Words : Jock McLauchlan | Photos : Geoff Osborne
I f you want big , bold , bad and , umm , beautiful in a cruiser , BMW has a new highly impressive new kid on the block to tempt you with . Although , it really doesn ’ t feel right to refer to this massive beast as a “ kid ” – the all new R18 First Edition model is a real-deal , big muscle brawler that ’ s pretty dynamic and a somewhat of a looker . Yes , this new machine has real visual impact and presence . And this , coming from a guy who isn ’ t really ‘ into ’ cruisers , which just goes to show how stunning it is . In fact , I ’ d go as far to say it ’ s a work of art .
BIG BUT ACCESSIBLE After seeing this bike in the flesh I have to say that photographs do not do it justice ; they seem to misrepresent the scale of that massive flat twin , the chrome , the finish and the overall beautiful attention to detail . It ’ s not just the engine that ’ s large either ; she ’ s long , at almost 2.4 metres from tip to tail , but low in the seat as typical cruiser style dictates . This fact does limit comfort for tall riders , my feeling being that anyone around six feet tall and over will struggle to find long term comfort . Conversely , shorter riders will be over the moon that a beast of this magnitude is easily accessible to them . Oddly , one of the first things to grab my attention before riding was the ‘ TC off ’ button . I was , like , really ...? Here I am trying to contemplate mastering this imposing beast and BMW wants me to start drifting it ? The need for the Traction Control off button seems somewhat confusing to me , and more than a little intimidating . Perhaps the typically efficient BMW design teams do have a Larrikin side to them after all ? Maybe on the QT burnouts are their thing ? I ’ m starting to feel mixed messages . The R18 is NOT the sort of bike most riders , if any , would want to slide for control purposes , like one would a GS model in the gravel for example . And even they don ’ t have this super easy to use , one press of the button , off system .
UNSTOPPABLE THRUST Frankly , this is a bike that can genuinely overwhelm rear traction quite easily in low traction situations and it ’ s a rather serious 345kg