ROAD NEWS
PRODUCTION SET FOR BMW R18
H
old the press! BMW Motorrad have given us a
heads up on when we’ll finally be seeing the
final production version of their hot new take
on the cruiser – the R18 – and it’s a lot closer than
we thought.
BMW Motorrad has confirmed we will finally see
the production version of the new R18 cruiser for
the first time on April 3, 2020.
The brand will officially present the bike featuring
the all-new 1800cc Big Boxer for the cruiser
segment, but we’re still awaiting an official
announcement on when the R18 will be available
for purchase.
“All of us at BMW Motorrad are very much looking
forward to the absolute highlight of the year for
us – the world premiere of the BMW R 18,” says Dr.
Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad.
“BMW Motorrad achieved record sales for the
ninth year in succession in 2019. With the R18 and
the associated entry into the cruiser segment, we
78 KIWI RIDER
are consistently pursuing our growth strategy with
the clear goal of becoming the number one in the
premium segment worldwide”.
This isn’t the first time BMW Motorrad has tried to
get a slice of the cruiser pie, with the R1200C of the
late 1990s still a divisive topic to this day. Will the
new R18 be the hit BMW was looking for over two
decades ago? It could be too soon to tell, but there
is plenty of hope with BMW showing us at least two
official versions of the R18 in concept form with
another fully dressed version leaking through spy
shots.
Importantly, the R18 seems to have a lot more
going for it in the styling department than the
divisive R1200C, with the only gimmick BMW seems
to be leaning on to market the bike being its huge
1800cc boxer-twin engine.
Full details of the bike – or bikes – will be
announced at the global reveal on April 3, so
check back next month for the full download.