#thank you so so much for literally over 300 notes for just this teaser

[mimikittysblog]

My goodness!! You guys are so excited for this story 😭

I’m so grateful but now I can’t help but be worried this won’t live up to your expectations 😭👉👈

I really do hope you’ll like the full story!! It’s nothing too special and just a teeny tiny spoiler, after writing all of it I can’t help but realize it’s mainly just kinda tame torture porn 💀 So again, I still do hope you can enjoy it heheh 😅

However with that I do have good news! I’m done writing the story!!!! I just need to edit a few things to make sure it’s not as messy and then it’ll be ready to publish by tomorrow!

I wanna thank you all for your enthusiasm!! It really does motivate me and it makes me so so happy so many of you like it from a simple teaser! 💕

Love you all so much! Thank you!

The Princess - Teaser

Pairing: Mafia! Husbands! Poly! Ateez x Fem! Wife! Reader

Genre: Angst, some fluff, a bit of smut (no actual sex scenes of the sorts but they’re very sexual towards each other)

Synopsis: If ATZ, the biggest and baddest mafia in town, were asked what their prized possession is, they wouldn’t say what you think. It isn’t the money, the cars, the jewels, the priceless paintings or anything of the sorts. As cheesy and unexpected as it sounds, they would answer each other. Now while on surface that is true, the reality of it is their most prized possession, their true treasure, the one they don’t even dare let people know they have in true fear of it getting taken away, is you. Their Princess. So what would happen when one night, you don’t come home?

Warnings: Kidnapping, violence, implied sexual activity, death/murder (not of the major characters), alcohol consumption, MxM of course. So because of all of this please ⚠️MNDI⚠️ if I missed anything please let me know! (Will most likely add more when the full story is out).

Tagging: @faeprincess777 @starygw3n @bee-gremlin @pinkpearlstar @sweetinsaniiity @puppyminnnie (if you wanna be tagged when this fic releases or if any of you want to be taken off the Taglist please let me know!)

.✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ✧.

“My loves, have any of you seen or heard from Princess?”

Silence.

Nothing but silence as all discussions of work seems to halt after hearing Yeosangs question.

“Is.. she not home yet?” Seonghwa asked softly.

“Well.. I can’t find her anywhere and she’s not answering her phone…”

“What?!” Wooyoung exclaimed as he quickly pulled out his phone and called her number.

Yunho took a glance to the clock on the wall and saw how late it was.

“It’s past her curfew. She knows she’s supposed to be home by now.”

“Forget that! She knows to always answer us. And she’s literally not answering us!” Wooyoung groans after the call goes unanswered.

“She’s just supposed to go shopping again!” Jongho exclaims.

Suddenly they hear the front door open.

Believing its you, they all quickly rush down. However what they find are only your body guards, bloodied and bruised.

You?

Nowhere in sight.

At the sight of their bosses, your guards quickly got on their hands in knees. A position that screams begging for forgiveness.

“S-sirs! We’re sorry! So terribly sorry!! One second we were watching over her then the next we go-“

BANG

Hongjoong had no need for useless explanations or excuses.

His Princess was taken.

All he needs now is her back.

Mingi takes the gun from Hongjoongs hand and steps forward.

He kneels in front of one of the other guards and grabs him by the hair, positioning the gun under his chin.

“Where?”

“D-downtown! The alley near her favorite Chanel store!”

BANG

Jongho then takes the gun and aims it at the last guard.

“SIR! Please no forgive me!! I will find her! I will-“

BANG

Protecting you and making sure you come home safe was these guards only job. And yet they have failed.

Now they’ve lost you and to them there is no greater sin.

As Yunho is cleaning the blood off of Mingi’s face, Seonghwa turns to the maids and the henchmen stationed in the room. Clearly terrified as they’ve never seen their bosses so angry.

“Clean this up. We want this place spotless. Not a single trace of these sinners left behind. And get everyone to work. Find her. Check every corner. Turn every stone. Use any informant we have. Use any methods you can think of. Do what you must! And Find. Her. Now.”

With that they all scrambled and quickly got to work.

Your husbands then left the room. Rage and determination emanating from their very being.

They will find you.

And those that took you will pay.

.✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ✧.

At another mansion on the other side of the outskirts of town, much smaller than the one he calls home, San is residing. He’s currently on an undercover mission to get information they need to get rid of this nuisance of a mafia.

Once they got wind of how the head of the mafia likes collecting and having ‘toys’ around no matter the gender they knew one of them had to play the part.

