2021 BMW R 18 vs. 2021 Harley Davidson Softail Slim: Battle of the big twins

What’s interesting about the R 18 — other than its elegance and sheer size — is that the Germans were so specific in their intent to emulate Harley Davidson’s Softail Slim, a cornerstone of the MoCo’s cruiser lineup.

The problem with calling out the competition is that it demands a comparison. We were happy to make that happen, especially since it dovetails with an upcoming BMW versus H-D episode of CTXP, a project that has already spawned the Pan-Am vs. R 1250 GS adventure-bike comparison Zack published last month. 

How did we get here? 

Given that BMW used the Softail Slim as a starting point for the R 18, we’ll do the same. 

The Softail first appeared in Harley’s lineup nearly 40 years ago as a throwback to the rigid-frame bikes H-D had made 40 years prior. The Softail was a bobber-style machine with a then-new concealed rear suspension system that gave the bike a hardtail look. It even had a springer fork like Harley used before the hydraulically damped Hydra Glide debuted in ‘49. Yup, Harley has made a tradition of tradition.

The Softail has evolved over the decades, all the while remaining a wildly popular platform that’s spawned dozens of other models, including the Softail Slim that showed up in 2012. This latest Slim features a 107 ci (1,753 cc) Milwaukee-Eight engine that shudders and quakes as it puts down a claimed 110 foot-pounds of torque. The relaxed riding position, floorboards, and backswept handlebar were plucked straight from the ‘40s, and the cut-down fenders harken back to the post-war bobber era. The $16,000 Softail is low and long, stripped down and elemental, and immediately recognizable. It’s the silhouette many people see when they close their eyes and imagine a motorcycle.

Enter the R 18, the bike BMW built to out-do the Softail Slim at its own game. BMW first teased a gargantuan air-cooled boxer engine in 2018, a motor that Greaser and Lance hoped wouldn’t appear in a cruiser. Their fears were confirmed when the R 18 was launched in 2021 at a base price of $17,495, though BMW rarely brings in bare-bones bikes. What you’re more likely to see in your local dealership is a pin-striped First Edition R 18 like we have here, which rings in at $21,870.

In classic cruiser fashion, the R 18 is all about tradition. It’s meant to be an homage to BMW’s nearly 100-year history as a marque, with a style reminiscent of the company’s first two wheeler, the R 32. The R 18 gleams and glimmers with black paint that looks as deep as the abyss and an abundance of lustrous chrome, and has throwback features like an exposed driveshaft, rigid-look rear-end, and shrouded fork tubes.

Then, of course, there’s the engine, which is the largest Boxer BMW has ever built. With bore and stroke figures that sound like lumber dimensions, the R 18 displaces a full 1,802 cc that BMW says are good for 116 foot-pounds of torque at just 3,000 rpm. A massive 68.1-inch wheelbase forced the Daily Rider scales farther apart than we’ve ever placed them, and spiked the display to the heaviest weight we’ve seen to date: 789 pounds. That’s 3.9 inches longer and 120 pounds heavier than the Softail Slim, which, despite the name, isn’t exactly a lean machine. BMW’s approach to outdoing the Softail obviously involved turning everything up to 11, because the R 18 is massive, in presence and physical size. 

Saddle up, partner

You only have to lift your boot 25.5 inches to swing a leg over the Softail, at which point the rider triangle arranges your body in the picture of cruiser casual. That means you carry a lot of weight on your tailbone, but the Harley’s 3.4 inches of rear suspension travel punch above their weight, so only the biggest hits slam your spine.

H-D’s Softail is a fairly comfy place to log miles, and the forward view is deliciously clean; other than the clutch cable and brake hose, all the control cables are routed inside the blacked-out handlebar so the cockpit is spartan and stylish. To check your speed or fuel level, you’ll need to glance down at the top of the five-gallon tank, where a single round gauge is nestled in a bezel. 

The R 18’s dash doesn’t require taking your eyes off the road to look at since it peeks up from behind the Beemer’s wider, more pulled-back handlebar. There’s no gas gauge to monitor the smaller 4.2-gallon tank, but there are three ride modes that correlate to distinctly different engine sensations: Rock, Roll, and Rain. With the full-zoot package our bike had, you also get heated grips, a reverse gear, and hill-hold control. 

