Recently, adventurer and motorcycle obsessive Charley Boorman was asked whether he prefers vintage bikes or new ones with advanced tech specs. ‘New with old-school charisma’ was Boorman’s answer, and he might as well have been talking about the BMW R18.

Launched at the tail end of 2020, the 1800cc R18 is the German manufacturer’s second cruiser motorcycle (its first, the R1200C, was discontinued in 2004), and is the result of four intense years of research and development, including focus groups with owners of premium large-displacement motorcycles to find out what makes a cruiser, well, a cruiser.

And let’s not mince words: this bike looks fantastic. Its streamlined silhouette pays homage to the iconic R5 model from 1936 (which was the first BMW to feature foot-operated gears), with its teardrop-shaped tank and elongated end silencers. The enormous, sculpted engine adds the right touch of eccentricity (and that sense of impressive engineering) and all the chrome features scream nostalgia.

On picking up my R18 Classic loan on the way to 2022’s Malle Mile festival, I was delighted that mine was Mars Red Metallic (it’s my colour – give me a red motorbike and I’m ready for anything). With its brash colour and vintage silhouette, it feels made for cruising along Route 66 – if Route 66 still existed.

Aside from a stunning paint job, this Classic model comes with beautifully made 15-litre saddle bags, a windshield and a small pillion seat – although, according to my wife, you’ll want to upgrade it if you’re planning on carrying a passenger for longer than about 20 minutes.

There is a unique feeling you get from a BMW; the riding is ultra-smooth, the torque is something else, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more precise gearbox. The “Big Boxer” engine, which the marque introduced in 2019, is the most powerful twin-cylinder boxer engine ever used in motorcycle series production. It offers more than 150Nm (or Newton Meter, the international unit of torque or, in simpler terms, acceleration) above 2,000 rpm, so to say that the R18 pulls at all times would be an understatement. This thing is a rocket at the traffic light (it weights 365kg!) and on the motorway you feel you can always overtake, no matter what gear you are in.

On the subject of motorways, on my two-hour journey around the M25 to the Malle Mile, I wished that I had more space for stretching my legs and changing the angles of my hips and knees, but the opposing cylinders make that impossible. The 16-inch front wheel is significantly smaller than in other R18 models and at high speeds I felt that it affected the bike stability, which is less than ideal for a bike designed for long journeys.

Nevertheless, the sun was out when I approached Grimsthorpe Castle (where “Malle” takes place), and cruising through the Lincolnshire country roads felt great. So much so that I’ve decided the R18 is a serious contender for my long-awaited road trip to Wales. But here in London, all I need is a pretentious café racer to go from one £4 latte to the next. Has Elon Musk started making motorbikes yet?

BMW R18 from £17,480 and the R18 Classic from £19,540;
bmw-motorrad.co.uk/en/models/heritage/r18.html