After careful consideration and discussion they agreed upon San.

So currently he’s in the living room in nothing but a fur coat and his boxers, as how the man requests all his toys to dress, with said man and the rest of his toys. He’s just drinking his whiskey as the man plays, wishing he was back home.

Suddenly the door was slammed opened and a girl was thrown to the ground.

“Sir, we’ve retrieved what you’ve asked for!”

One of the henchmen announced loudly.

San acted uninterested and nonchalant until he glanced at and unfortunately recognized the poor girl on the ground.

..Princess..?

.✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ✧.

© mimikittysblog 2024

[helmes-deep]

Quickie LONG UPDATE!! (on my life lol)

I FINALLY GOT THE RESULTS BACK FROM A $300 teachers’ test and I PASSED WOOOOOOOOOOT HAHAHA I’M SO HAPPY $300 NOT WASTED LOL *CRIES*

Well, at least for my state. Who knows if I’ll ever have to take that horrendous thing again should I ever choose to move to another state or get back into the teaching profession after having left for a bit... Granted, I didn’t get the score I think I was truly capable of (I totally last-minuted this whole thing and stayed up for 72+ hours finishing it lol PLEASE PLEASE DON’T EVER BE LIKE ME AND PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION WHERE YOU HAVE TO STAY AWAKE FOR 3 DAYS STRAIGHT TO FINISH A FINAL THAT IS MY LIFE ADVICE), but I did pass it based on the score required by my state, so I honestly couldn’t be any happier. All that’s standing between me and getting a real job now is waiting for my university to finally award me my degree in a few weeks so that I can apply for a teacher’s certificate and finally get to do what I can’t wait to start doing again – teaching!! 🌠 💖 😄

In other news, I actually survived! and completed!! my student teaching; it all actually officially ended in the middle of last month. After my student teaching ended, I focused on finishing up final tests/projects (including that $300 test) before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English Education from my uni about 2 weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been applying for jobs and hoping for an offer soon, hopefully at a high school!! Thinking back over my college experience, I wouldn’t say it’s been a really “crazy” four years (except for this year LOL. Man, these past two semesters were WILD and took SO MUCH out of me. I still get super-exhausted thinking about how I got through my student teaching N E V E R  A G A I N HAHA :V). I’ve never been the group’s social butterfly, even though I highly crave social interaction and approval/feedback (not in a desperate sense, but I know I’m the type of person that needs social interaction in order to thrive, even if I might not be the one to initiate it). I have, however, learned a little about a lot of things, especially during this past year and semester LOL AGAIN: N E V E R  A G A I N HAHA :VVV and especially, I think, in regard to myself. As a teacher, I’ve learned that I suck at classroom management. I’m just way too laissez faire, which comes off as “too nice” and therefore just allows any group of your regular hormonal and rebellious-leaning teenagers to go bonkers and take over my class lawl. Hopefully that changes *very* soon once I get my own classroom (and I’m working on it!!), but looking back, I suppose I could have been a bit more firm about keeping my presence (it also doesn’t help that I’m like 5′3″ lol!!). As a general person, I have also learned that I SUCK at making and keeping social discourse lol. Like, not just suck at it, but suckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk haha. First, not having a phone really makes it hard to make or keep in touch with any friends that a person intends to make. With a lack of a personal device or one of your basic social media accounts, I realized how hard it was to maintain a social network within a very digitally-connected world. Second, I realized that I’m probably a lot more cautious, super-conscious, introverted, and a bit inexperienced than I perhaps originally thought I was. Like, if I was in high school, I recognized that I would probably have been the super-quiet kid who would have had a lot of trouble making friends in class. I then realized that a lot of these previously mentioned personality quirks were probably a part of what was keeping me from fostering more intimate relationships or developing a more leader-driven personality, which sometimes heavily affected my classroom management. I’m not saying I necessarily need to change as a person, but I do believe I need to find ways in which I can become more involved and confident. Ironically, I thought it was interesting to note that a lot of my personality was – though not intentionally – perhaps keeping me from finding that deeper social interaction that I previously mentioned craving.

