BMW Motorrad Concept R18 Goes After Harley and Indian with New Boxer Engine

This is the third time the engine has been fitted on a bike, but the first time it made it onto an official Motorrad machine. The previous two uses for it were in the Custom Works Zon R18 and in the Revival Birdcage.

Officially there still are no specific performance details available on the engine, but what we know now, after BMW fitted the engine on its own bike, is a lot more than we knew before.

The 1,800 cc powerplant is brand new and relies on two cylinders designed in such a way as to be reminiscent of the flat twin engines build until the late 1960s. The unit uses Solex dual carburetors inspired by the BMW 2002. Both the engine block and transmission are made of glass bead-blasted aluminum.

The R18 concept has been designed to let nothing unrevealed, as all of its components are visible: the engine, the cradle frame, and the universal shaft and drop-shaped fuel tank, painted black and with hand-applied contrast lines. Taking the engine’s power to the road are 21-inch front wheels and 18-inch rear ones.

According to Edgar Heinrich, head of BMW Motorrad Design, the R18 has been created in such a way as to represent motorcycling at its core.

“This concept bike appeals to something deep down – you just want to just get on it and ride off. But when you get off it again, you don’t just put it in the garage and walk away – you turn around again and give it a final parting glance,” he said.

When ready for market launch, the new boxer engine will help Motorrad establish a solid beachhead in the cruiser segment, challenging Harley-Davidson and Indian supremacy in the United States.