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R18 and R18 /2

Significant frame changes, too. The rear suspension has the appearance of a hard tail, but isn't. Looks like an exposed driveshaft as well.

To me the frame and driveshaft look the same on both models.
 
Here's more description and another two photos (these from of the left side of the bike). Credit goes to Cycle World for these:Untitled.png

Screen Shot 2019-11-08 at 4.29.59 PM.png

"The R18 perhaps takes another step closer toward production in the latest R18/2. Note that the last R18 concept was carbureted, but this latest rendition takes on modern features such as fuel injection and LED lighting. We are also able to see that BMW has now added an airbox and side covers—components that were not seen on the previous cruiser concept. Additionally, this R18/2 has shifted gears to a much more American cruiser style than the nostalgic R5-like styling of the last model. Catch a glimpse of the R18/2 in action in the video below."
 
To me the frame and driveshaft look the same on both models.

Sorry. Brain fart on this end. I was thinking one thing and typing another. :blush

Watched the video. The voice-over described a "sporty looking engine". Must have been reading a marketing department release. He also made reference to "cast iron wheels". Now THAT'S retro! :laugh

The seating position seems to be very neutral and this bike could be the answer to a question Mr. Glaves asked a couple of weeks ago. To paraphrase: "If they really wanted to, could BMW design and build a real cruiser?" I think we have our answer.
 
Watched the video. The voice-over described a "sporty looking engine". Must be a marketing department release. He also made reference to "cast iron wheels". Now THAT'S retro! :laugh

I think the narrator is probably a native speaker of German, and thus perhaps something was lost in translation. I heard "cast-iron wheels" and said: "Huh?" You're right: retro is the word!
 
I guess in reading things, the "/2" part of the name is not so much an homage to the 1960s /2 models but rather indicating it is the second version after the initial concept R18. Maybe the valve covers take on the basic look of the 1960s /2 bikes. BMW did this over the years...more recently the /5 to /7 badged bikes, then dropping the signage after 1978.
 
I guess in reading things, the "/2" part of the name is not so much an homage to the 1960s /2 models but rather indicating it is the second version after the initial concept R18.

Bet you're right.
 
The guy I talked to at the AIM Expo said BMW made a handful of engines and gave (or loaned) them to various studios to design a bike around. BMW are showing them around and listening to the feedback, nothing's been set in stone yet.

Preserving the clean looks of a big air-cooled carbureted engine while making it street legal and Euro-5 compliant will be a challenge.

Edit: I just saw the video from EICMA, and the head of BMW Motorrad, Markus Schramm, said it's "officially" the R18 now (everyone's been calling it that, so no news there) and something (unspecified) will happen in the 2nd half of next year.
 
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The bike will supposedly start under 20K, be in hand 2 quarter of 2020 as a 2021 model (probably September), have a ton of customizable options from the factory and dealers are taking deposits. I can’t wait for it and have a deposit on one. :)
 
The bike will supposedly start under 20K, be in hand 2 quarter of 2020 as a 2021 model (probably September), have a ton of customizable options from the factory and dealers are taking deposits. I can’t wait for it and have a deposit on one. :)

The r18 or 18/2? What was the price and what did you put down on it if you don't mind. I'm interested in either if it's under 20K myself,

thanks
 
The r18 or 18/2? What was the price and what did you put down on it if you don't mind. I'm interested in either if it's under 20K myself,

thanks

Neither, the production model hasn’t been sussed out yet. I placed a 500 deposit on one.
 
BMW Motorrad presents the “Big Boxer” of the R 18.

The most powerful BMW boxer engine of all time with historical roots and full torque.

Munich. Motorcycling in its most authentic form: instinct over mind, technology not for its own sake but as a way of creating space for fantasy and powerful emotion rather than sober contemplation and objective calculation. This was the message that accompanied the debut of the BMW Motorrad Concept R 18 at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in May 2019 – a striking revival of the BMW Motorrad brand core, namely the boxer engine.

More than any other present-day BMW motorcycles before it, the Concept R 18 translated the essence of famous BMW Motorrad classics into the modern era, in particular in terms of form, while at the same time providing a glimpse ahead to a volume-production motorcycle that would enrich the BMW Motorrad Heritage world of experience in the near future: the BMW R 18.

The highest-capacity 2-cylinder boxer engine of all time.
The heart of the new BMW R 18 is a completely newly developed 2-cylinder boxer engine – the “Big Boxer” – which has played a key role not just in the two BMW Motorrad prototypes – the Concept R 18 and the Concept R 18 /2 – but also in the custom bikes supported by BMW Motorrad, namely “The Departed” by ZON and “Birdcage” by Revival Cycles. BMW Motorrad now presents this new, highly distinctive engine in detail.

