BMW R 18 vs Triumph Rocket 3 GT: Specifications, prices compared

BMW Motorrad announced the launch of R 18 cruiser in the Indian market on Saturday soon after the Triumph's Rocket 3 GT bike went on sale earlier this month.

Both the cruisers sit in the same segment and are closely matched in terms of pricing. While the R 18 demands a premium of ₹18.90 lakh, the Rocket 3 GT sits slightly lower at ₹18.40 lakh. There is also a base Rocket 3 'R' variant present which costs ₹40,000 lower than the new 'GT' variant at ₹18 lakh. The BMW R 18 is also available in two variants - the base R 18 and the R 18 (First Edition) which is costlier at ₹21.90 lakh.

The Triumph Rocket 3 GT is a touring focused version of the standard Rocket 3 R bike. It gets a slew of additional features over the base model which are aimed at making it a comfortable and touring friendly motorcycle. And the R 18 is no less, its aesthetics have been designed to provide the rider a very natural, leaned back, typical cruiser styled riding position which is highly preferred in such range of bikes.

The key highlight on the R 18 is its newly developed air/oil cooled two-cylinder boxer engine. BMW claims that this engine is most powerful boxer engine in the company's series production. It is a huge 1,802 cc engine featuring a 107.1 mm bore along with a 100 mm stroke. It churns out 91 hp of power along with 158 Nm of torque. The transmission option is a constant mesh 6-speed unit and a single-disc dry clutch transmits the torque to the transmission.

Coming over to the Rocket 3 GT, it gets an even bigger 2,500 cc, inline three-cylinder, liquid-cooled powertrain with a 6-speed transmission. Not just in size, but this unit is even significantly more powerful than the R 18's, as it delivers 167 PS of power and 221 Nm of torque.

Some of the key feature highlights of the Rocket 3 GT include Bluetooth-enabled full-colour TFT dash with GoPro controls, four ride modes, cornering ABS, Hill-Hold Control and Traction Control System. On the other hand, the R 18 gets three standard riding modes, Automatic Stability Control, Hill Start Control, Dynamic Engine Brake Control, and Keyless Ride system.

(All prices are ex-showroom)

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