BMW’s beautiful, burly grand tourer sets its sight on Harley-Davidson.
BMW
The BMW R 18 has one of the most beautiful engines to ever roll out of a BMW factory. This stylish and simple powerplant takes pieces of BMW’s horizontally opposed heritage and helps push it forward with 1.8-liters of grunt. With an engine this large, it only makes sense to strap it to an equally big bike and set your eyes on the highway.
That’s exactly what BMW did with its R 18 Transcontinental. Targeting the best from Harley-Davidson, Indian and Honda, this BMW Motorrad gem is a hefty grand tourer that has no shortage of comfort. The 1.8-liter gasoline-burning boxer twin makes 91 hp at 4750 rpm and 116 lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm. This power moves through a six-speed transmission to the rear wheel.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Mark Vaughn climbs onto the 2022 BMW R 18 Transcontinental and tries to keep its 960 pounds upright down the highway. Vaughn walks around the 2022 BMW R 18 and highlights some of its features and designs before taking you along on a live-recorded ride review.
Between those segments, Vaughn talks with host Wesley Wren about this big BMW. The two talk about the crowded touring motorcycle market, where BMW fits with this R 18 and how it stacks up against its competitive set. Closing the show, the two discuss what makes this 2022 BMW R 18 Transcontinental special.
Keyword: 2022 BMW R 18 Transcontinental Goes Big