Bagger this: BMW R18 Classic tries to beat Harley’s Heritage Classic at its own game
Is the new BMW R18 Classic really a match for Harley’s Heritage Classic?
From the tip of the CHiPs-style screen to the tail end of the sculpted panniers, it’s festooned with the unmistakable hallmarks of a traditional US big twin. With an engine of greater displacement than most family cars, a relaxed riding stance with low-slung perch, twin bar-mounted spotlights and lashings of chrome it’s as American as mom’s apple pie, 24-hour drive-thru’ food joints and stars ’n’ stripes boxer shorts. Except this isn’t Yankee iron, of course. Instead, we’re talking bratwurst sausages, steins of wheat beer and lederhosen. This is the new touring version of BMW’s stylish cruiser, the R18 Classic, and their target couldn’t be more obvious if it was flashing on the side in gaudy neon. Beemer are hunting Harley-Davidson.
In fact, with the R18 side-by-side with the Harley Heritage Classic the similarities are remarkable. There’s less than one horsepower separating their gargantuan twin-cylinder engines, only a 10mm difference in seat height and just an inch or so between overall lengths. And in terms of appearance, feel, features and the ability to grab your attention there’s bugger-all in it.
Harley claim the Heritage Classic is ‘the quintessential American cruiser’, and so the way the bikes sit so well together suggests BMW have got the R18 very right.
They certainly feel like a perfectly matched pair as we saunter north on straight Fenland A-roads, the endless farmland and expansive skies giving the feel of middle-west America. Only with more turnips. Settled down into sculpted seats and arms out to high, swept-back ’bars, the German boxer is barely awake at 60mph. There’s a subtle and pleasing sense of combustion through the R18’s controls as the two humungous pistons slap back and forth, car-hopping overtakes delivered with a deep rumble and the feel of thumping great lumps of torque. The ride’s clearly quite firm but comfort is completely acceptable on the smooth, wide tarmac towards Boston, and the lengthy chassis inspires confidence with an air of solidity and stability.
We burble lazily through town and swap bikes before picking up the A52 striding west. And my flabber is immediately gasted at how different the Harley-Davidson feels. Handling is lighter, steering is easier and more direct, and it has superior agility. The engine’s not only quieter but also smoother. And despite a single front disc the brakes feel about twice as powerful. Things you never thought you’d say…
The BMW feels how you expect the Harley to behave, and yet the American is smoother and more
‘The BMW feels how you expect the H-D to behave’
refined. “I really didn’t expect them to be so different,” says guest tester Andy Gurski when we pause to compare notes. “Riding position, engine character, brakes, handling – I never thought the Harley would have the more modern dynamic.” The surprises continue. Taking advantage of empty tarmac, we carry out some impromptu roll-on tests. There’s chuff-all between the two motors in terms of peak torque (the BMW just edges it with 116lb.ft to the H-D’s 114lb.ft), however the American bike has lower gearing and is a little more free-revving. Nailing the throttle side-by side at 40mph in fourth sees the Heritage stride ahead. We try it again in different gears and at different speeds to be sure, and the Harley wins every time.
Looping across the top of Leicester and onto the motorway route, it’s clear the bikes share a cruising sweet spot. Sit at the limit and the screens are moderately noisy but equally effective, both engines thrum politely and the riding positions are stress free. Allow yourself to be drawn to higher speed and things become less pleasant. Wind noise increases, the ‘mid-control’ riding positions start to feel strained, and ride comfort deteriorates – suspension on the Heritage starts to feel disconnected, while the firmly set-up R18 jolts and jiggles over thickly-applied overbanding and pock-marked surfaces.
By the time we’ve done the 125mile multi-lane lap and deposited ourselves in the glamorous surroundings of a service station for lunch, Andy’s got further complaints. “The Harley is hurting my back,” he grumbles. “There’s something about the riding position that makes me feel like I’m hanging from the ’bars, with my spine curling backwards. I sort-of noticed it on the A-roads earlier, but now it’s really apparent.”
After showering sparks all over the roundabout leaving the garage (purely research to confirm that the Heritage has more ground clearance), I see what Andy means taking the H-D on open, rolling A-roads that make up the final 35 miles of today’s ride. We’re embracing the bikes’ cruising nature, yet the middle of my back is complaining. There’s also an ache coming from my left hip. I’ve done over 1000 miles on a naked R18 earlier and I had no such complaints. In a day of surprises, the biggest shocker comes at the end of the MCN250. Perched on a wall and ingesting coffee while idly perusing the bikes, Andy puts words to what I’m already thinking. “The Harley-Davidson is probably the better bike in terms of smoothness, ride comfort, performance and handling,” he says. “I genuinely didn’t expect it to be that much nimbler, or to be the one with the more revvy engine. But it’s the BMW that I’d want. Sounds daft, especially as the Harley badge also carries appeal. But with a bike like this you want the sensations of a huge torquey engine, and the way the R18 rocks when you blip the throttle and thunders forward is a richer experience. I prefer its riding position, too. But the biggest thing is the image. There’s a cool World War II look to the BMW – I like the lines, the clean design, and it’s obviously a modern bike created with classic styling. But despite the Harley’s modern headlight, that awful ’80s taillight just looks old.”
‘The Harley’s ’80s taillight just looks odd’