BMW Motorrad has slyly teased a new motorcycle platform that would be based on a 1800cc boxer design. And we cannot help but predict an upcoming cruiser.
Our reason to believe so is pretty evident from the way the platform looks. Apart from that, the company teased this new engine having Yuichi Yoshizawa and Yoshikazu Ueda of Custom Works Zon build a custom motorcycle around the boxer-twin necessarily unique indeed. In the bike that was showcased as an example, the engine uses a push-rod design, and its cooling fins tip-off its air/oil-cooling mechanism.
While we too are a bit disappointed for not having more details about the moniker, BMW Motorrad simply said that “further details about the engine and its possible future use will be communicated at a later point in time.”
We might be able to connect the dots (confidently) with the trajectory that the next potential beemer could be like, considering that we have seen rumours of a BMW cruiser model that would be a so-called ‘Diavel Killer’.
With every other gap plugged in, BMW could be finally exploring its potential in an honest heritage cruiser segment. We feel that such a model from the German automaker can have a tremendous amount of business sense, and for good reason. On the contrary, it should also be noted in the same breath that the market size for cruisers is on a serious decline.
Any time but now would be the right time for the manufacturer to explore the segment before too many brands start battling for the last table scraps of the dying segment. For BMW, the opportunity bodes well, however, as the Germans have already shown a willingness to turn their air-cooled motor designs into a heritage portion of the brand, which has helped them to recycle the older boxer-twin engine for a longer duty life.