What happens when a performance bike nutter, our own Pommie, is given a cruiser to review? He falls for the biggest, baddest Boxer motor on the planet! Pics: Pommie & Graham Bain
This is a totally different style of bike for me, in fact the only other cruiser I’ve ridden is the little 500cc Kawasaki Eliminator S, which was less than half the weight of this big BMW R 18 Classic, so it was going to be interesting to say the least, and it was, in a good way…
I picked the BMW 18R Classic Blacked Out up from Worthingtons BMW and sadly the weather was not good for my first ride. Looking around the bike everything is very good quality as you’d expect from BMW, the finish was nice on all the painted surfaces and I was digging the grey colour of this test bike and I even had an AGV K6 at home that matches the paint perfectly for my upcoming photoshoot.
Read our other BMW R 18 reviews here…
I also like the black chrome on the exhausts and the piano black on the cylinders and at the front of the engine. I had looked at the spec’s before I picked the bike up and noticed that the bike weighed an incredible 345kg, which was hard to believe until I tried lifting the bike off the side-stand and thought to myself “yes this bike is heavy”. I took off the fuel cap to check the level and even the fuel cap was heavy so I can see how the weight would all add up!
I swung a leg over the BMW and sat on the nice plush seat, which at only 720mm is really low to the ground, meaning even the shortest of people would have their feet firmly planted on the tarmac. The bike has three modes, Rain, Rock and Roll, so due to the inevitable rain that was about to arrive, I selected Rain mode and hit the start button.
“The BMW R 18 Classic pulled like a steam train”…
The whole bike shook to the left as each of the 900cc pistons fired into life, it was quite unnerving when I wasn’t expecting it. The sound coming from the Boxer-twin is pretty decent for a stock bike and as you can probably imagine, it has a deep and rich sound. After donning my ride gear, I selected first and headed off.
I must say that I was intimidated by the sheer size and weight, plus the unfamiliar ride position, which made slow speed work a little daunting. However, once I was on the move and on the freeway the bike felt more at home and the amazing amount of torque from the motor meant that the BMW R 18 Classic pulled like a steam train and with the buttery smooth throttle action, it made riding and overtaking easy.
“The sound coming from the Boxer-twin is pretty decent for a stock bike and as you can probably imagine”…
On the freeway the engine feels like it’s just ticking over at 110km/h at 2500rpm in sixth gear and in an 80 zone it’s only doing 1800rpm and although the engine has the torque to cruise at that speed, dropping down an extra gear will make it more pleasurable. When the rain came I was glad of the large screen that offered a fair bit of protection, however, the buffeting wind noise was so annoying it took away from my riding pleasure, luckily the removal of the whole screen unit takes literally 15 seconds, so if like me you’re not a fan of screens then BMW’s clever design has you covered.
Removing the screen is a super fast, easy job. Tony preferred the bike screen-less. Looks meaner, too, we reckon!
A great asset to freeway riding is the cruise control and BMW have always made an excellent easy to use system, it just gives you the ability to shake out your wrists or just keep the speed limit and I even got heated handlebar grips that I used more than once on these cold wet days.
“On the freeway the engine feels like it’s just ticking over at 110km/h at 2500rpm in sixth gear and in an 80 zone it’s only doing 1800rpm”…
The ride position itself takes a bit of getting used to if like me you’re used to riding sportsbikes and nakedbike. The seat to ‘bars to the running boards triangle was not the best for me and I found it pretty uncomfy, mainly because of the low seat, meaning my knees were too high and made my 58 year old hips uncomfortable.
With the heavens opening I headed for home where I’d made space in my garage for the R 18 Classic, with my own bikes I can sneak them down the driveway past my car, but with bigger adventure style bikes I take them around the side of the house, however this bike would not fit, I literally had to remove my car from the drive to get the bike in the garage, it’s that wide! I know on some of these R 18 models you can get reverse gear and my test bike had the markings on the left side cover for it, but no reverse lever was fitted and at times it would have been a really handy, you definitely need it.
There was no reverse on our press bike, which made life a bit hard for Pommie. The markings were on the engine cover though, strangely enough. It’s on the Highline Option, but not standard with the Classic.
When the sun finally came out I headed for some familiar roads and a few corners, not that the R18 Classic is built to be a cornering machine, far from it, with even a moderate lean angle seeing the footboard hero blobs scrape the tarmac way before the limitations of grip and to be honest this spoilt the ride for me slightly. Yes, I know people who buy bikes like this are not going to be flinging them around corners, but a little bit more clearance would make all the difference to the fun factor.
However, you can still have a bit of fun and this comes in the way of using that incredible engine and all 163Nm of torque that is there from as low as 3000rpm. It just digs in and drives out of corners, propelling me to the next corner sooner than a 345kg bike has any right too.
The noise coming from those twin pipes also adds to the pleasure and BMW have also added in some nice burbles on the down-shifts. Speed does come with a caution though and that’s stopping, although the brakes are pretty decent, you do have to remember that you are trying to stop a large mass, so riding it like a sportsbike will only end in tears and you need to respect that.
