2021 BMW R 18
R I D E R E V I E W
P104
fashioned German style,
the BMW R 18's motor
takes center stage from al-
most every angle you wish
to view it from. Wrapped
in chrome from the tim-
ing cover to the cylinder
heads and the exhausts
that end in beautiful fishtail
mufflers, there's an ele-
ment of '50s muscle car to
the design of the R 18.
At 1802cc, the R 18's
engine is as much a
torque monster as a visual
talking point. Power is
quoted at a respectable 91
horsepower at 4750 rpm,
however, torque is where
it's at with the R 18. Its
peak of 116 lb-ft at 3000
rpm is matched by the fact
that 110 lb-ft is at your beck
and call from just 2000
rpm. There's so much
torque you can leave the
lights in third gear, use no
throttle, and the motor will
just pull you along.
BMW has tried to make
this as old-school an
engine as possible. Even
though there's fuel injec-
tion, variable riding modes
in the very hipster-like
Rain, Roll and Rock (more
on those later), twin-cam
overhead valve adjustment
is still via the old screw
and locknut, just like the
boxers from the early
1930s to the '80s.
BMW knows heritage
counts a lot in a bike such
as the R 18, and it's partly
an excuse to extract some
financial advantage from
their history that the R
18 even exists in the first
place.
Look closely and you'll
see parts from BMW's heri-
tage grafted onto the R 18.
The R5 of 1934 was one of
the key machines chan-
neled for the R 18, with the
teardrop gas tank, exposed
drive shaft, swingarm, fork
(Left) Got motor? Your view is
dominated by the twin, whether
you're riding or watching.
(Right) That tank and the First
Edition pin striping is straight
out of the 1930s. (Below)
There wasn't much left before
the pegs started scraping.