At 27.2 inches tall, the R 18’s thinly padded catcher’s mitt of a seat is only a touch higher than the Slim’s, but the footpegs are just about under your butt and there’s a serious lack of legroom. Plus, those massive jugs jutting out from the engine eliminate the option for mid or forward controls, so what you see is what you get. Worse yet, the rear suspension action on the R 18 is harsh, despite the BMW having a hair more travel than the H-D. I swear, I’m not making this stuff up.  

The Softail doesn’t so much click into gear as clank in a way that feels very tractor-like. Perhaps that’s appropriate, given the torque that big M-8 produces. It’s pretty quick off the line and chugs around town easily, while 70 mph in top gear finds the engine loping lazily at just 2,500 rpm out on the highway. Twisting the throttle on a Harley really is a special experience, rife with sensation and sound that is often imitated but never duplicated. 

Twisting the R 18’s grip in neutral yields a distinct sensation as well — that of the bike pitching left as the biggest crankshaft BMW Motorrad has ever produced attempts to twist the bike around itself. There’s plenty of power on tap and the fueling is perfect, but above a few thousand rpm the engine pulsates at an unrelaxed frequency. When so much of the cruiser-riding experience centers around the appearance and dynamics of the engine, I worry that an opposed twin can’t live up to expectations; expectations that are entirely dictated by conventions created by Harley-Davidson. 

BMW seems to have missed the mark. Not nailing the feel and character of a Harley is understandable, but the R 18 comes up short in ways that left us scratching our heads. An uncomfortable seat and poorly calibrated suspension are very un-BMW-like. So are the brakes, which aren’t as good as the Harley’s, even though the Softail only has one disc and the BMW has two. Doing less with more seems to be a theme here. 

Then, there’s the R 18’s handling, which makes the Softail Slim feel like a sport bike by comparison. It’s not that the Harley is particularly lithe, though it does handle a lot better than its chunky tires and 671-pound wet weight would suggest, it’s that the R 18 is so limited. It steers well enough for its titanic dimensions, but has pitiful cornering clearance. Pull away from a stop sign, leave a gas station, or God forbid you try to navigate a graceful bend with any semblance of speed and the BMW will bury a footpeg and emit a shower of sparks that might actually get you ticketed in drought-stricken and fire-prone Southern California. 

So, wait... How did we get here? 

BMW tried to outdo Harley at its own game, but all it did was overdo it. 

The R 18 is beautiful and unique, but it’ll need to go up against something a lot worse than a Softail Slim to feel like the right choice. As it stands, the Softail Slim works better, with better suspension and ground clearance, a more comfortable seat, more legroom, a more reasonable size, and better engine character. And at $16,000, it’s 36 percent less expensive than the R 18. The Softail is also an authentic experience, and that definitely counts for something in this segment. 

Lots of manufacturers have presented alternatives to the archetypal American V-twin over the years. 

BMW is just the latest to fail at it.

	2021 BMW R 18 First Edition	2021 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim
Price (MSRP)	$21,870 (as tested)	$15,999
Engine	1,802 cc, air/oil-cooled, eight-valve, horizontally opposed twin	1,753 cc, air/oil-cooled, eight-valve, 45-degree V-twin
Transmission, final drive	Six-speed, shaft	Six-speed, belt
Claimed horsepower	91 @ 4,750 rpm	NA
Claimed torque	116 foot-pounds @ 3,000 rpm	110 foot-pounds @ 3,000 rpm
Frame	Steel-tube double-cradle	Steel-tube double-cradle
Front suspension	Showa 49 mm fork, adjustable for preload; 4.7 inches of travel	Showa 49 mm fork, 5.1 inches of travel
Rear suspension	ZF single shock, adjustable for rebound damping; 3.5 inches of travel	Showa shock, adjustable for spring preload; 3.4 inches of travel
Front brake	Two Brembo four-piston calipers, 300 mm discs with ABS	H-D four-piston caliper, 300 mm disc with ABS
Rear brake	Brembo four-piston caliper, 300 mm disc with ABS	H-D two-piston caliper, 300 mm disc with ABS
Rake, trail	32.7 degrees, 5.9 inches	30.0 degrees, 5.8 inches
Wheelbase	68.1 inches	64.2 inches
Seat height	27.2 inches	25.5 inches
Fuel capacity	4.2 gallons	5.0 gallons
Tires	Michelin Commander Touring III; 120/70 R19 front, 180/65 B16 rear	Dunlop D401; 130/90B-16 front,150/80B-16 rear
Measured weight	789 pounds	671 pounds
Available	Now	Now
Warranty	36 months / 36,000 miles	24 months
More info	www.bmwmotorcycles.com	www.harley-davidson.com