VOLUME 57 ISSUE 39 SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 P103
WINNING OVER
AMERICA
So, how do you break into
the world's biggest cruiser
market? Make it big, make it
proud. The R 18 is a vi-
sual feast—from the layers of
chrome, to the elegant ana-
log tacho and pin striping,
to the 1930's tank design.
It's unlike any BMW I've ever
seen, and right up with there
in terms of finish of some
of the best custom builders
around. That's no mean feat
to pull off, especially given
the standard of custom
building these days.
"I would say we did not
really go into the cruiser
market before," says BMW
Motorrad's Head of Design
and the man largely respon-
sible for the R 18, Edgar
Heinrich. "Maybe was a little
try with the R 1200 C.
"I think the bike itself was
quite successful, but not in
the cruiser market. Let's say
it was a nicely done stan-
dard naked bike, let's put it
this way. To be very clear,
we understood that if we go
into a segment where we
have not been in by now—
big cruisers—we have to
play according to the rules
which are set there, and
those are set by the guys
who own the segment, obvi-
ously (Harley-Davidson).
"We understood if we
want to be successful, the
first thing is the motor must
be over 100 cubic inches.
You must have a certain
proportion, that being long
and low, and you must get
the customizing right. How-
ever, it's key that we do it our
way."
At first glance of the R 18,
it's almost easy to miss the
rigid-looking frame wrapped
around the gigantic flat-twin
motor—the biggest boxer
ever to come from BMW.
Air- and oil-cooled and
push rods in that good ol'
(Right) Yes, please!
The pipes are so pretty
in the metal.
