BMW K18 Vision makes 130-decibel UK debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed
BMW’s incredible K18 Vision concept bike is more than just a show pony, as it proved by taking to the famous Festival of Speed hillclimb.
The BMW K18 Vision wowed the crowds for the second time last weekend, as the wild concept bike made its UK debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed.
But simply taking to the famous hillclimb isn’t always enough to get noticed; with some of the most famous (and loud) modern and historic racing cars and bikes at the event, to really make a statement, you’ve got to be loud. Thankfully, the K18 had that point covered, after it ticked up to 130-decibels on a handheld sound meter.
For reference, 130-decibels is roughly equivalent to a shotgun being fired at close range, or a military jet taking off from around 50-metres away.
Quite how the concept bike makes such a racket isn’t really fully known. The bike is purely a one-off design study, showing what the K1600 platform could become once it is sent off to pasture. All we do know is that it is around 1,800cc in capacity and boasts an inline six-cylinder engine, which aligns it to the existing K1600 family of bikes.
Whether the K18 is an accurate vision of what will follow the K1600-era remains to be seen. The bike is widely complex, featuring huge, seamless body panels and acres of forged carbon fibre. Its exhaust system, while beautiful to look at, is also hugely complex and overengineered. While some elements might make it onto the K18 production bikes, such as the actively-cooled headlight and hydraulically actuated lowering suspension, the rest of the bike’s visual drama should be taken with a big pinch of salt.
Images and video: BMW Motorrad / Facebook
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
