BMW Introduces R 18 Classic

Hot on the heels of the release of the 2021 R 18 cruiser, BMW is introducing the first model variant, the R 18 Classic, a traditionally styled tourer.

When BMW released the R 18, it showcased a wide range of accessories that allow riders to completely transform the style of the base model. Spend a few moments with BMW’s online model configurator and you’ll get a sense that, like the R nineT, the R 18 has been designed specifically to be customized. Make it a bobber, make it a tourer, make it your own.

More of a bolt-on special than complete spin-off, the R 18 Classic features a windshield, saddlebags, passenger seat, LED auxiliary headlights, cruise control, a 16-inch front wheel (compared to the R 18′s 18-inch front), and a new exhaust to accommodate the saddlebags. Like the R 18, the Classic is available in two guises: the base model ($19,495) and the First Edition ($21,870), which is highlighted by the pinstriping details on the tank and rear fender.

It’ll be interesting to see what else BMW has in store for its heritage cruiser platform, but the R 18 Classic, we suspect, hints at things to come.

BMW has made no secret that the R 18 is aimed squarely at appealing to Harley-Davidson riders; it takes little stretch of the imagination to envision an R 18 taking up a corner of the garage once occupied by a Softail Slim.

In its quest to create an authentic BMW cruiser, the German brand hits the right notes. Its air-cooled boxer twin engine, open shaft drive, and pinstriped tank are all “trademark BMW.” While the R 18 is conceptually held together by specific traits found in BMW’s back catalog, conspicuously absent in its history is, well, a cruiser—a uniquely American idiom of motorcycling.

The R 18 can almost be considered a modern version, not of one of its own motorcycles, but of something BMW could have built in the 1950s had it been competing directly with Harley-Davidson for American riders. Which, in its own way, is kind of cool. The concept takes an American style of motorcycle and Beemer-izes it. Perhaps a better description of its big air-cooled engine and classic styling is “fundamental,” rather than “authentic.” The fundamental aspects of the R 18 are what give it identity—not history or lineage.

After all, the R 18 need not be shackled by history—real or imagined. BMW is going after a hot market with a motorcycle that has a lot of attractive features. Full stop.

By mixing modern rider aids with nostalgic styling and BMW’s premium identity, the German marque has created a bold entrance into a market of which, surprisingly, it hasn’t already had a share.