW's worldwide sales of 165,000 motorcycles across myriad segments ... but the new BMW 1.8 liter boxer engine seems to fulfill all the criteria required to give both Harley and Indian a run for their money.

For starters, BMW has the credibility and longevity to match the American brands, but with the new engine, it has the cubic twin-cylinder grunt to more than match them in the cruiser category.

If 1.8 litres isn't enough, rumors already suggest a 2000cc version of the BMW horizontally-opposed twin will also be available, no doubt with Harley-Davidson's 1923cc and Indian's 1901cc V-twins in mind as its primary targets.

The most remarkable aspect of the Concept R 18 is that the new big bore BMW boxer motorcycle engine it contains has been shown previously. We've seen two custom motorcycles using the new big bore boxer engine over the last six months and the release of a new engine to custom builders prior to its showing in a factory-produced motorcycle is unprecedented.

 'Departed' was shown last December (2018) at the fabled "Mooneyes Show" in Yokohama in Japan. In the 27 years the show has been running, it has become one of the most important on the world custom stage, and the December show attracted 300 show cars and 650 show motorcycles. 'Departed' won the prestigious "Best of Show Motorcycle" award, at the same time as creating a stir among BMW aficionados about the engine which was publicly acknowledged by the BMW factory as a prototype for the first time.
BMW Motorrad

That's the Custom Works Zon "Departed" which was shown last December (2018) at the fabled Mooneyes Show in Yokohama in Japan. In the 27 years the show has been running, it has become one of the most important on the world custom stage, and last year's show attracted 300 show cars and 650 show motorcycles. "Departed" won the prestigious Best of Show Motorcycle award, at the same time as creating a stir among BMW aficionados about the engine, which was publicly acknowledged by the BMW factory as a prototype for the first time.

The new large capacity boxer engine is believed to be ready for production in both 1800cc and 2000cc capacities, with further derivative models to be shown later this year and next year (2020).
BMW Motorrad

Dubbed the R 18, which according to BMW's traditional nomenclature, indicates it has a capacity of around 1800cc, the geometry and elements present in the show bike were reminiscent of much older BMW Motorrad engines. The push rods running above the cylinders in chrome-plated protection ducts were used in BMW boxer engines in the 1960s, and if you check out "Departed" in the image gallery for this article, you'll see the valve gear covers were styled on pre-WW2 BMW engines, despite the equally obvious modern day air/oil cooling.

Six weeks ago (in April, 2019), a second custom bike using the BMW prototype engine appeared at the annual Handbuilt Show in Austin, Texas. Austin is also the home of renowned American custom craftsman Alan Stulberg's Revival Cycles, and the 'Revival Birdcage' show bike was clearly inspired by Ernst Hennes' speed record BMW machinery from the late 1920s and early 1930s, which wore similar polished aluminum teardrop valve-gear covers.
BMW Motorrad

Six weeks ago (in April, 2019), a second custom bike using the BMW prototype engine appeared at the annual Handbuilt Show in Austin, Texas. Austin is also the home of renowned American custom craftsman Alan Stulberg's Revival Cycles, and the "Revival Birdcage" show bike was clearly inspired by Ernst Hennes' speed record BMW machinery from the late 1920s and early 1930s, which wore similar polished aluminum teardrop valve-gear covers.

Those two custom motorcycles somewhat disguised the sheer physical size of the prototype engine by dressing it in different contexts and with cylinder heads that evoked different eras of the company's signature boxer twin engine.

This time, although the R 18 Concept bike also relies heavily on historic cues in evoking the company's near 100 year heritage, the magnitude of the big bore engine is suddenly evident because we can see it in a relatively traditional BMW form factor.

BMW Motorrad's "Concept R18" motorcycle was shown for the first time at Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este 2019 - the nomenclature suggests it has a capacity around the 1800cc mark.
BMW Motorrad

Those protruding pots are HUGE, and after 98 years of producing horizontally-opposed motorcycle engines, BMW has suddenly raised the boxer engine's capacity by a whopping 50 percent, stepping it up from middleweight to heavyweight class ...