All that being said, I am fairly proud of how far I’ve come and how much I’ve accomplished this year as a student teacher, especially considering this was my first time taking over a class (3, actually!!) after having never really been inside a high school since I was homeschooled from 7th to 12th grade. I am, however, really proud of how I tried as much as I could to put the students with whom I was working with first, including incorporating their interests and academic needs/desires. I know my experience as a student teacher was not perfect, but I am very glad I got to work through all the challenges that came with and almost die doing it. I’ve also definitely found a bit of who I want to be as a future teacher. I know I want to be someone who is able to successfully make the classroom a place where my students can experience relevant life issues through writing or reading, and if nothing else, that had made this entire experience totally worth it.

... Which brings me to the future of this blog haha. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be as active on Tumblr as I was before :c For one thing, I realized over the course of this year that Tumblr was definitely taking up way too much of my life lol (literally took me hours to get through 24+ hours’ worth of posts, and I was only following like 300 blogs). Being a bit OCD, I don’t like breaking my Tumblr cycle and only shuffling through a random number posts, despite the fact that I can’t be up 24/7 lol; I just don’t like not getting the full picture on everything and acting on/reblogging things without all of the complete info. As a result, I would rather not break my 24/7+ Tumblr cycle than to start it again at all :c Secondly, I’m kind of sad to say that, as of recently, I haven’t been keeping up with K-pop as much as I used to. It’s not that I’ve necessarily lost interest in it (K-pop is still like 85% of what I listen to lol), but I certainly haven’t been keeping up with it as closely as I used to. For instance, I have no idea what’s going on with B1A4 right now, haven’t watched BTS’s new self-made MV for “Spine Breaker,” and haven’t gotten around to watching the last teaser for SEVENTEEN’s upcoming ALONE?? comeback (featuring our wonderful leader S.Coups :p). It’s not that I’ve completely dropped everything K-pop or have become totally disinterested; I still very much keep up with the latest comebacks and listen to whatever piques my interest. It’s just that I don’t know if I want to get so re-invested with all of the details surrounding K-pop again (tbh Tumblr gave me so much info on my favorite K-pop groups; I seriously regret missing all of the amazing shots of my biases’ beautiful faces that I’ve probably missed leol), or maybe I just need a good break from it all before starting again. Most likely, I’d say my small distance from my favorite pastime has mostly happened because I now have more things to do or think about atm haha, and just don’t really have any time right now to enjoy all of the K-dynamics that are happening behind the music. I don’t think I’ll ever give up listening to K-pop anytime soon though; like I’ve said before, I’m still very much keeping up with and enjoying whatever’s coming out right now.

Sooooo at this point, I’m not sure if I want to say I’m on a complete permanent indefinite hiatus yet. I still check Tumblr and my blog everyday – every now and then my dash – so it’s not like I feel like I’ve completely left Tumblr and the K-pop community on here as a whole... just yet :3 I have, however, thought about starting a side-blog that focuses solely on teaching, including my student teaching experience. I’ve also thought about writing some K-pop articles for this blog again... (I still really want to write that “Best K-pop Songs of 2016,” a review of B1A4′s third full LP, and/or similar pieces). Whether either of those musings will come into fruition over this passing summer, I don’t know yet, but I’ll keep you updated on either if I ever do, especially my educationally-focused blog. Aside from those thoughts, I’ve been planning on doing some extensive reading over the summer – with a goal to read a book a week! If any of you are interested and would like to check out what I’m currently reading and/or think about it, you can take a look at my Goodreads account here. Other than that, I’ve just been up to the usual: still practicing driving (hopefully I’ll get my license this summer!!), looking for a job, and chilling by watching some TV/movies :p (literally, when you become a teacher, EVERYTHING YOU WATCH BECOMES A POSSIBLE TEACHING TOOL WHERE YOU WONDER IF/HOW YOU COULD USE IT IN A CLASS HAHA. I’VE BEEN SPENDING MY BREAK WATCHING THE HARRY POTTER MOVIES AND I NOW PAY MORE ATTENTION TO HOW THE TEACHERS REACT TO ALL OF THE KIDS’ SHENANIGANS VS. HOW I WOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE MAIN CHARACTERS AS A KID LOL. I’d really love to be a Professor McGonagall or Snape someday :p). So as far as the current activity of this blog goes, I think I’m going to keep it at “temporary-hiatus-because-I’m-currently-in-a-heavy-transition-period-and-still-am-very-unsure-of-how-this-will-all-pan-out??” That sounds like it’ll do for now. I definitely don’t think I want to distance myself from Tumblr just yet, but at the same time, I don’t believe I’ll be able to be as involved with everything on it as I once was :ccc

