BMW R18 motorcycle test

Menus

• Bavarian sauce cruiser with a real engine and pieces of history in it
• Big Boxer of 1,802 cm3, 3 driving modes, 91 hp, 158 Nm, 345 kg, from 22,990 euros
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Contact
• In the city
• On the highway
• On departmental
• Night road
• Braking
• Comfort / Suspensions
• Consumption
• Convenient
• Video test
• Conclusion
• Options prices

Bavarian sauce cruiser with a real engine and pieces of history in it

Big Boxer of 1,802 cm3, 3 driving modes, 91 hp, 158 Nm, 345 kg, from 22,990 euros

The R5, a model in which I fell as a child and which represents all my youth … well, the car, because the motorcycle, I was not born. The BMW R5 dates back to 1936 and it is indeed this which is reborn today with the R18, after two years of waiting and as many concepts. Two years during which BMW made us salivate since the concept unveiled at the City of Este, then a second evolution unveiled in Milan. The R18 finally arrives, in "First Edition", a first special vintage edition, which as its name suggests will only exist in 2020 to be replaced by another version later. And with this R18, BMW arrives on the segment of the big cruiser, if we exclude the R1200C which became famous especially for its appearance in the James Bond film "Tomorrow never dies" … but whose sales have never been at the height. Because if BMW is always at the top of maxi-trails with the GS, even road with the RT, the cruiser has never been its spearhead. That may change with this new model which plunges into history to offer a model that is eyeing the side of the United States to explode in sales, even if 300 orders have already been placed in France for a model that is not yet in production. concessions !

A look, a story

Discovery

Do you have the R5 in mind, the motorcycle not the car? Genetics are incredibly respected since the model appeared almost 90 years ago, bigger, much bigger, with this Boxer turned Big Boxer.

The historic BMW R5
Descendant of the R5 from 1936

It must be said that with 1802 cm3, it is the biggest Boxer ever built by BMW, even if Kawasaki has indeed built a twin-cylinder of 2000 cm3 with the VN. But there is nothing to do between the two models neither in style nor in engine. On the other hand, there is more to do with direct competition, whether at Indian with the V-Twin Thunder Stroke 111 (1,819 cm3) or Harley-Davidson with the 114 ci (1868 cm3). And BMW confirms it, the R18 market is well located across the Atlantic for the future. But with the R18, it’s all about history.

Big Boxer, four-stroke, flat-twin engine

Because here, we actually dive into the past with the impression of discovering a pre-war model, in particular with this black water drop tank with this white yarn, this metal logo, this round lighthouse, this frame with double cradle, these silencer Fishtails or fishtail and its visible cardan transmission !

Fishtail or fishtail exhaust

Because yes, we can see the gimbal bare, a marvel of mechanics. Looks like a hardtail, when in fact the whole thing hides a cantilever suspension.

The open-air gimbal, a magnificent mechanical part

As a well-known ad recalls, it looks like, tastes like, but it’s not…

Adaptive LED headlight with mustache light signature

Because behind this old-fashioned look, we find a modern machine, with three driving modes, a digital display with an on-board computer, ASC stability control and MSR torque control, keyless start and headlights. adaptive (i.e. that illuminate the outside of the turn). And once is not customary, everything is original on this model, except hill start assistance (105 euros) and reverse (980 euros). You can then choose from a dozen different saddles and handlebars, with a clever system for the cables allowing a quick disassembly of handlebars of different heights going up to the Apehanger (in other words what to hang the arms in the air) or on the contrary Bobber.

Chrome, with a capital C

But the R18 is above all a showcase proudly showing off its 1802 cc Big Boxer, with 150 Nm of torque between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm with a peak of 158 Nm at 3,000 rpm. We suddenly forget the power, almost modest 91 hp at 4,750 rpm. And to see it, we see it, massive, imposing, surmounted by an imposing 1.800 cc plate and especially chrome cylinder head covers of the most beautiful effect..

Big boxer, the biggest boxer built by BMW

It is then the finish at all levels that marks the model, from the interchangeable plates on the tank (torx key to remove the logos to be exchanged with those offered in the box delivered with the R18), to the BMW metal plate in the saddle. or the BMW logo on the mudguard or in the center of the engine at the front. And then the metal plate again indicating the "first edition" under the saddle.

The BMW logo in the center of the Boxer
2 LED rear lights with integrated turn signal

This R18 is beautiful and it turns the eyes, from the cyclist crossed on the road to the GTman on the highway (to see in the video). We read the question in the eyes, hesitating between a modern answer and an impression of the old. But in any case, it calls out and the looks are slow and prolonged, saluting the aesthetics, the size and this ancient modernity..

