BMW Builds An Even Bigger Boxer With The 2,000cc R20 Custom Motorcycle

Big brakes, hot pink tank, a custom headlight and not much else keep the R20 somewhat svelte.

Not long ago, I reviewed BMWs beautiful R 18 retro cruiser which sported a monster 1.8-liter opposed twin boxer engine that featured air cooling, pushrod valves and miles of style. Despite looking like the cylinder heads would gouge the pavement in even the slightest of turns, the big Beemer was actually an agile and comfortable open road companion. Kudos, as usual, to BMW Mottrad’s engineering prowess.

Today, the R 18 remains in the lineup, and the “100 Years” edition with the classic double pinstripes and fishtail mufflers remains my favorite big BMW boxer (I personally own a 1994 R1100RS “oilhead”). Now, with the R20 custom, they’ve gone even bigger, punching the engine out to a full 2,000 cc, or two liters. I’ve driven cars with less displacement. Only one other mass production motorcycle, the massive 2,458cc Triumph Rocket 3 triple, packs more cubes.

For now, the R20 is a one-off, but past big boxer concepts like the R18 came to fruition, so why not? The R 20 is styled as a “roadster” with the bare minimums of accoutrements: a solo seat, gas tank and the required lights and switch gear. To top it off, the gas tank is hot pink, so this bike is hard to miss.

Tail lights are built into the seat pan.

It’s also wearing a spoked front wheel with massive dual disc brakes grabbed by six-pot calipers, and a blacked-out slotted disc-type rear hoop with a 200mm wide tire. The pipes on the concept bike look both short and loud and would likely would get a frowny face from regulators, so count on any production machine to have something a bit toned down, decibel-wise.

Above all, it’s a runner, and not a photo prop. BMW put out a peek-a-boo video of the R20 on the road, with solid looks starting at 1:15:

Other bits include an LED headlight with DRL mode that the design team fabbed up on a 3D printer, plus fully adjustable Öhlins Blackline components front and back for a highly tunable ride.

The solo “floating” seat is covered in Alcantara and the rear tail light is embedded into the rear of the seat pan for a clean, simple profile; there will be no two-up riding here. Like the R18, the R20 is shaft driven with the driveshaft and paralever knuckle whirling away out in the breeze (below).

Exposed shaft drive and linkage is usually hidden on most other BMW models.

That was one of my favorite bits on the R18, giving the bike a strong mechanical character that matched the pushrods atop the big finned jugs jutting out like wings from the crankcase. Good stuff.

“The R20 concept is a bold interpretation of the BMW Motorrad DNA,” Alexander Buckan, Head of Design BMW Motorrad said in a press release. “It combines modern technical elements with a classic roadster design. Its oversized proportions and minimalistic aesthetic make it an unmistakable character.”

Like the R18 before it, the massive displacement of the 2-liter boxer engine seems to give the bike ... [+] stubby wings. And yet, it will corner with surprising alacrity.

BMW has not said if the R20 will see production or what the price might be if it does, and it will likely come with the necessary DOT bits like mirrors, license plate holder, turn signals and so on to make it street legal. But that’s what tools are for.

Let’s hear your feedback! Subscribing to Forbes.com allows you to leave comments and supports contributors like myself. Subscribe here for new article and follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn. I do not use AI tools to produce content.

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's Terms of Service. We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

So, how can you be a power user?

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's Terms of Service.