Lastly, I’d like to thank everyone who’s stayed with me and this blog so far. With this current announcement, feel free to unfollow this blog if it is no longer what you require in your daily re-bloggin’ life; I completely understand and only wish you the very best~ 🌸 :3 I don’t have a lot of followers as a whole, but I do have a handful of very lovely and precious people that I’ve met on this site; you know who you are~  💖🌠🦄✨👌 Sorry for not keeping in more constant touch; I hope all of you and your beyond-wonderful blogs are doing well~ 💎🌟😊 For those of you who have just joined my blog – WELCOME, and I hope you enjoy your stay~  ❤️ On another note, I should probably get to all those things I was tagged in... if it’s not too late haha. I love y’all and hope nothing but the BEST awaits your future!!~

Snap that was really A LOT more than just a “quickie” update haha. I know that I probably should have updated on everything that’s been happening in my life much sooner, but honestly, I didn’t feel like anything merited me getting too excited about getting through this school year unless I had 100% confirmation that I had passed the $300 test lol (it’s called the edTPA btw, for anyone who might be curious :p). Without passing that test, I probably would have had to spend at least another $100 to re-take some parts of the test, which would have delayed my being able to apply for an eligible teacher’s certificate in my state, which would have dangerously hindered me from being able to teach at all. So thanks for your patience – both for reading this post and sticking around this blog long enough to see me write it :p Hopefully I’ll get a teaching position and figure this all out soon; until then, I’ll definitely keep y’all posted~!! ✨

[olivereliott]

Here’s the new BMW R18, with specs, prices and more

It’s been ten months since BMW Motorrad threw the wraps off the Concept R18 prototype. Today we’re finally getting a clear look at the production cruiser, ending weeks of rampant speculation and spy shots.

The R18 plays on two levels. On one hand, it’s a bid from BMW to tackle the cruiser (ergo, the US) market. On the other, it’s a nod to the boxer motor’s heritage—even more so than the wildly popular R nineT.

The price for the showroom bike will be $17,495 (standard model) or $19,870 (upmarket ‘First Edition’) in the US, and €22,800 in Germany for the ‘First Edition’ only. So the cost of the R18 is on a par with much of Harley’s cruiser range, including the Low Rider S, FXDR and Fat Bob models—plus the Indian Chief.

As expected, the R18 looks good… apart from a few niggles. The images confirm a lot of what we’ve already pieced together from the extensive teaser campaign, and the customs from Custom Works Zon and Revival Cycles. Keen eyes will also spot a number of parts that were already on the two concept bikes that BMW themselves released.

When the first cruiser concept broke cover at the Concorso d’Eleganza last year, BMW design boss Edgar Heinrich cited the iconic 1936 R5 as the R18’s primary design inspiration. The connections are immediately clear; the general line of the frame, the shape of the 16-liter fuel tank, and the classic black paint with white striping. All point to the Bavarian marque’s history.

A closer look reveals some tasty details. The way the swing arm tubes loop around the final drive hub is a clear copy of the R5 design, and so is the exposed drive shaft. Even the valve covers mimic the basic form of those on the R5, as do the fishtail tips on the exhausts. And, just like back in the day, the roundels on the tank are screwed on rather than stuck on.

The 49 mm front forks are wrapped in period correct fork covers, while the rear shock is completely hidden within the frame architecture. The R18 gets spoked wheels too; 3.5 x 19” in the front, and 5.0 x 16” out back. The front brake setup features twin 300 mm discs, and there’s a single 300 mm disc at the rear.

Thanks to the sheer mass of the motor, the R18 is a physically large bike, with a wheelbase of 1,731 mm. At just over 68 inches, that’s almost two inches longer than the current Honda Gold Wing.

It’s porky too, with a curb weight of 750 pounds (345 kilos). Sure, it is a cruiser, but that wet weight figure is 51 pounds more than a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy… and that’s saying something. On the upside, it’s 18 pounds less than Indian claims for a fully fueled Chief Dark Horse.

The weight probably won’t deter hardcore cruiser fans or larger riders, and the engine itself is attractive. It’s the biggest boxer BMW have ever made, with a capacity of 1,802 cc. It’s also clearly tuned for cruising: at 91 hp (67 kW) it makes less power than the 110 hp (82 kW) R nineT.

The R18 mill makes over 50% more torque than the R nineT though, with 116 ft-lb peaking at 3,000 rpm. Most of that torque is available as a thick slab of grunt between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm, making it comparable to the 109 ft-lb pumped out by the Fat Boy’s Milwaukee-Eight 107 and the 119 ft-lb of the Indian Chief.

