![]() Those not familiar with the marque’s history will like it just because it’s so big and cool. True BMW history buffs will appreciate the R 18 because of all the cues it takes from the R 23 of almost 100 years ago. But it’s not as ungainly on a mountain road as, say, a Honda Goldwing or the Harley equivalent. On the road it’s most comfortable in sixth gear at 80 mph going in a straight line. Outside of those engine speeds the big twin shakes too much. The smooth operation of the flat-twin seems to be in a narrow band between 30 rpm. The result is that you don’t shift by tach, or by sound, but by vibration. There is a tachometer, but it is a tiny LED numerical readout on the single round speedo gauge and it’s hard to see. The big flat-twin really shakes things up when it starts, but also when you’re leaned over, powering out of a corner. But it is noticeable, particularly in throttle response. The difference isn’t huge, not like the equivalent differences in ride modes you’ll feel on a typical sport bike or sport tourer. I switched back and forth between Rock and Roll on my ride through some twisty mountain two-lanes. Roll is the default setting, it’s like Comfort. It has three ride modes: Rock, Roll, and Rain. So if you test-ride one at your BMW dealership, keep that in mind. When you first get on it and ride off, it’ll feel every one of its 761 pounds. You get used to the big and heavy part after a little recalibrating of your brain and you pretty quickly appreciate the power and torque. I got to ride it for an afternoon and I can tell you, oh man, it is big and heavy, but it’s also loaded with power and torque. They still want a stylish and handsome cruiser, but not all of them insist it be a Harley or an Indian, BMW says. Interestingly, Indian registrations are up 20.1%, which tells you a lot about how the shift to alternative brands in this space is progressing.”īuyers who are less brand-loyal are coming in. “Their registration counts are down 19.2%. market is currently 36.6%, down from 42.3% from the same timeframe last year (August YTD),” said BMW product planner Vinny Kung. “The big cruiser market is a very big chunk of the big cake,” said R 18 designer Edgar Heinrich.īut the cake is being eaten and everyone wants a bite. The idea with the R 18 was to compete with the mighty sales juggernaut of Harley-Davidson in the cruiser segment, where Harley has dominated American buyers for seemingly ever. Pricing starts at a very reasonable $16,640 including destination but can easily clear 20k with a few options. That 1802cc flat twin (!!!) puts out 91 hp and 116 lb-ft of torque, more than enough to move the bike’s 761 pounds of curb weight. The R 18 harkens back to the very roots of BMW Motorrad and the 1923 R 23, from which the R 18 gets its basic shape, flat-twin engine configuration, and even shaft drive.īut it’s all modernized. ![]() There is no more retro a motorcycle than this R 18 anywhere on this page, and probably anywhere in the world. So read on, fellow bikers, and see if nostalgia really is better the second time around. Now we can buy a motorcycle that looks mostly like whatever we had or wanted back then and find that this one starts every time, handles safely, and never catches on fire. But now that we are all successful businessmen/women/doctors/lawyers/cartel kingpins, we can afford to recapture that youth that slipped away. Sure, it wasn’t true-we all had acne, no money, and half the time that car/bike/board wasn’t working for one reason or another. ![]() And at that time, we owned a car or a motorcycle or a skateboard that was the main delivery vehicle of all those good times. But I think we all look back to whatever the hell it is we did in high school and see our younger selves as some kind of superhumans, who had the most fun we would ever have in our soon-to-be-dull-and-responsible lives. Why is nostalgia such a powerful draw? Who knows? I’m a script-writer not a psychiatrist. All you have to do is pick the particular era of yesteryear that appeals to you and voila, there will be a bike waiting for you. If you yearn for the classic bikes of yesteryear, but don’t like carburetors and kick starters, there is a fleet of motorcycles in almost every showroom right now waiting for you.
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