BMW R 18 Roctane Is a New German Bagger Meant to Scare Harleys Away

The R 18 was launched into this world by BMW to take on the cruiser segment, where the Bavarians had been absent since the demise of the R1200 C. Right from the get-go, it had several things going for it, including the "most powerful 2-cylinder boxer engine ever used in motorcycle series production."

Proof of the success of the R 18 is how big the family got to be these past three years. From a single model playing in the cruiser segment, the family grew to a total of four, covering touring and bagger needs as well. And now comes a fifth main model.

As a reminder, until this week we've had the R 18, R 18 B, R 18 Classic, and R 18 Transcontinental, with the special version R 18 100 Years Edition acting as the cherry on the cake. As of this week, the range has grown to include the so-called R 18 Roctane.

This new bike slots somewhere in between the R 18 / R 18 Classic and the range-toppers B and Transcontinental. It's supposed to blend cruising and touring capabilities in a custom-like bagger style, and the way it looks makes it clear it succeeds in doing that.

Before going into what this bike is all about, it's worth mentioning its styling was inspired by the BMW R 5 of 1936. That was the first German bike to come with a foot-operated four-speed gearbox to control the boxer engine. It was in production for only two years, during which time exactly 2,652 were assembled, but it made such an impression that we can still find some on the roads today, in either stock or modified form.

The R 18 built in its honor has a few elements meant to remind riders of the old bike. The rear swingarm, for instance, comes in a design similar to that of the R 5, and "encloses the rear axle drive in the same style using bolted connections."

Like in the R 5, the telescopic forks' fixed tubes have sleeves over them. In fact, the entire suspension system harkens back to the bike from many decades ago. On purpose, it comes with no electronic adjustment options, offering 120 mm of travel at the front and 90 mm at the rear solely by means of telescopic forks and a directly linked central sprint strut.

The frame of the Roctane is of the double-loop tubular steel variety. In its embrace sits the same engine we're used to from the other R 18 models, the 2-cylinder flat-twin BMW like to refer to as the big boxer. The engine is 1,802cc in displacement, and in this application too it is rated at 91 hp at 4,750 rpm and 150 Nm of torque. These are available "all the time" within the 2,000 - 4,000 rpm range.

The Roctane rides on cast alloy wheels, sized 21 inches at the front and 18 inches at the rear (several other options are available). Depending on riding conditions, the bike can be set to one of three riding modes, namely Rain, Roll, and Rock.

Not a single touch of shiny chrome can be seen on the Roctane, and the engine itself has been dressed in Avus black metallic matt, dotted by high-gloss black covers. The exhaust, coming in dark chrome, is almost invisible against this backdrop.

A real eye-catcher is the headlight housing with an integrated round instrument. To take the R 5 connection even further, and because the R 18 is assembled at the BMW factory in Berlin-Spandau, the dial shows the Berlin Built words written on it.

Like all other self-respecting baggers, the R 18 too comes with storage hardware at the rear. In this case, we're talking about cases painted in the color of the ride and capable of holding 27 liters of cargo each.

All of the above is what the German bike maker offers for the stock Roctane. As usual, the bike can be further personalized with the entire might of the Motorrad Accessories range. As an important touch for those planning long rides at high speeds, the bike can be equipped with a windshield with auxiliary headlights and suspended turn indicator lights.

The R 18 Roctane is already listed on the BMW official configurator. The starting price for the bike is $19,590, and for that it comes equipped, as standard, with things like Automatic Stability Control (ASC) and engine drag control.

But if you really put you're mind to it and spec it to the extreme, like we did, you can easily reach an over $23,000 price. The sum includes some must-have optional equipment and features, including reversing aid, Hillstart Control, and heated grips.