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BMW plans luxury offensive with SUVs
Speculation for years
Maybe a cruiser, a heavy motorcycle in a classic guise, but with the latest technology? A segment from which the Munich years had previously withdrawn, which was surprising given the large number of heavy machines from the American cult brand Harley-Davidson, which also drive around on German roads. The then head of BMW Motorrad, Stephan Schaller, fueled such speculation: “We have enough substance to do more for cruiser customers,” said Schaller in an interview in 2016.
Now it is there, the BMW cruiser, and you can say that compared to the study of the R5 homage, the final version has set a huge bacon. Because it has not become a filigree machine, but a huge machine weighing 345 kilograms. And rarely has a new motorcycle been prepared with such a sophisticated PR concept, and to a certain extent brought to the start. Because the BMW strategists knew: in order to gain a foothold in the cruiser segment, the territory of Harley-Davidson and a little bit of Indian, the first serve has to be right.
Phone book thickness accessories list
The first thing that was developed was a completely new engine, a 1802 cubic centimeter two-cylinder boxer engine. The strongest boxer that BMW built, which is why it was immediately named “Big Boxer”. This big boxer was then made available to two renowned customizers with the order to build a motorcycle around the engine of their own taste. The international customizer scene, i.e. the hip community in which motorcycles are converted in every conceivable way, should be immediately involved. Because without the possibility of converting the motorcycle according to your own wishes, a fat cruiser would not work, as the Harley example shows, where the list of accessories is as thick as a telephone book. In addition, with the R nineT, BMW has for the first time won the hearts of customizers. For them, BMWs were previously not an object of desire, they were considered to be technically mature bores.
The development of a Big Boxer also has a lot to do with BMW’s first experience in the cruiser segment, which ended painfully. In 1997 BMW launched the R 1200 C, a cruiser whose production was already discontinued in 2004. The machine, which optically stood out from the standard range and is now a sought-after collector’s item, flopped mainly on the important US market. There, you were and are fixed on large-capacity iron piles, the classic air-cooled 1200-cubic boxer from BMW couldn’t keep up.
Quite comfortable
And the seating position was not cruiser-like enough for US customers either. Because with legs placed far forward you sit far more uncomfortably than it looks in the long run and have little feeling for the front wheel, but for cruiser fans this sitting position is considered cool and casual. This is not possible with a boxer engine due to its design, because the two cylinders stick out to the side. With the R 18 Big Boxer, they stand out even further. BMW tries to hide this shortcoming as much as possible and advertises the sitting position as a “casual, so-called mid-mounted footpeg position. This “classic position behind the cylinders” enables a “relaxed and active sitting position”, says a press release. Will Harley fans see it that way?
Otherwise, BMW has deliberately given the R 18 a “conversion-friendly architecture” that is intended to offer customizers a rich field of activity. Extensive special equipment is available ex works, which should drive up the total price significantly. It starts at a whopping 23,650 francs, and the machine is not just for beginners in terms of weight. Technically, BMW has given its cruiser along with the huge engine with a maximum torque of 158 Newton meters everything that is possible today, including reverse gear.
Will the R 18 be a success? Hard to say. Harley-Davidson is struggling with declining sales in the domestic US market, customers are considered to be out of date. Harley boss Matt Levatich resigned in late February. And the Japanese have withdrawn from the heavy cruiser segment. The starting position for the attack by Bayern has never been better.
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