The R18 Concept is not just a new fat motorcycle prototype. It is the bomb project that BMW has locked in its arsenal to launch at the beginning of next season, a real bicharraco with almost 2 l. displacement Despite continuing along the same lines as its predecessors Departed, from Custom Work Zon, and the Birdcage, from Revival Cycles, made to order on the colossal 1800 cc boxer engine, this third concept of purely German creation promises to hit hard thanks to a sublime presence.
It has been in the renowned Concorso de Eleganza Villa d'Este 2019 (Lago di Como, Italy) where we have been able to discover its fabulous classic aesthetic, with curved and rounded lines, with a portentous 1.8-liter double-cylinder boxer engine. A revolution. which promises a promising future for the new serial production model that the German company plans to release in 2020. We are going to make the wait very long!
The figure of the BMW Motorrad R18 Concept is marked by a European cruiser style, more custom: long, low, refined. It has class and a bearing that leave us with our mouths open. Only its two monumental cylinders directed towards the sides break a bit with the elegant line. The technical characteristics of the engine have not yet come to light, only that its cooling system is air and oil. But what is clear from now on is that its roar will be intense and it will spin our neck every time we hear it in the street ...
Its solemn aesthetic moves us to the 50s and 60s, with pure and clean lines. It features a steel tube chassis, the fender fitted to the rear wheel, the well-protected fork, and a jet black tear-shaped tank, with subtly hand-painted golden metallic lines. Its thin individual leather seat hides under the cushion, giving the effect of "hard tail".
Built in aluminum to relieve weight of the machine, the motorcycle dominates the block of its colossal engine, which perfectly matches other details also hand polished with glass beads, as is the case of the cylinder head, valve covers or the belt protectors.
A pair of Solex carburetors trust their food, an important feature that will change, in almost all likelihood, the final model, which will propose a more competent and ecological injection system.
It also presents the traditional system of transmission by cardan, in this minimalist case, which leaves you amazed from the first glance, to be exposed and look chromed. As a climax, stepped wheels, with 21-inch wheels in front and 18 in the rear, and Metzeler tires culminate the masterpiece.
In its eagerness to follow the classic line, the BMW team has reduced electronics to the slightest expression: LED lighting and starting, just what makes it different from the current standard bikes. In short, an exciting whole on a fully functional motorcycle. There is nothing left in it and when you see it, the first thing that comes to mind is to want to ride and roll it.
When the debut arrives in 2020, the expected model of the Bavarian firm will have to deal in the fat motorcycle market with a real brave bull: the Triumph Rocket 3 TFT (€ 29,500), although its majestic appearance makes us put the point of also look at the classic American custom, such as the Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe (€ 23,150) or the Indian Chief Dark Horse (€ 31,500), somewhat more aggressive. The question is: can you with them?