“t just digs in and drives out of corners, propelling me to the next corner sooner than a 345kg bike has any right too”…
Like I said before, the R 18 Classic is no sharp corner carver, but on a more open road with sweeping corners is where the bike is in its happy place, the suspension front and back is non-adjustable, but soaks up the bumps pretty well without the handling getting sloppy, I even managed to hit a few potholes and the R 18 took it in its stride, with the plush seat no doubt helping absorb the impact.
“The pulses when you twist the throttle emanate through you, it’s as if you can feel every time a cylinder fires”…
One thing that did come back to me was the Boxer engine design’s tendency to twitch to the left on downshift and yes the R 18 does it, on my first ride this was very noticeable, but the more I rode the bike it just felt like it added to the character. Speaking of character I have to mention the vibrations and when you have two massive pistons exploding from side to side you’re going to get that, but rather than it being a negative, this was one of the best experiences for me while riding.
The pulses when you twist the throttle emanate through you, it’s as if you can feel every time a cylinder fires and combined with the rapid forward propulsion really make riding the R18 a pleasure, the only drawback is the vibrating mirrors, but I’d live with that.
“I can see it being a great option for someone who prefers a Harley alternative and at $31,839 I’d say it’s pretty much on the money for the BMW quality you get”…
My time with the 2025 BMW R 18 Classic didn’t go as planned, I had the bike for two weeks and it rained every day apart from two, which was a real shame, so I didn’t get to ride anywhere near as much as I would have liked, it did just under 400km. Having said that, I did get a taste of what the BMW cruiser was about and I can see it being a great option for someone who prefers a Harley alternative and at $31,839 I’d say it’s pretty much on the money for the BMW quality you get.
On my ride the bike averaged around 5.4 l/100 but I found myself twisting the throttle at every opportunity, if only for the pleasure of the sound of that incredible pulsing engine. It would have been nice if the bike was fitted with a fuel gauge or at least a range indicator, instead you just get a low fuel warning, I think that is expected these days.
“I found myself twisting the throttle at every opportunity, if only for the pleasure of the sound of that incredible pulsing engine”…
The more I rode the R 18 the more I got accustomed to the weight and the more I started enjoying it and by the time I was giving the bike back any nerves I had when first riding the bike were replaced by enjoyment. If a sportsbike and nakedbike rider, which is basically what I am known for reviewing for the past 17-years, can have a blast on the R 18, I can only imagine how enjoyable it must be to ride for a traditional cruiser rider. It’s fast, has incredible and addictive torque, and the engineering of that massive boxer engine is worth owning the bike in itself. It’s a massive powerhouse, with handlebars!
We put Pommie on the R 18 Classic as an experiment to see if a red blooded rev head would fall for that immense engine, and he did! Who wouldn’t, two 900cc pistons firing off and making stump pulling levels of torque!
2025 BMW R Classic Specifications
Price: From $27, 915 R/A ($31,839.13 as tested)
Claimed Power: 67kW[91hp]@4750rpm
Claimed Torque: 158Nm[118lbs-ft]@3000rpm
Wet Weight: 374kg
Fuel capacity: 16L
Fuel Consumption (Claimed): 5.6L/100km
Fuel Consumption (Tested):
Fuel Rang (Claimed): 285km
Engine
Air-cooled/oil-cooled twin-cylinder, four-stroke eight-valve twin-cam pushrod OHV, EFI, 48mm throttle-bodies, twin exhaust system, 1802cc, 107.1 x 100 bore x stroke, 9.6:1 compression, EU5 compliant. Gearbox: Six-speed seperate housing. Clutch: Dry single plate, hydraulic actuation.
Chassis
Double-loop steel tube frame and steel tune swingarm
Rake: 57.3°
Trail: 150mm
Suspension: 49mm forks, non-adjustable, 120mm travel, single cantilever shock, preload adjustability, 90mm travel.
Brakes: 300mm rotors (f), dual four-piston calipers and conventional master-cylinder, 300mm rotor (r), four-piston caliper, linked brakes (front activates rear), ABS.
Wheels & Tyres: Cast aluminium, 3.50 x 21in (f), 5.5 x 18in (r), 120/70 – 19, 180/65 – 16.
Dimensions
Wheelbase: 1731mm
Seat height: 730mm
Overall width: 949mm
Overall Length: 2440mm
Overall height: 1126mm
Instruments & Electronics: Headlamp with integrated speedo, LED indicators, LED rear and brake lights, Dynamic Cruise Control, ASC, three riding modes (Rock, Roll, Rain), Keyless Ride, Top Loader side cases. Highline: HSC (Hill Start Control), headlight Pro, reverse gear, DWA
2025 BMW R 18 Classic Gallery
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Ratings | Bike Review | 2025 BMW R 18 Classic Blacked Out Edition
Powerhouse!
What happens when a performance bike nutter, our own Pommie, is given a cruiser to review? He falls for the biggest, baddest Boxer motor on the planet! Pics: Pommie & Graham Bain
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