It is the worst-kept secret in the motorcycle industry right… We are talking about BMW Motorrad’s upcoming cruiser, which will features an 1,800cc air-cooled push rod boxer engine.
We know this because the German brand has been shoehorning the mammoth-sized engine into a variety of show bikes, all in the effort to get excited about this “Harley-Davidson killer” of a motorcycle.
Spy photos have also given us a glimpse of the bagger that we can expect to see unveiled later this year, but for now we have yet another concept machine to whet our appetites.
To be fair, the BMW Concept R18 is a handsome machine, with very classic lines that give further credence to the heritage look that BMW is trying to generate with the new model.
To that end as well, the concept makes a good case for BMW to offer a bobber variant of the R1800, to compliment the bagger model that is on its way.
So with the concept debuting at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, we get one step closer to seeing the production model in the flesh.
Until then though, BMW Motorrad is content to wax poetic about its creation (the press release goes on for several pages about the “feel” of the machine), which is standard operating procedure when you make a 1960s motorcycle for the 2020 model year.
We are not sure how much that poetry is going to resonate with the Harley-Davidson crowd, or if BMW Motorrad can find an appeal with the post-authentic riders, but both of those markets are on downward trajectories right now.
As such, it will be interesting to see what the market response to the R18 will be, once it finally arrives (and once we see its price tag). Color us not optimistic about the venture1800, but I love to be proven wrong.
Source: BMW Motorrad
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