BMW Has A New Cruiser For 2021

I have seen this on the i-net the last couple days, and thought you fans of the cruiser may give it a look.

BMW has come up with a very nice Cruiser. They are calling it the R18. Beautiful retro looks and styling. They are showing it in beautiful retro black with pinstripe just like the R65 from days of old.

1800cc, opposed, twin cylinders, three driving modes, 27" seat (thats low for a Beemer). Lots and lots of chrome available. It weighs in at the high 700's.

Not cheap, they are starting at $18K. 10 years ago, I would have jumped all over it. But I also like Spyders, have #6 in my stable.

I am one of the few that still drives a cruiser Kawi Vulcan 900. Mine is 735# and now a bit of a handful. I did own a Kawi 2000cc version for a couple years. It was to heavy for me to feel confident with it, but it would really get up and go. That one weighed in at over 900#.

Google News has a current article and 25 beautiful pictures if you are interested. I wont put a link up, but the hunt is worth it if you like cruisers.

Interesting, thanks.

I lusted after the early 70"s R100RT, and thought they were gorgeous. Too pricey for me but I sure looked at them with "lust in my heart". :)

That being said, any of the other BMW's were as plain jane as could be, and they never visually appealed to me. And this one is not
much different. So I hate to be a detractor, but not for me.

I tried sitting on one, but those cylinder heads made it impossible to change gears or access the brake, so I couldn’t take it for a ride. Might be alright for shorter riders, but very short suspension travel. They actually have an accessory which is a metal pad that sits just above the cylinder heads that acts as a “Highway peg” of sorts. Your calves rest on it. To my reckoning, it would take somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes to get from the top of those cylinder heads and back and around to the brake :shocked:

Pete

BMW has been talking about putting that bike into production for a couple of years. I'm glad they are finally offering it. Not my cup of tea, but the more choices the better for all of us who ride. Be a pretty sad world if everyone had to ride just what I approved. I have owned two Beemers over the years, a 96 1100 GS that was a blast to ride and a 2004 1150RT that I put 100,000 miles on before parting with it. Both bikes were stone reliable and cheaper to maintain than my Wing or Valkyrie.

Never was a BMW fan, do still miss the Vulcan 800 we used to ride.

Better looking than this ugly attempt...

Better than the touring version. This is an abomination.

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Originally Posted by Saluda

Never was a BMW fan, do still miss the Vulcan 800 we used to ride.

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If I may digress a tad...back in 1978 it was time for another motorcycle. I got my choices down to two. I was looking at the Kawi KZ650 or the BMW R65. I had a dealer that sold both at the time.

I did test drive both. I also did not like the ergos of the BMW. It felt stiff, and a bit hard to control. During the test drive, I kept thinking a gestapo guy was on my shoulder repeating "Ve have Vays of making you drive." That has kind of stuck with me. :roflblack:

I ended up buying the KZ650. Turned out to be a great bike for me. I "Vettered" it up with fairing and bags. Remember those?? :yes: Added a custom king/queen seat package and never looked back.

When the BMW1600's came out at first, I looked again, but the seat height was prohibitive for me. The new cruiser is the first that would seem to fit...but as mentioned earlier, not jumping on that one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ARtraveler

If I may digress a tad...back in 1978 it was time for another motorcycle. I got my choices down to two. I was looking at the Kawi KZ650 or the BMW R65. I had a dealer that sold both at the time.

I did test drive both. I also did not like the ergos of the BMW. It felt stiff, and a bit hard to control. During the test drive, I kept thinking a gestapo guy was on my shoulder repeating "Ve have Vays of making you drive." That has kind of stuck with me. :roflblack:

I ended up buying the KZ650. Turned out to be a great bike for me. I "Vettered" it up with fairing and bags. Remember those?? :yes: Added a custom king/queen seat package and never looked back.

When the BMW1600's came out at first, I looked again, but the seat height was prohibitive for me. The new cruiser is the first that would seem to fit...but as mentioned earlier, not jumping on that one.

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The KZ650 is a childhood dream bike of mine that at some point will be added to fleet

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ARtraveler

I ended up buying the KZ650. Turned out to be a great bike for me. I "Vettered" it up with fairing and bags. Remember those?? :yes: Added a custom king/queen seat package and never looked back.

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I had (2) mid '70s Honda CB750/4s back in the day and "Vettered up" both of them AND added the king/queen seat. I put hard bags on one. Most top heavy bikes EVER but pretty much bulletproof. You should see the prices those are commanding these days. I've seen more than 1 going for $5k in good condition. Crazy.

Yeah, this is the BMW (K1600B) that I am looking at as an option to the 2020RT. The only issue is going back to clutch and foot shift again (even with quick shift), and I’m not sure I want to do that. It looks like I will fit on the new RT with a modified seat and highway pegs, so a decision has to be made (I certainly can’t afford both ;)



Pete

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peteoz

I tried sitting on one, but those cylinder heads made it impossible to change gears or access the brake, so I couldn’t take it for a ride. Might be alright for shorter riders, but very short suspension travel. They actually have an accessory which is a metal pad that sits just above the cylinder heads that acts as a “Highway peg” of sorts. Your calves rest on it. To my reckoning, it would take somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes to get from the top of those cylinder heads and back and around to the brake :shocked:

Pete

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I took another look at those cylinder heads (very big indeed), and there proximity to the riders legs. Yes, I think that could be a real problem for some. That would for sure be a test ride first issue for anyone considering a purchase.

The November issue of Rider magazine has a review article and some nice pictures of the R18.