In the saddle

A cruiser is accessible! The R18 is no exception to the rule with a saddle at only 690 mm which allows you to put both feet on the ground, even for the smallest riders. And with this Boxer at ground level, you hardly feel the 345 kilos, anyway! Except when you have to push the bike into the garage. And unlike most customs, we sit on it, with a straight home position. The feet will therefore look for nothing forward and the legs will almost go up, at least for the older ones, who will have more the impression of being flush with the ground and will have their knees well bent. The position is ultimately straight and natural.

In front of us we have an apparently minimalist counter with the speedometer and a small digital screen, whose display is controlled on the left stalk with the traditional BMW menu button. We suddenly have the tachometer, the gear engaged, the date, the clock, the partial trip, the average and instantaneous consumption … All that is missing is the remaining autonomy. It is very readable even under the sun and everything lights up slightly in night white to be even more readable.

Old school counter but with inlaid digital display

Contact

The big bowl takes you to the left when you switch on the ignition and then the bike balances. You just have to be warned. You then have to go get the lug of the crutch with the tip of your foot to bring it back easily. The saddle is accessible to small riders but the foot must still reach the crutch. And if not, the position of the stand means that the motorcycle is not too tilted. Suddenly, the R18 is much easier to raise than one might think and much easier than other cruisers or motorcycles of this size and weight, thanks to a very low center of gravity..

An impressive size when standing still, but 345 kilos that can be picked up easily

Difficult then to enclose the tank, the calves being even separated by the two exhaust pipes while the feet remain behind the cylinders, unlike the customs where they go forward.

The luminous mustache of the lighthouse

We are surprised by the sound, almost muffled, far from the bugles of the competition. You won’t disturb the neighbors or the city. The Raslescoot will bless you.

In the city

87cm is the width of the motor, but the handlebars are even wider, so in the end, it goes all the time and easily. Because the balance is impressive and inversely proportional to the a priori that one can have to drive a motorcycle of 345 kilos. You don’t feel them, even at very low speed, especially since the feet can always recover from a bad maneuver. It is arguably the easiest of the big guys on the market to drive, even for the first 3 km / h. And obviously, without a passenger, that also helps a little, for this first version without a passenger seat that we were testing (but there is indeed a double seat if necessary).

The Boxer is then incredibly flexible capable of winding at 40 km / h in the sixth and last gear at 900 rpm and only really knocking at 800 rpm or roaring up to 80 km / h on the first report (not in town). In fact, in town, you will naturally find yourself in third, especially since the bike tends to vibrate above 4,000 rpm in the first gears, a phenomenon less marked in the following gears. Suffice to say that at 900 rpm on the last report, you will be able to cross a sleepy village in the middle of the night without waking anyone.

91 hp at 4,750 rpm

At this rate, you move rather easily between cars, even trucks (see video), forgetting the width of the engine and without looking at the millimeters that separate the mirrors from other vehicles..

You will then appreciate the Roll mode (road) in town, or even the Rain mode in the rain. And you will carefully avoid the Rock mode (Sport), too direct and violent in the city and capable of removing your license in four strokes, three movements.

U-turns are also much easier than you think, as long as you extend your arms far and play the pendulum..

Finally and it is the surprise, especially compared to the American or even Italian competition, despite the beautiful 30 ° C these days of testing, we have never felt the heat given off by the engine, making cruising all the more more pleasant, including in town and in traffic jams.

On the highway

The R18 purrs at 2,000 rpm at 90 km / h and then still purrs as much at 2,800 rpm at 130 km / h on the legal motorway. It is then enough to turn the handle to let go of the elastic to reach illegal speeds in France at 5,700 rpm, possible but in any case tiring with a total lack of protection. But it is still possible to hang on to the handlebars up to 160 km / h, in 3rd! And there are still 3 reports to go! In reality, you will have passed the next gear long before, favoring the zone before 4,000 rpm … while looking far away, to anticipate any traffic jam and thus be able to brake safely. Because 345 kilos well launched make a mass with its kinetic energy large enough to scare you in the event of the need for emergency braking. And she is able to cruiser legally, to such an extent that one would dream of cruise control, sorry cruise control, not available.

Cruising at 130 km / h at 2.850 rpm

On departmental

The R18 has two faces, if not three, because of its driving modes. We forget about the rain mode, to be reserved for the city … or for the rain of course. The roll mode, the most road, is ideal for rolling and cruising, with enough potato (without potato but we can feel the big heart) to roll quickly or even too fast but always quietly fast on the torque.

3 driving modes with a Rock mode, very Rock and Roll

We then appreciate the landscape, the times out of the village crossed on the last gear and an easy machine that tilts without thinking about it to go from one turn to the other, even if it means swaying your hips a little to keep it as strong as possible. straight possible, so as not to rub.

You can then choose to wind between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm while being able to pull the second up to 120 km / h, already far too fast on the departmental! In any case, the vibrations above 4,000 rpm will always make you shift forward, to enjoy its torque, like other cruisers..

