That BMW Motorrad is working on a bagger version of its R18 cruiser is perhaps not new information. The bike has been spied in a variety of ways by the eager eyes of the two-wheeled press.
Today though is our first teasing of its existence from the German brand though, as the company let slip in its yearly report that BMW Motorrad would soon be showing this new “touring” model to the world.
The exact text is as follows: “With the R18 Classic, BMW Motorrad is expanding its product range in the cruiser segment with the addition of a model that is also ideally suited for touring.”
Design patent images (below) have shown the bike to be very similar in design to the R18, though with a “batwing” front fairing and windscreen, and of course with integrated hard luggage at the rear.
We have also seen the bike out testing on public roads, which suggests that we could be nearing the machine’s debut, which is most likely towards the end of this year.
BMW Motorrad could surprise us though, making the R18 touring bike an early 2022 machine.
We can assume that the 1,802cc air-cooled boxer-twin engine will maintain its 91hp and 116 lbs•ft power figures, and that the curb weight will be in excess of 761 lbs quoted for the R18 cruiser.
It would seem that the bagger model will differ from its siblings with a more robust dash, which is more fitting with the segment, as it is more feature-driven.
How will the two-wheeled masses respond to a proper BMW bagger, however? That remains to be seen.
The total available market for such a model is quite large, of course, thanks to Harley-Davidson. But as other marques have learned the hard way before, the Bar & Shield crowd are fiercely loyal customers.
Source: BMW Group
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