... and the intention is suddenly clear that it is going after Harley-Davidson's heavyweight crown in the cruiser class of motorcycles.

"Naturally we want to keep growing," said Timo Resch, Vice President Sales and Marketing BMW Motorrad at the unveiling of the "Revival Birdcage" show bike. In the context of what we have now seen at Villa d'Este, his words take on much more meaning: "One step we will take to do so, certainly in the US market, is to enter the Cruiser segment. BMW Motorrad is consistently pursuing its growth strategy with the clear aim of becoming the number one in the Premium Big Bike Segment."

I've owned and tested Harley-Davidson and BMW twins for almost 50 years, and I've always thought of the BMW twins as more like a Swiss watch and Harley V-twins as more like Big Ben, despite their similar engine capacities.

Those protruding pots are HUGE, and after 98 years of producing horizontally-opposed motorcycle engines, BMW has suddenly raised the boxer engine's capacity by a whopping 50 percent, stepping it up several orders of magnitude from middleweight to heavyweight class
BMW Motorrad

There's something about the exquisite primary balance of the BMW Motorrad horizontally-opposed engine that makes it feel more like a scalpel than a meat axe, but the emergence of this new big bore version of the age old design puts it firmly into Harley-Davidson territory.

With Indian also providing a credible alternative to the Harley-Davidson cruisers, the stage looks set for a battle royale.

Source: BMW

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10 comments
TomLeeM
I think that is really nice. It seems unusual that the engine sticks out that far on each side but I am not all that familiar with motorcycles.
vince
Its not a full frontal attack on cruiser market without an electric cruiser which would blow away all the ICE junk.
WB
looks great..but this bike allows to pretty much not lean in at all and as such removes the most fun part of riding bike. Looks great though... electric would be better though.
Jason Catterall
Love everything about it, except the way the engine forces your legs into such a cramped position. No way to stretch out in true cruiser style.
EH
Basic information is missing. What does it weigh? How much power and torque does it produce? What will it cost?
I'd also like to see the BSFC (fuel consumption/power) plot, but when was the last time you saw one of those from a manufacturer?
usugo
ridiculously wide. On the other hand, considering the target, the more impractical and ridiculous the better
Malatrope
I've ridden boxer BMWs a long time, and to those who think it is a cramped position understand that it's easy to put pegs on a brush bar in order to stretch your legs, and to those who think you can't lean it, dream on. Even my old R50 (with cylinders placed lower on the engine) could lean as far as you wanted to. The geometry is deceptive.
I grew to appreciate the solid mass of the cylinders in front of my legs. They provide significant protection against glancing and side collisions. BMW riders rarely end up with steel pins in their knees.
Kpar
Hokey Smokes, Bullwinkle! An 1800cc TWIN?
Impressive.
Now all they need is to cram 4 valves per cylinder into it. (And yes, it can be done with a pushrod motor.)
guzmanchinky
I've ridden some Harleys, terrible machines if you're used to a motorcycle from Japan which is reliable, fast, brakes hard and handles well. Hopefully the BMW will be better in every way.
Daishi
@vince Electric still makes more sense on cars than motorcycles. Range anxiety is a bigger challenge for bikes than cars because they are ridden less often but usually for longer distances. Cars deal with the weight by building skateboard platforms with the battery at low center of gravity and you can't do that with a motorcycle. The higher weight of the battery is a larger issue on a motorcycle than in a car. Motorcycles already accelerate fast off the line and don't benefit as much from Electric early torque. They use less fuel from cars so there isn't as much incentive to draw from cheaper electricity. They lack the higher tax advantages that electric cars offer. While under operation they are sometimes refueled multiple times within a day which is still hard to do with electric charging. Some people prefer motorcycles to be loud or at least audible for safety because they are harder to see and more dangerous to the rider in a collision. I wonder how many people who complain when they see non-electric motorcycles even ride motorcycles in the first place. Where I live we have Tesla's everywhere and bike racks with a handful of electric bicycles and I've never seen a fully electric MC in the wild.