If you like your motorcycles big, feet-forward, and German, then we have good news for you, as the BMW R18 finally has a release date: Friday, April 3rd.
That’s good news to our ears too, as BMW Motorrad has been teasing the R18 for more than a year with an onslaught of custom and concept motorcycles that feature the big 1,800cc boxer engine.
Expected to come as a platform of machines, we know to expect a model that is very similar to the BMW R18/2 concept we saw debut at EICMA last year.
There have also been spy photos of a bagger version with more touring accoutrements as well, which gives us a glimpse into what BMW Motorrad is thinking.
Envious of Harley-Davidson’s sales figures in this segment, BMW hopes to siphon off some American v-twin riders with the company’s rich history and iconic boxer engine designs, coupled to the clean lines of the air-cooled engine.
Will Bar & Shield riders swing a leg over another brand? Especially one that’s not American? That remains to be seen.
Indian Motorcycle has had some success in this space, though the brand comes with an American history just as rich as Harley-Davidson’s own. We would expect BMW to have more of a fighting chance than what we’ve seen from the Japanese brands in this space though.
The bottom line, and we have said it before, BMW Motorrad has its work cut out for it in convincing American v-twin buyers with this motorcycle. We will get to see the first lines of their proposal in just a few weeks though, and see how customers react.
One way or another, the BMW R18 is certainly the most interesting motorcycle being release this year. We can’t wait to see it.
Source: BMW Motorrad
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