BMW’s new R 18 B, a touring version of their R18, boast a huge fuel tank, mighty TFT dash and an impressive spec.
The “Big Boxer” engine is the same 1802cc pushrod design as on the standard R 18. Torque peaks at 116 ft-lbs at just 3000 rpm, with 91 horsepower produced at 4750 rpm. As a touring motorcycle, the R 18 B gets a larger tank than the standard model and can carry a whopping 28.6 litres of fuel in it’s smart, tear-dripped shaped fuel tank. There are three riding modes to choose from – Rock, Roll and Rain. And if you like your rock ‘n’ roll, the R 18 B boasts an impressive Marshall sounds system, with the option to upgrade to a Marshall Gold Series 1 which adds a subwoofer driven by 25 watts of power. The R 18 B’s gives more legroom than the standard mode as the seat is 1.1-inches higher. Foot pegs come as standard and there’s the option to change these to floorboards. Cruise Control also comes as standard and if you want to, you can upgrade to radar-assisted Active Cruise Control.
Night riding is made much easier on the R 18 B thanks its full LED lighting, plus an optional Adaptive Turning Light system which turns the low beans to illuminate upcoming corners. The clever Adaptive Turning Light also automatically adjusts the headlight when the load changes to keep the main beam aimed correctly.
Our favourite part of the 2022 BMW R 18 B is it’s enormous TFT display. Measuring 10.25-inches wide, with HD resolution, it’s a dash you definitely need to fit a premium screen protector to. You can find our dash screen protectors here.
If you use the free BMW Motorrad Connected app on your smartphone, you can turn the display into a GPS unit and there’s also the option to split the screen and choose which information is displayed. The default background is a very cool, copper-coloured illustration of the Big Boxer. Nestled above the TFT display are four analog-style clocks for speed, rev count, fuel gauge, and Power Reserve.
Prices for the 2022 BMW R 18 B start at £15,595 but there are many, many optional extras you could choose, easily bumping the price tag up to £21k. 