Not only in terms of its impressive outward appearance, but also from a technical point of view, the new “Big Boxer” ties in with the traditional boxer engines that were synonymous with motorcycles from Munich and Berlin-Spandau for around 70 years, from the beginning of BMW Motorrad production in 1923 through to the appearance of the air/oil-cooled successor: these were engines with a clear design, created for optimum reliability and ease of maintenance, featuring logically arranged yet powerful technology.

With its OHV valve drive along with a separate engine and transmission housing, the new “Big Boxer” has the same structural features that distinguished the very first BMW Motorrad boxer engine, which at that time had laterally controlled valves. The highest-capacity twin-cylinder boxer engine ever used in motorcycle series production is a 1 802 cc engine, resulting from a 107.1 mm bore and
100 mm stroke. The engine output is 67 kW (91 hp) at 4 750 rpm. The maximum torque of 158 Nm is already available at 3 000 rpm. More than 150 Nm is now available from 2 000 to 4 000 rpm. This ensures enormous pulling power and – in conjunction with a generously sized flywheel mass – exemplary running smoothness as well. These are the benefits of this level of performance and torque during riding. The maximum engine speed is 5 750 rpm, while the idling speed is 950 rpm.

Air/oil cooling, vertically split engine housing and triple plain bearing crankcase.
The new “Big Boxer” is air/oil cooled, has large ribbed cylinders and cylinder heads and weighs 110.8 kg including gearbox and intake system. It has a vertically split aluminium engine housing.

Unlike the classic air-cooled 2-valve boxer engines made by BMW Motorrad, however, the “Big Boxer” crankshaft, forged from quenched and tempered steel, has an additional main bearing at the centre, which was necessary due to the enormous cylinder volume in order to prevent undesirable bending vibrations of the crankshaft.

Like the crankshaft, the two connecting rods with I-shaft are mounted on plain bearings and are likewise forged from quenched and tempered steel. They accommodate cast aluminium pistons with two compression rings and an oil wiper ring. The running surface of the light metal cylinders is coated with NiCaSil.

Lubricating and cooling oil is supplied by a wet sump lubrication system with a two-stage oil pump via sleeve-type chain driven by the crankshaft.

Classic OHV valve drive with two camshafts as in the legendary R 5 to R 51/2 combined with modern 4-valve technology and dual ignition.
Although the new “Big Boxer” has four valves, dual ignition, a modern combustion chamber architecture, intake manifold injection and the BMS-O engine management system for the best possible torque as well as optimum consumption and emissions, it uses the classic OHV configuration for its valve drive – as was the practice pursued by BMW Motorrad over a period of some 70 years.

When developing the valve drive for the “Big Boxer”, BMW Motorrad engineers were inspired by a very special engine design in the history of BMW Motorrad – in keeping with the Heritage concept: the 2-cylinder boxer engine of the R 5/R 51 (1936 – 1941) and R 51/2 (1950 – 1951), the latter having been the first BMW motorcycle with a boxer engine after the Second World War. In contrast to other OHV designs by BMW Motorrad, this engine – highly valued by connoisseurs – has two camshafts driven by the crankshaft via a sleeve-type chain.

As in the historical role model, the two camshafts are also positioned to the left and right above the crankshaft in the “Big Boxer”. The advantage of this “twin camshaft boxer” is the shorter pushrods. This also makes for reduced moving masses, minimised deflections and lower linear expansions. A generally stiffer valve drive with improved control precision and higher speed stability is the consequence of this more elaborate construction.

Fork rocker arm and manually adjustable valve clearance compensation via adjusting screws as in the traditional BMW boxer role model.
In the traditional BMW Motorrad boxer design, the two pushrods actuate one pushrod per cylinder side for the intake and one for the exhaust side, guided in a sealed pushrod tube on the top of the cylinders. The two intake and exhaust valves in the cylinder head are actuated in pairs via fork toggle levers.

In contrast to today's widespread engine technology, valve clearance compensation is not effected by means of hydraulic elements, but – as was the case in most classic air-cooled BMW two-valve boxers for decades – via one adjusting screw with one lock nut for each valve. As was formerly the case in the classic 2-valve boxers, valve clearance adjustment (0.2 – 0.3 mm) in the R18 “Big Boxer” is also achieved very quickly. The valves are made of steel, with a disc diameter of 41.2 mm on the inlet side and 35 mm on the outlet side. The valve angle is 21 degrees on the inlet side and 24 degrees on the outlet side.

Constant mesh 6-speed transmission and self-reinforcing single-plate dry clutch with anti-hopping function.
As in most BMW Motorrad boxer engines for decades (with the exception of vertical-flow, air/water-cooled boxers since 2012), a single-disc dry clutch transmits the torque generated by the engine to the transmission. For the first time it is designed as a self-reinforcing anti-hopping clutch, thereby eliminating unwanted stamping of the rear wheel caused by engine drag torque in the event of hard downshifting.

