Large Fairing and Everything
The guys over at Motor1 Brasil noticed some BMW R18 touring design registration paperwork recently. The bike is based on the Concept R18 and features the company’s big ass Boxer Twin engine. The bike features a lot of what you’d want in a motorcycle designed to gobble up the miles for hours on end.
The design has a large fairing and windshield that will protect the rider from the wind. There are some large hard panniers that look like they’d swallow up a lot of gear or clothing for a weekend ride or longer. The design looks a lot more like an American V-twin cruiser than standard BMW. This bike would seem to be targeted as an alternative to Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle’s offerings.
To be fair, this design only makes sense. BMW has to get the most out of its massive engine, and building a touring machine with all the bells and whistles is one way to charge a lot for a bike and get a return on its investment. The company also registered a design that looked more like the concept bikes and was more of a bobber-style bike. While this is good news, too, it was more expected than the touring model.