BMW Motorrad's new upcoming cruiser motorcycle, the BMW R18, has been caught on camera while undergoing final testing on the road. Motociclismo has published several photographs of the upcoming 1,800 cc cruiser while being tested on public roads, on the border between France and Italy. These are the first photos which show how the new BMW R18 will look when it's unveiled in finished form next month at the EICMA 2019 motorcycle show in Milan, Italy. And from the spy pictures, we can very well make out that there will be two variants of the R18.
(We expect the BMW R18 to be showcased at EICMA 2019)
One version is a bare-bones cruiser motorcycle similar to the design of the concept that we have seen earlier, but there also seems to be a second model, a touring version, kitted out with accessories. The overall design theme of both bikes look familiar, sharing the round headlamp, low-slung profile, wide, pulled back handlebar and overall cruiser design theme. The touring version seems to employ two secondary auxiliary lights along with the round headlamp, as well as a windscreen and saddlebags. The exhaust systems also seem to have different designs and finishes on the two variants.
The new BMW R18 will be powered by a 1,800 cc boxer-twin, the biggest engine ever used by BMW Motorrad on a production model. With that kind of engine displacement, and an inimitable cruiser design, BMW Motorrad seems to be making serious attempts at grabbing a slice of the cruiser motorcycle segment. The US market particularly, will be in the sights for BMW Motorrad, and the R18 will likely take on big baggers from Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle. More details will be revealed when the bike is finally revealed at the EICMA show in early November 2019.
