BMW has revealed the second member of the brand-new R 18 family with the launch of the BMW R 18 Classic, which brings touring grandeur to the firm’s biggest-engined model.
Adapting the cruiser-style BMW R 18 - which went on sale earlier this year - into a more practical variant designed to emphasise versatility and functionality without losing too much of the svelte original style, the BMW R 18 Classic ‘echoes the beginnings of the great touring circuit models’.
Standing out on the BMW R 18 Classic is the addition of a windshield, saddlebags and passenger seat (all removable) plus an additional LED headlight, a 16-inch front wheel and electronic cruise control as standard.
With the BMW R 18 already borrowing heavily from BMW’s history books - most notably the BMW R 5 - the Classic retains the same 1800cc Big Boxer engine, the most powerful Boxer engine BMW has ever produced with 91hp @ 4,750rpm, while 150Nm of torque is available between 2,000 and 4,000rpm.
Indeed, despite the retro appearance, the BMW R 18 remains a showcase of premium technology with an ‘elaborately crafted’ double-loop steel tube frame, rear swinging arm with enclosed axle-drive in rigid-frame design and telescopic fork with sleeves.
Blending modern and nostalgia together gets you adaptive turning lights that turn when you do to help you see around corners more easily, while the circular central instrument has full integrated digital display.
To mark the launch of the BMW R 18 Classic, BMW is offering it in a First Edition spec colour, while accessories include Mustang seats and a Vance & Hines exhaust system.