The top speed is 112 mph (180 kph)—which suggests it’s electronically limited—and BMW is quoting a 0-62 mph figure of 4.8 seconds.

The air- and oil-cooled motor uses BMW’s modern four-valve design, but also has a throwback overhead valve drive with two camshafts per cylinder. The crankshaft has an additional bearing at the center, to help control vibration. It’s also worth noting that the motor, air box and six-speed transmission weigh 244 pounds (110.8 kilos) collectively.

BMW have crammed in a few useful rider aids too. ABS and switchable automatic stability control are standard, as are three flickable riding modes: Rain, Roll and Rock (groan). There’s also ‘MSR’—an electronically controlled anti-slip feature to prevent skids under heavy acceleration or over-enthusiastic downshifts. Heated grips and hill start assist will be available as optional extras, along with a reverse gear, driven by an electric motor.

But despite the tech, and aside from the decidedly modern-looking oil cooler, there are hardly any superfluous bits and pieces cluttering the layout. Having to meet regulations tends to ruin perfectly good concepts, but BMW have done an admirable job with the R18.

The side covers and extended rear fender are well executed, and we can even live with the chrome-covered air box intakes. But that bulbous fishtail exhaust, which has undoubtedly swollen to accommodate emissions control things, is borderline comical.

We also miss the lower headlight and narrower bars of the Concept R18, which have given way to a high, wide and mostly chrome arrangement. Admittedly, it looks like a comfortable setup for anyone looking for a cruiser, especially when paired with a relatively low 690 mm seat height.

But those specific riders might not get along with the BMW’s foot peg placement. With two big cylinder heads sticking out, fitting forward pegs is impossible. BMW say that the ‘laid back’ setup is optimized for comfort and control. But even though they’re technically correct, it could be a deal breaker for some customers.

Kudos to BMW for a neat cockpit though; there might be a lot of chrome, but all the wiring runs inside the handlebars, and even smaller parts like the handlebar clamps look great. The speedo’s a mostly analog affair, with a small digital display. And there’s LED lighting all around, with the rear turn signals double up as taillights, neatening things up more.

As with the R nineT, BMW are hoping customers will customize the R18. So they’ve made certain parts modular. The rear fender struts are removable, and the valve cover and engine breastplate can be swapped out without needing an oil change. And the hydraulic lines and handlebar wires are all plug and play.

There’s already an extensive catalog of bolt-on parts, including offerings from partners Roland Sands Design, Vance & Hines, and Mustang Seats. Some of the more whack options include ape hangers [above], and a bizarre front turn signal setup that resembles a mini handlebar, with LED signals in the shape of bar-end mirrors.

But there are also various handlebar and luggage options, and some slick machined parts. Plus there’s a 21” front wheel option, if that’s your thing.

One customized example [below] shows exposed forks, lower handlebars and a seat that’s a dead ringer for the vintage Denfeld unit. Along with a slim rear fender that hugs the wheel, and a side-mounted plate bracket, it’s a stunning example of the R18’s potential—and a step closer to the look of the R5.

BMW will be selling the R18 as a limited ‘First Edition’ initially (some markets will get a standard version too). It gets metallic paint, more chromed bits and extra trim. But it also comes with an owner’s box that includes period correct roundels with brass lettering, brass screws, a screwdriver and a pair of gloves for assembly.

We reckon that’s a nice touch—and there’s a book about BMW Motorrad’s 100-year history in there too.

Interview: Edgar Heinrich, BMW Motorrad Head of Design

In today’s regulated world, building a modern cruiser that’s also a homage to a legendary vintage bike is a challenging prospect. So we pitched a few burning questions at Edgar Heinrich [above] to get his take on the R18’s design.

Bike EXIF: Help clear this up for our readers: the R18 was 100% completed before you handed it over to CW Zon and Revival Cycles to customize, and before Unique Custom Cycles began work on the Concept R18 and Concept R18 /2, right?

Edgar Heinrich: “To develop an all-new bike, including a brand-new engine, takes more than four years. So when the four concept bikes were revealed, the series production bike was already on its way onto the production line.”

“The concepts were very important milestones: they helped prepare the storyline, and they provided indispensable feedback to the development team from potential customers. Most importantly was the fact that the overwhelmingly positive feedback gave us confidence and security in our quest of entering new territory.”

