Time flies so fast, the BMW R 18 series has been on the market in China for 1 full year, and in the past year, this expensive BMW flagship model has achieved great success in China, not only the sales volume is at the same level, but in Beijing, the R 18 series model has even appeared a difficult to find phenomenon.
Beijing in mid-December is by no means a good time to ride a motorcycle, with bone-chilling winds that leave you running down your nose and numbness on all fours. At this time node, it can also attract a large number of media to run a test drive, and the charm of R 18 is self-evident.
Unlike the last time I briefly test-drove the R 18 in the city, the R 18 in the mountains finally gave me a sense of its relatively more flexible and controllable side. Although the huge "boxer" cylinder head on both sides of the front and the mid-mounted foot pedal are destined to limit its maximum turning angle, as long as you are familiar with and master the rhythm, the R 18's characteristic soothing rhythm can make people feel comfortable with expectations rather than fears for the corners. In the low-speed range, the vibration transmitted by the engine will be more pronounced than in the high-speed range, and every time the downshift is replenished, the R 18 will also shake left and right due to the horizontally opposed layout, which is something that needs to be paid attention to and adapted to by people who have just come into contact with the R 18. However, don't attribute the above to the shortcomings of the R 18, as a luxury cruise model that does not pursue the sense of handling too much, BMW wants to retain a retro soul and the rough texture of the retro model for the R 18.
Of course, not everyone can pay for this pure retro feeling, so in 2021, BMW has brought two new R 18 models to the Chinese market: R 18 Transcontinental and BMW R 18 Bagger. At this event, in addition to the test drive, we also witnessed the pre-sale price announcement of these two new models on the spot.
R 18 Bagger Comfort Edition, pre-price: from 365,000 yuan
R 18 Transcontinental Inaugural Edition, pre-price: 425,000 yuan
(719 version, pre-price: 445,000 yuan)
Retaining the R 18 series soul "boxer" horizontally opposed engine, triangle frame, water drop fuel tank, exposed drive shaft, the two new models add more technology, luxury and comfort to the classic shape of the R 18. This operation not only brings consumers a more diversified use scenario, but also enriches the personality expression of the entire R 18 model series.
I know you're trying to say who these two new cars look like, but luxury touring cruise motorcycles have never been exclusive to the U.S. market. As early as the 1980s, BMW had launched such a pioneering luxury touring motorcycle as the R 100 RS, and in order to make the model have a better aerodynamic design, BMW even launched wind tunnel research and development and testing in the motorcycle field for the first time. In addition to the R 100 RS, BMW also launched luxury classic flagship touring motorcycles such as the R 1200 CL at the beginning of this century.
So today's R 18 Transcontinental and BMW R 18 Bagger are more like two blows that BMW has been brewing for years, giving competitors two punches. Regardless of the various aspects of the evaluation, these two new cars are not left behind.
First of all, from the styling design, R 18 Transcontinental and BMW R 18 Bagger's integral windshield shape is quite unique, and BMW has incorporated a lot of technology into it while presenting a retro taste as a whole. LED headlights, LED fog lights, ACC adaptive cruises, and multimedia screens the size of a car's central control screen are all available. These configurations allow consumers to enjoy the safety, comfort and convenience brought by motorcycle technology while feeling the retro charm.
The biggest difference between R 18 Transcontinental and R 18 Bagger in the design level is the tail box, R 18 Transcontinental pays more attention to rear seat comfort and carrying space in travel, while R 18 Bagger is due to the early personal modification interest of cruise owners, from the perspective of original design, it brings users a more suitable style. Elements such as the streamlined body and side box, large front wheels, and short windshield all 100% follow the free and romantic elements of "Bagger", the core of the modified style.
Remember the R 18 series "Rain", "Roll", "Rock" with its unique rock and roll driving mode nomenclature? The R 18 Transcontinental and R 18 Bagger, which now have added Marshall sound configurations, are the "rockogs" of the motorcycle world. Among them, the R 18 Transcontinental also enjoys the Exclusive Marshall 6-channel stereo speakers.
At this event, we also had the honor to interview Mr. Zhan Fei, Director of BMW Motorcycle China, who defined these two new products that will be traveling with Chinese consumers as a personalized and highly emotional expression. At the same time, Mr. Zhan Fei is also full of confidence in the future success of these two new models in the Chinese market.
By November 2021, we will be able to achieve a year-on-year increase of 25% year-on-year relative to the whole of 2020 during the difficult epidemic, and 2021 is a year of challenges and opportunities for BMW motorcycles. In addition to the wide selection of high-end product ranges, BMW Motorcycle's digital innovation and the ongoing "3T Strategy" (Trading, Training, Travelling) are also the guarantees of BMW Motorcycle's achievements.
For the upcoming 2022, BMW motorcycles will continue to have a strong product offensive, in addition to the two new cars introduced in this article, BMW motorcycles will also bring the K 1600 GTL, K 1600 Bagger and the new CE 04 for pure electric motorcycles to Chinese consumers in 2022. Rich product range, diversified motorcycle lifestyle, today's two "heavy punches" are just the beginning of bmw motorcycles to surprise Chinese consumers. "Make Life A Ride", such a passionate, rushing motorcycle lifestyle, friends, can you still stand up?