BMW Motorrad is reported to be working on a detuned version of its massive cruiser, the BMW R 18. According to latest reports from Europe, BMW Motorrad is working on a different version of the BMW R 18, targeted specifically at A2 licence holders in Europe, who are limited to the kind of motorcycles they can legally ride, with power limited to 47 bhp. And if these reports are true, BMW Motorrad may well be working on a smaller A2 compatible version of its heavyweight cruiser.
Also Read: BMW Motorrad May Be Working On Smaller BMW R 12 Cruiser
The A2 licence-friendly BMW R18 is expected to come with the same 1,802 cc boxer-twin engine, but de-tuned to make only 47 bhp to meet the learner-licence requirements
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According to one media report from Europe, BMW Motorrad is getting ready to unveil not one, but several detuned versions of its R 18, R 18 Classic and the forthcoming R 18 Transcontinental tourer to suit European 'A2' laws. The new models are expected to make around 47 bhp, despite sharing the same 1,802 cc capacity boxer-twin engine as the standard R 18 models. Apart from the change in the engine, the de-tuned bikes are expected to be identical to the normal R 18 models, so they will have the same dimensions and will likely be heavy, despite the low power output.
Also Read: BMW R 18 Review
All variants of the BMW R 18 standard cruiser are expected to get A2-friendly de-tuned versions. So far, there's no clarity on which markets will get these de-tuned models, but France is likely to get the first A2-friendly R 18 cruisers later this year.
The latest reports come as a surprise, because there have been reports of BMW Motorrad also working on a smaller cruiser with similar design, called the BMW R 12. That model is rumoured to get the BMW R nineT's boxer engine, and will have less weight than the current R 18, but with more peak horsepower. Both reports originate from French publication Le Repaire des Motards, which claims that the A2 version of the R 18 will actually be unveiled as early as October 2021.
