May’s R 20 Concept looks primed for showrooms

With the almost comically huge R 18 boxer twin BMW already makes one of the biggest production motorcycle engines on the market – beaten only by a handful of high-end cruisers and of course Triumph’s crazy 2.5-litre Rocket 3 – but it’s set to up the ante soon with the debut of a production R20 model.

The idea was teased with the fabulous R 20 Concept shown in May 2024, a stripped back roadster based around a big-bore version of the R 18’s boxer motor, and now BMW has filed trademark applications for the name ‘R20’ – notably without the space used in the R 18 or the R 20 Concept’s names – to use on a future production bike.

The first trademark application was made in Germany within a week of the R 20 Concept’s release – although that application wasn’t published until the trademark rights were granted – and now there are additional applications underway in other territories to secure international rights to the name before the production bike is launched.

What will the production model be like? Well, in the past when BMW has used the word ‘Concept’ in a show bike’s name, the usual result is a near-identical production model within a few years. The Concept Link became the CE 04, the Concept 9Cento turned into the F 900 XR, the Concept 101 previewed the K 1600 B, and the Concept R 18 turned into the production R 18. Logically, the R20 will be a close replica of the R 20 Concept show bike, with similar stripped-back styling.

However, that development and the trademarking of the R20 title could also be a clue that all the current R 18 models, with their 1803cc boxer twin engines, could be set to evolve into larger-engined R20 versions. It makes little sense for BMW to manufacture two different capacities of the same motor, particularly at the high end of the market that those models operate in, and by launching a whole range R20s, including cruisers and tourers to replace the existing R 18 Classic, R18 Roctane, R 18 B and R 18 Transcontinental, BMW could give the line-up a mid-life boost while simultaneously introducing the much sportier roadster that was previewed by the R 20 Concept.