BMW R18 Cruising In On September 19

It will be BMW Motorrad’s first cruiser offering for the Indian market

• It’s powered by the largest ever boxer engine on a production bike. 
• The styling pays homage to the BMW R5. 
• It’s the first BMW cruiser bike after the BMW R1200C.

BMW Motorrad has confirmed that it will be launching the R18 cruiser on September 19 in India. Bookings for the cruiser had already commenced and according to our sources around 30 bikes have been allotted for our market, with around 20 bikes already being sold. BMW hasn’t shared the pricing, but we expect the R18 to cost around Rs 20 lakh to 22 lakh (ex-showroom). The R18 is among the most interesting new bike launches of 2020, signaling the return of BMW Motorrad to the cruiser segment after a gap of 16 years. Also Read: BMW R18 Breaks Cover

The R18’s styling is based on the BMW R5 and its designers have done a fabulous job of capturing the sensuous lines of the vintage bike. The BMW R18 has to be among the most beautiful and stunning motorcycles on sale today. While it might look like it’s straight out of the 1930s, the R18 is a modern bike underneath. One of the highlights of the German cruiser is that it’s powered by the largest boxer engine ever built. Also Read: BMW R18 vs Harley Davidson Fat Boy 114 Anniversary vs Indian Chief Dark Horse: Image Comparison

The R18 is powered by a 1,802cc horizontally opposed, oil-cooled motor rated at 90PS and 158Nm. And more importantly, around 150Nm of torque is made available at under 4,000rpm! As expected from BMW, power is transmitted to the rear wheel via a shaft drive system and the exposed drive linkage is mechanical nirvana. Talking about electronic aids, the cruiser gets three riding modes, traction control, engine drag torque control (MSR) and an optional hill start control. Also check out: BMW Blechmann R 18 Custom Bike

At 345kg, the BMW R18 is a behemoth and so it is not surprising that it features a reverse gear to assist in parking. However, our sources have indicated that the India-spec R18 might miss out on a reverse gear and we can confirm this only on the day of the launch.