BMW R18 cruiser booking started unofficially

BMW R18 cruiser has finally arrived in its production state. It has been suggested that the dealer BMW Mottorad had already started taking unofficial bookings. The cruiser motorcycle is expected to attract many bike lovers. Let’s see what the bike really features.

Looks / Design

Looking at the design language, it’s similar to most of the traditional cruisers. However, the nice chunky exhaust pipe and the big powerplant unit really draws the attention, it’s unlike most of the cruiser motorcycles. The bike is mostly inspired by the old BMW R5 that was in production in the 1930s. The long wheelbase, round chrome finished headlamp unit and single-piece seat make it even premium.

Overall, we really loved the design and we think most of us will have a crush on it as well.

BMW R18 Engine

Along with the design, the engine is also spectacular. It comes with 1,802 cc boxer twin-cylinder, air plus oil-cooled engine that produces around 91 bhp max power at 4,750 rpm and huge 157 Nm of peak torque at just 3,000 rpm. The engine gets mated with a 6-speed gearbox. One more talking point of the transmission is that it gets shaft instead of a chain or belt. This helps the bike to have a reverse gear option as well so that it can be moved and parked easily.

Hardware and Features

The bike is equipped with typical heavyweight chassis and elements. It gets the retro-looking teardrop tank shape. At the front bike gets equipped with 49 mm forks that look massive and long. Looking at the rear portion of the bike, we might not find the rear shock absorbers. This is due to BMW’s clever idea of hiding the mono-shock. Wheels of the BMW R18 are spoke type that makes them look even classier. The bike comes with analogue plus digital instrument console unit, LED headlamps and single-piece handlebar.

BMW has officially announced and unveiled the prices in Europe and the USA. Company will have the official launch in India pretty soon. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the specific launch date is still uncertain. BMW Motorrad dealers in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi have confirmed that they have started taking bookings. The token amount is kept at Rs 1 lakh.

After the official launch, the price is expected at around Rs 19-20 lakhs (ex-showroom).

BMW R18 Rivals

The BMW R18 will be competing against Ducati Diavel, Harley Davidson Fat Bob. Considering the competition, it will be certainly the most expensive among the rivals but will have better features as well.