BMW Motorrad R 18 Bagger and Transcontinental set the tone for high-voltage cruisers with branded collaboration with speaker specialist Marshall
The new BMW R 18 B and R 18 Transcontinental
In today’s emissions-obsessed world, BMW Motorrad’s resolve to market the R 18 in 2021, its first high-capacity cruise ship, is certainly brave. Representing the brand’s access to the cruiser motorcycle segment, the R 18 also fulfills BMW’s collaboration with Marshall Amplification, with fully aerodynamic models receiving Marshall Gold Series stereos on board.
To get a sense of those impressively designed motorcycles and BMW’s latest partnership, we attended the recent BMW Motorrad Heritage Ride, a global media event, with our destination set for Goodwood and its world-renowned Revival.
Powered by BMW’s colossal new 1,802cc air-cooled flat-twin engine producing 89 hp and 116. 5 ft-lb, the largest ever mounted on a BMW motorcycle, the R 18’s low, elongated profile and elegant telescopic forks are fostered through the sublime 1938 BMW R5.
The R5 is regarded as BMW designer Rudolf Schleicher’s most consistent paint and the brand’s most influential pre-war machine. There’s also a cantilevered rear finish and drive shaft on display to appeal to cruise ship purists. more elegant and unlike any other bike.
Offered alongside the successful R nineT models as part of BMW’s Heritage range, the R 18 is now also available in the Classic and Bagger and Transcontinental formats with full hull.
Clearly aimed at the lucrative U. S. cruise market, in which Harley Davidson achieved sales of more than 125,000 games in 2021, BMW has created a diversity of motorcycles that, at least on paper, work.
Driving the R 18 on the twisty, lopsided UK roads shows many of its flaws (such as its maximum weight and low footpeg clearance), but more importantly, it’s also a wonderfully charming exercise.
It’s smooth but accurate and the engine, at the very heart of the experience, is an engineering marvel.
Pulling hard and smoothly from 2000 rpm, no matter the gear, the R 18 is a motorcycle that can be pushed at an impressive pace.
The controls are superbly weighted, obviously designed with real-world riding in mind and the quality of the fabrics and on-board apparatus is one with the modern look of the bike.
Sitting in a wide, comfortable saddle, driving the Bagger or Transcontinental in a convoy of other journalists, we discovered that the formula of the Marshall stereo temporarily revealed its raison d’être. By streaming music from your smartphone’s Bluetooth and the BMW Motorrad Connected app, motorcyclists’ teams in closed formation can enjoy clear, crisp sounds while driving on the road.
Cleverly combining cyclists on the road, literally and figuratively, the 180-watt amplifier and six-speaker installation are still fun even at highway speeds.
Headquartered near Milton Keynes, UK, Marshall has been producing world-class speakers and amplifiers largely by hand since the early 1960s, providing consumers with a wide diversity of personalisation and personalisation options. Although difficult to perceive at first, the collaboration with BMW is a smart branding exercise that undoubtedly uses Anglo-American dating to maximise the appeal of heritage. . . Backed by a healthy dose of cool rock’n’roll of course.
Reduced to its essence, with little bodywork, the R 18 is also suitable for traditionalization and, indeed, for the thriving traditional motorcycle scene.
The collaboration also influenced the R 18’s three selectable driving modes, which appear as Rain, Rock and Roll, either on the rear of the analogue speedometer or on the impressive 10. 25-inch TFT display on the Bagger and Transcontinental machines.
With good reason, the R 18 is more fun to drive in Roll mode, where its huge reserves of torque can be used at any time.
For drivers and passengers who need to travel long distances in comfort, the Transcontinental and Bagger models are deeply impressive motorcycles, combining the fashion generation with vintage appeal.
The huge metronomic flat twin-cylinder engine below you is sure to win over many other people on its own, but once you drive them, Marshall’s contribution seems like a perfect addition to the spirit of those machines. After all, R 18 diversity stands out for purity, emotion and heritage – attributes that either brand possesses in abundance.
BMW R18 Transcontinental, from £25,160
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