Was there room for the concept and custom bikes to have an impact on the final product, or was it pretty much locked down?

“The feedback was important and highly appreciated, but the basics had been cast in form long before the concept bikes became public.”

“We were curious as to how a big boxer would be perceived in the custom scene. CW ZON did an amazing job with the first custom—even beyond expectations by winning Best of Show at Mooneyes. So did Revival Cycles, by staging this monumental engine within a fragile-looking titanium frame. The customizers had free rein with their creations, and they couldn’t have done it any better!”

“Unique Custom Cycles played a significant role, as Ronna Norèn is a long-time friend and was there all along the R18’s development. He provided input and advice during the creation process, being a renowned specialist in the cruiser field. The Concept R18 was executed by UCC, yet designed by the BMW Motorrad design team in Munich.”

There are shades of the historic R5 here, but this is specifically designed as a bigger, more heavy-duty cruiser. Do you think that BMW’s classic style translates well into a cruiser style, or were there challenges here?

“It’s obvious that we dove into our history here. I think before the R nineT family, this legacy had been neglected. In the old days, there were no segments or such differentiators; there were only ‘naked bikes,’ as we would define them today.”

“We believe that a contemporary cruiser is about pure riding pleasure, about simplicity and reduction, and less about performance.”

“Hence, linking this with our legacy of the R5 from 1936 is obvious, restoring those clean and perfect proportions, visual purity, honest materials; but also interpreting this unique architecture with the transverse flat twin engine, clutch, gear box, and the shaft drive aligned with the bevel-gear final drive, resting in the double loop frame. As it used to be in previous times.”

“Altering one part would mean altering the whole concept. This set-up is unique, technically and visually absolutely beautiful, and it connects effortlessly with our heritage. My friend Ola [Stenegärdl used to say: ‘Today it is easy to make things complicated, but is very difficult to keep things simple.’ Spot on!”

Whenever a manufacturer releases such an impactful prototype, and then a production bike later, there are inevitably gripes about how the production model doesn’t look like the prototype…

“Very true! A concept’s nature is to elevate the character and emotion of the standard product. That’s a bit of a curse, too. The focus lies on finding the right balance between raising emotions and curiosity, yet not disappointing when unveiling the series production bike.”

“As for the R18, I think we were lucky, by having the main components already finished for production: engine, frame, swing arm, tank, etcetera. We just had to add custom fenders, forks, and other, smaller components—always being aware to preserve the basic character of the bike. But the core was all there.”

In general, what were your biggest design challenges?

“The biggest challenge was the clean look of the bike. But this is a general problem when developing a modern naked bike: how to avoid the clutter of wires, cables, sensors and black boxes on a possibly small bike without a big fairing?”

“In terms of homologation, you need all these electronics. Stripping down a modern bike is pretty scary; sometimes you hardly see the engine from the harness.”

“This super clean look of the engine was hard to achieve. Engineers design an engine from the inside out, which is the normal procedure if you need to achieve a state-of-the-art motor with all the emission, noise and performance requirements. But a high-tech, visually cluttered and potentially brutal looking engine was not something we had in mind.”

“Technically superior solutions might not always be the best choice—which is a sometimes hard to understand for a company most renowned for innovation and technology. It was an intense development process, sometimes it took tough decisions, there were arguments and controversy, but eventually the team of engineers and designers grew together during the process and learned from each other.”

We know that the exposed shaft-drive is a nod to BMW’s history, as are the screw-on badges. Are there any other details that you are particularly proud of?

“If you take a close look, you will spot many more details crafted with passion and emotion. The tank filler cap, the speedo gauge with beautiful detailing, the fluid reservoirs and hand controls, the brake calipers, the seat fixings, the fishtail… all these components are made for the R18 only. Function-wise, we could have taken these from the shelf—but we wanted more.”

“The screw-on badges are also kind of special. According to our corporate rules, we could not use the old-style letters and had to take the modern badge, but by screw-fixing we can offer the stylish heritage badge as an extra.”

“As for the open running shaft drive, we are very proud we achieved that super clean look. There were concerns if it would be possible at all, but eventually with dedication, hard work and extensive testing it turned into reality.”

BMW haven’t given us an exact date, but say the R18 will be available in Europe and the USA around autumn of this year.

The real question is, who is it for? Will it entice owners away from other cruiser brands, even though cruiser sales worldwide are suffering? Or will it fill a heritage-shaped hole in the hearts of existing BMW customers?

Only time will tell.

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