The constant mesh 6-speed transmission is located in a dual-section aluminium housing and is designed as a 4-shaft transmission with helical gear pairs. The gearbox input shaft with lug dampers drives the two gearbox shafts with the gear wheel pairs. An output shaft is provided to bridge the distance and reverse the direction of rotation. A reverse gear is available as an optional extra. This is driven by an intermediate gear and an electric motor and can be shifted manually.

Open secondary drive based on the classic role model.
As in all BMW motorcycles with boxer engines, torque is transmitted from the gearbox to the rear wheel in the R 18 via a propeller-shaft or universal-shaft drive with universal joint, shaft and rear-axle drive with bevel and ring gear. The propeller shaft and universal joint are examples of fascinating classic motorcycle technology since they are nickel-plated and open, as was commonly the case in BMW Motorrad models up to and including model year 1955. A so-called tripoid joint is applied on the gearbox side for the purpose of length compensation.

The above was from Rideapart.com via BMWLT.com
 
Not for me, but I'm excited

I just stumbled across the R18 production announcement a couple of days ago. I think it is big news! We all know that Motorrad division is climbing in sales and this is a good time to make an attempt at market share. Go after Cruisers.
At some angles it looks gorgeous to me, at other angles the engine looks bulging/out of proportion. Some people like that? Cruiser riders want the engine out there and looking shiny? It looks very smooth, enclosed, shiny- but big. (talk about flying toasters!)
Easily customizable, overall.
R18 looks better than R18/2, but the /2 obviously looks more modern and more production ready.
Change Harley riders? Don't think so. Take away market share from Victory/Polaris/Indian/Metric Cruisers? Good chance.
Price? Way over 20k. Don't believe the hype.
 
R18 looks better than R18/2, but the /2 obviously looks more modern and more production ready.
Change Harley riders? Don't think so. Take away market share from Victory/Polaris/Indian/Metric Cruisers? Good chance.

Well, just to note, the last time I looked Harley Davidson outsold BMW Motorrad 20 to 1. That means that if BMW could capture a mere 5% of HD sales BMW sales would double. If BMW could capture a tiny 1% of HD sales BMW sales would increase 20 percent. A worth goal no doubt.
 
Well, just to note, the last time I looked Harley Davidson outsold BMW Motorrad 20 to 1. That means that if BMW could capture a mere 5% of HD sales BMW sales would double. If BMW could capture a tiny 1% of HD sales BMW sales would increase 20 percent. A worth goal no doubt.

https://www.downtownmesa.com/motorcyclesonmain/ "Motorcycles on Main", first Friday night of each month [ except the summer high heat months ].

I might see 3-4 BMW models [ including mine ] in 3 blocks of bikes lining both sides of the street. A few jap bikes interspersed but at least 95% of the bikes there are Harley's.

BMW wishes they could sell their products like HD does. 20 to 1 would mean there would have to be about 150 Beemers to the 3K+ Harleys on site each month. Not even close.
 
https://www.downtownmesa.com/motorcyclesonmain/ "Motorcycles on Main", first Friday night of each month [ except the summer high heat months ].

I might see 3-4 BMW models [ including mine ] in 3 blocks of bikes lining both sides of the street. A few jap bikes interspersed but at least 95% of the bikes there are Harley's.

BMW wishes they could sell their products like HD does. 20 to 1 would mean there would have to be about 150 Beemers to the 3K+ Harleys on site each month. Not even close.

Backing the bike to the curb and posing with it is not exactly a mainstream activity for most BMW riders, while the same cannot be said for HD riders. So peruse the historical participation and placing in the Biennial Iron Butt Rally for example and you do find a different perspective on participation.
 
Love the numbers!

Here's one I caught in passing on a website, so who knows how super reliable they are:

HD sells 250+ thousand per year in U.S. (dropping 1% each of last 9 years?) Maybe, double that world wide?
Honda sells 300+ thousand per year in U.S. (plus another 100k off-road motocross?), BUT 19 MILLION WORLDWIDE.
BMW sells about 25k per year?
Guess it is safe to say that 'it is relative', and depends on what your goals are. haha! That 1% puts things in perspective!
I really want BMW to keep rolling on sales, it opens up a world of possibilities. The R18 cruiser is bold.

Which touches on the problem of Honda being so conservative, and the significance of the U.S. market. HD has to be conservative, they have white knuckles on the traditional crowd. Honda could fly new models and experiment with American market, and still have WW sales support the endeavor. Hell, they could sell GoldWings at cost and might run out of money in year 2120. haha! Just crush on market share.
 
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