Aesthetics are subjective... I happen to think that the Triumph triple engine is truly ugly but it doesn't stop me owning a triple. My Tiger 955i has all the grace and beauty of a saggy balloon but it's still a good bike. I can see what BMW are trying to portray....the essence of all those early and post war twins.....one either likes the look or not. I'm in the ' like it' camp... others clearly differ.
Looks great from the side but I’m not a fan from any other angle. Not a patch on the Rocket (but I may be biased! )
Agree. The R18 is firmly aimed at US Harley sales I think while the Diavel and Rocket are firm competitors.
Looking from an engineering point of view, a Boxer style engine is very attractive, after all, Porche did very well with them. Also, lotsa aeroplanes still use them, but you won’t find many with Triumph engines in. . Ken.
Had a few GSs and feel that they have a certain Brutalist charm, but can see that it is not for everybody. However, on the Rocket v R18, it'd be the Rocket every time! Don't think the R18 is ugly, but from what I've read, the Rocket seems the better bike if you want to do more than just look good on it. DS
I have triumph and bmw, I’m happy with both. I quite like the look of the R18 and it doesn’t look a bulky and heavy as the Rocket. Also being a short arse, I could touch the ground flat footed on it
Wow, I’d never have thought it was heavier looking at it! It’s actually 6” longer than my bmw K1300s when I looked it up
I quite like the look of the R18. In the cruiser tradition it is shockingly heavy though. In this world of exotic materials and $20,000 price tags, who decided that cruisers have to weigh 350 kg? The R18 has a stripped down aesthetic even. What do they make the frames out of, depleted uranium? As for R18 versus Rocket, they seem like two different kinds of motorbike. The Rocket has a lot more motor with 145 hp (R18 has 97 hp as claimed by BMW).
As a Tiger rider I wouldn't buy either because BMWs are boring and Rockets scare the bejesus out of me. That probably says more about my ability as a rider than the bikes but you did ask.
One of the great things about the interweb is you can quote yourself! “In this world of exotic materials and $20,000 price tags, who decided that cruisers have to weigh 350 kg? The R18 has a stripped down aesthetic even. What do they make the frames out of, depleted uranium?“ It took me a day to remember it, but the latest Rocket went on a diet. No more pizza and soda, it weighs a whopping 40 kg less than the previous version! That is the difference between the design thinking of the R18, where style means more than performance, and the Rocket, where Triumph engineers clearly see performance as a primary goal. 40 kg!!! That said I very much like the way the R18 looks—check out the exposed shaft drive. How cool is that? But it’s not competition for the Rocket.
Offizielle Verlautbarung des Lagerkommandanten: Es ist ein wunderschönes Motorrad. Es gilt keine andere Meinung. Wir bauen die absolut und fraglos besten Maschinen der Welt. Jegliche andere Meinung wird unter Zuwiderhandlung unverzüglich und epochal ohne Rücksichtnahme bestraft. Ein dreifach schallendes: HURRA! HURRA! HURRA! Did I just write this? No way! There must be some way out of here... Said the Jokel to the Pissed...
Huge ! Wierd ! and only 97h.p. Kind of looses something along the way. But that is the way I feel about most things BMW makes anyhow. ...J.D.
It is a good looking bike BUT, I could not handle the foot controls. With the BMW motor you could never move the controls forward to a better riding position. For that reason alone I would not want a BMW cruiser.
