VOLUME 57 ISSUE 39 SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 P101
IT'S BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR OVER FIVE YEARS, AND
NOW IT'S FINALLY HERE. THIS IS THE BMW R 18, AND IT'S
GOT HARLEY-DAVIDSON FIRMLY IN ITS CROSSHAIRS
THE BEAST
COMETH
T
here's only one king of American
roads. It's been this way for genera-
tions, fueled by domestic manufactur-
ing and a riding market staunchly patriotic.
That king is the cruiser. From sea to shin-
ing sea, the cruiser is the most numerous,
most prolific motorcycle on the road. And of
those many thousands (or even millions) of
motorcycles riding everything from the Tail
of the Dragon in Tennessee to the Snake
up Mulholland Drive, you can bet, if it's a
cruiser, it's made by Harley-Davidson. Or
Indian, to a lesser extent.
This is something BMW is very much
aware of, and they want to slice off a size-
able chunk of that lucrative pie for them-
selves with the brand-new R 18 First Edition.
This is a motorcycle made for the U.S. mar-
ket, so much so that over half of the world's R
18s are destined for the American market.
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK I PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING
