When BMW announced *another* cruiser-style motorcycle -and with a giant, 1802cc boxer twin engine in it to boot- people thought Motorrad had to have lost its mind.

“What about the R 1200 C?” they cried. “Doesn’t BMW remember that bike?”

Yes. They do. “This isn’t an R 1200 C,” BMW Motorrad might respond. “You need to ride it.”

The new R 18 is part of BMW’s Heritage line, hearkening back to the heady days of shiny black paint, meticulous two-row pinstriping and the clean, classic looks of the early R bikes. Along with the R nineT -the other bike in the Heritage class- the R 18 memorializes the days when motorcycles were simple machines, yet includes updates like anti-lock brakes, ride modes, cruise control, LED lights and more.

Come along and take a (demo) ride and see what the bike is all about. Then go to your nearest dealer and try one out for yourself. Don’t knock it ’til you try it, in other words – and our guess is you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you’ve already bad-mouthed it to your riding buddies.

This first look demo ride is broken down into four parts; parts one and four feature a quick tour around the bike to show off the different components. More videos will follow as soon as we can get ahold of an R 18 for more than 30 minutes!

Visit bmwmoa.org for more information and thanks for visiting the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America on YouTube. Like, comment and subscribe today!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

First Look: R 18 (includes promo video from BMW Motorrad plus an overview of the specs, plus lots of photos of the bike)