Is A Smaller BMW R 18 Cruiser Variant Coming Next?

When BMW released the massive R 18 in 2020—a retro-styled muscle cruiser powered by the biggest boxer the Bavarians ever built—it set a new standard for power for the House of Munich.

We already knew that the R 18 was only a start and that at least two other versions would follow, based on spy shots we shared a little over a year ago. Sure enough, the mid-range Classic with touring windscreen and saddlebags debuted in October, 2020. As for what we think will be the R 18 Transcontinental with a batwing fairing, it will likely launch in the upcoming months.

But wait, there's more! Rumor has it that BMW isn't done with its cruiser offense and that once the R 18 lineup is complete, it plans to tackle other, smaller segments.

French publication Le Repaire des Motards had a chat with the head of BMW Motorrad, Dr. Markus Schramm about the R 18 and the company's future plans.

While Schramm remained a bit evasive in his answers, he did confirm that we'll know more about the R 18 lineup's expansion in the coming months. When probed about smaller R variants, he said that while he thinks that would be a great idea, he's not at liberty to discuss future bikes.

He did, however, comment that cruisers represent the most important segment in bikes over 500cc. Schramm added that, with that in mind, the R 18 won't be the end and that following up with a smaller cruiser is a logical progression.

The site suggested that an R 11 could be a good candidate, which we tend to agree with, provided the company wants to stick to the "R" naming convention. It does have a pretty solid 1,170cc boxer twin used in the R nineT lineup that could easily transfer over to a cruiser. For now, we have the third version of the R 18 to look forward to.

What other type of cruiser would you like to see from Beemer?