Bike India

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine

  • Home
  • News
    • Upcoming Launches
    • Latest News
    • New Bike Launches
  • Reviews
    • First Ride
    • Road Test
    • Comparison
  • Features
  • Our Bikes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • NG Auto
    • AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
    • CAR INDIA
    • COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
  • Brands

BMW R 18 First Edition First Ride Review

March 16, 2021 by Jim Gorde Leave a Comment

With the BMW R 18, Munich’s Motorrad division steps into the big-cube league with their largest Boxer yet. With 901 cubic centimetres per cylinder and a wide load of torque, the R 18 looks set to be the talk of cruiser town.

BMW R 18 First Edition

Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

BMW R 18 First Edition

What sort of images does your mind conjure up when you hear the words “big-cube cruiser”? Cruising down long, wide, and empty stretches of highway, white lines whizzing by, and a mountain range in the distance? I was brought back to reality with a loud honk as a pick-up truck loaded with milk containers attempted to overtake me from the left, precariously overloaded, all set to tip over its side at half a moment’s notice. Nevertheless, the BMW R 18 has more than enough grunt to handle these types of situations and the climb from 1,500 revs to 2,500, without bothering to shift a gear, sees the big Bavarian create some distance from the puzzled driver in the yellow-plated truck.

BMW R 18 First Edition

The R 18 is a heritage model for BMW Motorrad in the truest sense. Although it has several modern amenities and equipment, it’s a bold throwback to the Munich marque’s historic range of boxer-twin Motorräder. In this “First Edition” guise, it even brings the classic black paint finish with white pinstripes garnishing it and a lot of chrome. The “Berlin Built” inscription at the centre info dial and the master cylinders on either side of the handlebar — for the hydraulically actuated dry clutch and front brakes — are another nod to its modern origins: München and Berlin-Spandau for over seven decades. The old-school front fork tubes have a 49-millimetre diameter and as much as 120 mm of travel. The perceived hard-tail appearance is courtesy a cantilever rear suspension set-up. It still allows for up to 90 mm of travel. The highlight, though, is the exposed 30-mm drive shaft going to the universal joint to drive the rear wheel. The wheels — wire-spoked front and rear — see a 19-inch front and a 16-inch rear. The choice of Michelin Commander III Touring tyre sizes should seem familiar to a cruiser buff: a 120/70 R19 front and a 180/65 B16 rear; think VRSCDX Night Rod front and Chieftain rear.

BMW R 18 First Edition

The BMW R 18 clearly has the American cruiser market in its cross hairs. The “there’s no replacement for displacement” philosophy, even with double-digit power figures, seems to take precedence. It’s all about “cee-cees”. The more the cc, the more the power? Grossly inaccurate. But, for those in the know, it also means a nice plateau of torque early down to make tackling mountains and, dare I say, mountain roads, child’s play. This boxer twin has a 107.1-mm bore and a 100-mm stroke. That’s as wide as my fist. And that translates into a swept volume of 901 cc per cylinder — like two fists and with the nickname “Big Boxer”; apt indeed for this low-slung behemoth.

That prodigious displacement means it matches some established names — its primary targets, which are also available here in India — the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 114 (1,868 cc), Heritage Classic Softail 107 (1,745 cc), and even the Touring range models, Road King et al, and the 1,811-cc Indian Motorcycle models, notably the Challenger, Chief Vintage, and Springfield. It’s not just about displacement; it’s also about torque and, more importantly, price. Where the BMW R 18 begins from Rs 18.90 lakh (ex-showroom), this “First Edition” costs a tad more: Rs 22.40 lakh, again ex-showroom. That also brings the even larger Triumph Rocket 3 GT into the picture. What that sort of price gets you, though, apart from the badge, is a load of cubes, torque, and presence.

BMW R 18 First Edition

More on page 2 >

Principal Correspondent at Bike India and Car India. Food for the body. Fuel for the soul.

t: @BikeIndia
f: /BikeIndia

Jim Gorde – who has written 319 posts on Bike India.


Email • Twitter

Related posts:

Kawasaki W175 Tested Review — The Indian Kawasaki
Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 First Ride Review
Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade Anniversary - Enduring Magic Enhanced
Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: First Ride, Review Tagged With: 1800cc cruiser, big bixer, big cruiser in india, bikeindia, BMW 1800cc, bmw cruiser, BMW Motorrad, BMW R 18, BMW R18, Boxer, Boxer-twin, heritage, latest bike India, R 18, R18

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AlphaOmega Captcha Classica  –  Enter Security Code
 ⟲    ➴
 


JANUARY 2023

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

17TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

Anniversary Ride to the Isle of Man with Freddie Spencer and Sid Lal

TVS Ntorq Ncounters I – Navigating the Night

BMW G 310 GS Explores Nagaland

SPECIAL Featured Story

Yamaha MT-10 SP – Ready for Road, Track, and Touring

Yamaha MT-10 SP – Ready for Road, Track, and Touring

In recent years, however, the MT-10 has begun to show its age, especially in terms of technology and rider aids. It was always on the thirsty side, too, and, by modern standards, the brakes were lacking. It was time for an update, which is why for 2022 Yamaha introduced a new MT-10 earlier this year.

More about this.

Car India and Bike India Awards 2019

Recent Posts

  • Kawasaki W175 Tested Review — The Indian Kawasaki
  • Honda Activa H-Smart Launched In India
  • Dakar Rally 2023 – Benavides Emerges Victorious
  • TVS iQube Long Term Review

Car India

Car India Magazine - Get your Digital Subscription

Latest News

Honda Activa H-Smart Launched In India

Dakar Rally 2023 – Benavides Emerges Victorious

HOP Electric Launch High Speed Variant Of Leo

Emotorad Launch Premium Electric Bicycles

Subscribe to Car India

Subscribe to our Car India Magazine

Bike India: India’s no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
SiteMap

Copyright © 2023 · BIKE INDIA INDIA’S NO. 1 TWO WHEELER MAGAZINE, BY FAR! ·