BMW Motorrad has spent more than two decades carving out a slice of the touring market for itself. The BMW R 18 and the K 1600 are innovative masterpieces loaded with technology and some of the best long-distance chops that you’ll find on a bike without a Harley-Davidson or Honda badge. Now, BMW is showing off what its vision of future motorcycle design looks like. This is the BMW Vision K 18, and it’s a hand-built, brushed-aluminum beast with six headlights, six intakes, six cylinders, and six illuminated exhaust pipes that look like pulse jets.
BMW unveiled the Vision K 18 at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Lake Como in Italy, and BMW says that the motorcycle is pretty much a celebration of internal combustion. A new 1800cc straight-six engine was developed for Vision K18, and it, as well as its six pipes, is the centerpiece of the bike. But the Vision K 18 goes far beyond just a new engine.
BMW says that the Vision K 18 was built to be an embodiment of speed. In addition to that new mill, the bike sports a sleek, brushed aluminum body that was inspired by aviation. BMW is also feeling itself a bit, and put this remark in its press release: “Long-distance travel is reimagined as a sensual experience: emotion is central, performance is the key – and is staged with all the senses.
Well, okay then. I think I’ll give BMW Motorrad some time in its bunk. But hey, I get it, this is quite the looker! While we’re waiting, let’s see what its designers were up to.
A Tribute To Engines And Jets
BMW Motorrad says that the internal combustion engine is a central element to its history. Indeed, some of BMW’s most iconic motorcycles were its old “airhead” boxer engines, and even today, its boxers remain the choice of countless riders around the world. BMW has also been known for its inline engines, which power its K 1600 lineup. The Vision K 18 is supposed to be a bit of the biggest and baddest of BMW’s modern sixes, from BMW:
“The six-cylinder in-line engine has been hard-coded into the BMW DNA for decades” explains the development team. BMW has been putting six-cylinder engines at the heart of legendary vehicles since 1933. With its turbine-like running properties, the six-cylinder in-line engine celebrated its début in the world of motorcycles in 2010 and has been influencing BMW Motorrad’s Tourers ever since. It is precisely this long-standing tradition that became the starting point for a conscious change of perspective. “We wanted to rethink the vehicle from the ground up”, said the team. “It was important for us to celebrate the impressive powertrain, which in turn, meant exposing the technology.” A decision that became a statement of design. This attitude allowed for the creation of the Vision K 18’s engine. “Power and luxury, paired with motorsport DNA, are what drives our Vision K 18 full speed ahead – with more displacement than ever before.” A newly developed six-cylinder in-line engine with 1800 cc, which brings the concept and technology together with conviction.
This vision is also reflected in the form of the vehicle. “Our six-cylinder models are currently found in the Touring field and are therefore designed for long distances”, the developers explain. A design reference that extends far beyond motorcycle engineering was developed from the basis of this dynamic character. “We often see this approach in long-distance air travel”, said the team. “Some of these aircraft have a very two-dimensional hull, with only the technically essential elements protruding from it.” In terms of inspiration, the developers point to iconic supersonic aircraft, known for their aerodynamic precision, clear lines and visionary design. “We applied this concept decisively throughout the design of the Vision K 18.”
Sixes are somewhat uncommon in the motorcycle world, with the most examples having been built by Honda. The Gold Wing has sported six-cylinder power since the late 1980s, and Team Red was playing with sixes long before that with bikes like the 1978 CBX. Kawasaki had a six in 1979 with the Z1300, and a weird bike with a six would be the Horex VR6.
BMW? It officially unveiled its inline-six in 2010, which went into production in 2012 with the K 1600. As of today, that engine makes 160 HP and 132.7 lb-ft of torque.
Apparently, the body of the Vision K 18 is supposed to resemble a plane that’s taking off. However, the marketing speak is a bit entertaining here because after talking about supersonic jets and long-haul airliners as inspiration, BMW then says that “the motorcycle looks like a sprinter in the starting blocks.” So, does it look like a plane or a runner, BMW?
Ignoring the jargon of the press release, what BMW Motorrad designers achieved here is incredible. Those body panels? They’re hand-formed, “planished” brushed aluminum, and one of the panels alone is over 6.5 feet long. BMW also notes other handcrafted bits, including more aluminum and forged carbon. Of course, a lot of this would be unrealistic in a production bike, like the fact that the seat looks like a torture device rather than something you would do distance riding on.
Then there’s the obsession with the number six. The bike has an inline-six, six intakes that feed into an exposed airbox, six actively-cooled headlights, and six tailpipes. The tailpipes are something pretty awesome. Apparently, they’re made out of stainless steel, given a flame-spraying process, and then coated with liquid aluminum. The idea was that the exhaust should look like the manifolds of an old Formula 1 car. Mission accomplished, I think. The exhaust sound, which is glorious, is not as you’d expect, either. Click here to go to BMW’s site for a soundbite.
While BMW has given the Vision K 18 a sort of bagger look, it’s not really a true bagger. The area where the bags should live is where the pipes reside, and here is where another neat trick comes into play. The housings that hold the exhaust pipes have a set of thin LED taillights. These lights reflect on the shiny pipes, somewhat like a much cooler version of the Tesla Model Y’s taillight. The result is that the pipes, as well as their entire enclosures, glow like hot pulse jets.
BMW doesn’t really give any details about the engine aside from saying that it’s “newly developed.” The fact that it’s 1800cc might be important, given that BMW’s current inline-six is 1649cc. Is this concept bike previewing a new engine?
Another interesting detail is that the Vision K 18 has a hydraulic suspension that lowers itself when the bike comes to a stop. Baggers already have a pretty low seat height, so such a system would seem rather superfluous.
A One-Off, But I Hope BMW Does Something With It
BMW is quick to call this machine a one-off and says it’s a vision bike rather than a proper concept. Historically, BMW has reserved “Vision” for design exercises with some features that might make it to a production bike one day, and “Concept” for vehicles that will probably go into production. It’s also unlikely that BMW would add a third bagger to its lineup since it already has the space covered by the R 18 B and the K 1600 B.
However, the Vision K 18 is stunning to look at, and some parts of it should go into a production motorcycle one day. If you read between the lines, it could be that BMW is showcasing a new engine that could become a K 1800 one day, and I could also see that hydraulic suspension going somewhere, too. Or, shoot, maybe BMW is working on a muscle cruiser, and the brushed aluminum body is just the sexy wrapper.
Either way, I hope BMW is doing something with the Vision K 18’s design. This big, beautiful bike is just too cool to make once and then forget about forever. Come on, BMW, give us a German version of a Triumph Rocket 3!
Top graphic image: BMW
The post BMW Is Teasing The World With A Brushed Aluminum Motorcycle That Features Glowing Exhaust Pipes As Taillights appeared first on The Autopian.
