The Sharpest Knife in the BMW R 18 Boxset

The new R 18 Roctane is the fifth bike to adopt the R 18 platform. The Roctane stands out from the rest with a blacked-out finish, a large 21-inch front wheel, mini-ape 'bars, and hard bagger luggage

- Adam Child 'Chad'

THE NEW LAID-BACK ROCTANE FROM BMW is based on the familiar R 18 platform. BMW launched the first and stunning R 18 in 2020. The giant retro-boxer took the biking world by surprise for nobody really expected a laid-back cruiser from BMW, never mind one that boasted of such huge statistics and featured an 1,802-cc air-cooled motor with 158 Nm of torque. However, it was not just about the engine; the Germans were applauded for the R 18's design and style inspired by their machines from the 1920s and '30s.

The R 18 Classic is easily identifiable by its large screen, spoked wheels, and soft luggage. Then there is the R 18 B, a bagger with hard luggage and cut-down top fairing, complete with a huge 10.25-inch screen and a fourway sound system. The daddy of the group is the huge R 18 Transcontinental, a full dresser with hard luggage and a huge rear 48-litre top box large enough to swallow two full-face lids.

The fifth bike to adopt the R 18 platform is this, the new R 18 Roctane.

The Roctane stands out from the rest with a blacked-out finish, a large 21-inch front wheel, mini-ape 'bars, and hard bagger luggage. In simple terms it sits between the standard R 18 and the R 18 B (Bagger) as a cooler-looking, non-faired Bagger. We loaded up the panniers and spent two days touring, starting from the BMW factory.

If size really does matter, then BMW win hands down. This is the largest BMW Boxer the German factory has ever produced. When you sit on the bike, you are consumed by heavy engineering, especially those two huge protruding cylinder-heads rocking underneath you. The right cylinder is closer to the rider's shin as it has to sit further back on the crank.