And then there is the Rock mode! And there, indeed, it becomes very Rock and Roll and especially Rock! It’s crazy the potato that the machine unveils at this moment, asking to seriously grip the handlebars, capable of starting commas despite the traction control and the stability control (with the orange lights that light up on the control panel. edge). It no longer has to do with any other cruiser on the market. And if you turn the handle too hard, you will be able to put on one just as quickly, especially since the 345 kilos appear suddenly … in other words, the R18 takes you with it and braking is a problem. little to the trouble to recover it all. It’s healthy, it’s dynamic, but you shouldn’t be too optimistic because the bike may go faster than you. And it is this new face that surprises, far from the placid cruisers with which we enter an art of living, but sometimes with withdrawn sensations. In Rock mode, you will have to have your heart set on it. And if you like the thrills, you will have them and quickly … In fact, it is the ground clearance that will brake you even if it already takes a good sustained pace to rub, but we get there quite quickly and on both sides in loud scratching noises with the footrests rubbing.

Big heart needed in Rock driving mode

Night road

The front headlight struggles to illuminate far and you really have to switch to "full headlight / high beam" to be able to see relatively far. And indeed, the headlights illuminate further outside the turn thanks to the adaptive headlights..

Braking

It seems that there is a double disc at the front and a single disc at the rear … It is suitable for cruising, with a good feeling, power and a real rear brake sufficient in town and at moderate pace. But when the pace picks up, there are 345 pounds that just want to keep going when you squeeze the front lever hard and hit the brake pedal hard, without triggering the ABS. At least it is not intrusive in the dry, unlike in the wet where it easily kicks in even at reduced speed. Admittedly, they are only 300 mm and they are discs with the BMW logo (Heis and not Brembo) and they will not be too violent in the rain. But in the dry and in Rock mode, you should not be surprised and anticipate.

Dual 300mm disc, 4 piston calipers, full BMW Motorrad ABS

Comfort / Suspensions

Looks like a hardtail but there is a cantilever suspension well hidden at the rear. Everything is very homogeneous between the front and the rear, which never tends to dive, even on hard braking. It’s fine as long as the road is level and the asphalt is clean. It’s always healthy afterwards and it’s never soft either, but it’s dry. It must be said that with a travel of only 90mm, we quickly reach the limits proving that it is a cruiser and not a GT road. But in the category, it is doing better than others, mainly thanks to a healthy chassis which allows to stay in line in the sequences of virolos.

A 690 mm seat, with a metal BMW plate in the backrest

Consumption

The on-board computer gave us an average 6.4 liters per cent, at a steady pace. The instantaneous consumption is able to go down under 5 liters and even to 4.5 l / 100 at the legal motorway, even 4 liters when one winds on the couple at the lowest speed. We can thus drop the consumption to around 5.5 liters. But in Rock mode, too Rock, you will always be above 6 liters, which therefore allows a range of just over 270 kilometers.

16 liter water drop tank with removable / exchangeable logo via two screws

Convenient

But there is nothing practical, not even enough to store anything under the saddle, not a disc pad, or the yellow vest. On the other hand, there is a socket to be able to connect a smartphone on the left side. And then BMW released a collection with Bleu de Chauffe with elegant bags, from 399 euros and up to 675 euros, the characteristic of which is essentially to be able to be harnessed easily. The accessories catalog is then rich to complete with side bags.

In any case, the box is delivered with the R18, with its book, logos to be exchanged on the tank with the white gloves that go with it, the belt buckle and the belt, not to mention a cap.

The box delivered with the R18 for the First Edition

Video test

Conclusion

The R18 will delight those nostalgic for the old ones, but who do not want to deny modernity and have sensations superior to what the old ones can give. The look will delight them from day to day, especially since the R18 can very well be an everyday motorcycle, which we will take to fetch bread and turn all heads in the process. It will delight lovers of strong sensations and especially with the Rock mode engaged, really very Rock & Roll. And then, if you want to go find matches, who knows how many years you will be rolling, at least 18! And finally, even at 22,990 euros, in this "first edition" with what could be options but is original (our test model is still at 24,990 €), it is almost the most affordable of the BMWs, especially in this exceptional category and for the pleasure provided that will make you love cruising, even if you are not custom.

Strong points

• Aesthetics and finishes
• Motor
• The Rock driving mode
• Frame

Weak points

• Braking
• Ground clearance

The technical sheet of the BMW R18

Test conditions

• Itinerary: small varied roads + interurban highways + city
• Motorcycle mileage: 300 km

Options prices

• Reverse: 980 €
• Hill Start Control: 105 €
• High beam Pro (daytime running light, adaptive cornering lights): € 395
• Lockable tank cap: 55 €
• Heated handles: 225 €
• Anti-theft alarm: 240 €

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