Neil Murray on what’s hot – and not – in the used bike market

Details of new 1800 engine released ahead of 2020 debut

‘It makes 89bhp and a whopping 116.5ftlb torque’

BMW are so proud of the new, air-cooled engine in their forthcoming R18 cruiser, the largest engine they have ever produced, that they’ve given away all the info in advance. Its 1802cc gives it 150★cc over the six-cylinder K1600 with all that fuel and air producing only 89.8bhp @ 4750rpm but a whopping 116.5ftlb of torque. BMW also wanted it to look classic, so they’ve gone old school with a pushrod driven overhead valve train but using two camshafts either side of the crankshaft to operate the valve lifters. This allows shorter pushrods, reducing reciprocating mass, as well as reducing deflection for more precise valve timing. Another neat touch is the housing of the fuel injectors in the heads, with one per cylinder spraying fuel straight into the back of the intake valves for greater efficiency. Power gets to the ground through a six-speed gearbox attached to a huge single-plate dry clutch. There’s also an optional reverse gear, activated by a little lever on the gearbox, which uses the starter motor rather than actually acting as a mechanical reverse.

Also like classic BMWs, the R18 uses an exposed shaft drive which is sealed so requires no maintenance. A tripoid joint at the back of the gearbox lets the shaft adjust its length over the course of the suspension travel. We’ve spent time with the clever engineers at BMW, including the man who designed the new motor, so check back in next week’s MCN for the full inside story.