After teasing us with their concept R18, BMW has finally brought to reality their big, bad cruiser motorcycle that aims to challenge Harley Davidson and Indian motorcycles. 

BMW had previously played with the idea of introducing a large cruiser motorcycle but never truly committed to it, which lead to failures such as the R1200C of '97. Then, in the beginning of March; somebody in Germany caught a glimpse of a testing mule for the motorcycle and took pictures of it which further intensified the rumors of a proper cruiser motorcycle coming from BMW. What we didn't know is that BMW had already accepted orders for this bike dating back as far as September 2019. The R18 remains true to the concept of last year, fully embodying its classic shape and legendary reference; the R5.

The centerpiece of the motorcycle is their new engine, the 109.8ci two-cylinder boxer with 91hp peaking at 4,750 RPM. For a cruiser like this, torque is king which is why the R18 packs a whopping 158 Nm at 3,000 rpm. With digits like this, you can expect this bike to calmly hit highway speeds and comfortably stay at them. 

While the bike is not showroom-ready yet, this detailed look gives customers a ton more confidence to move ahead with preorders. Strangely enough, the bike will be sold cheaper on the US market than the European one, which might be a clear indication of who the brand is targeting.