BMW R18 Series

DuckRyder

DuckRyder

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Not sure how I missed this:



In addition to the R18B and R18 Transcontinental, there is the R18 and R18 Classic

Worth a look for sure... first one with decent looking pipes for the R18 will make a mint. Name them something german sounding...
 
DOA. Both my local BMW dealers have the same ones in stock from when they were introduced onto the market. The cruiser market is way down from years past.
 
Finklejag said:
DOA. Both my local BMW dealers have the same ones in stock from when they were introduced onto the market. The cruiser market is way down from years past.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised, maybe i'm not the only one their hipster marketing campaign missed.

troop said:
Sorry ... ugly bike
Click to expand...

I think the R18B is very handsome, particularly the "first edition" black with pinstripes.

It is gonna be kinda hard to out Street Glide a Street Glide though...

If I get a chance to ride an R18B, I certainly will, it is bound to be good.
 
The boxer engine always intrigued me, for decades since I was a kid. Im glad to see a full line from BMW = competition for Harley and Indian, though they are all priced similar.
Im without question a touring frame guy but not a fairing person. So I would vote to ride the R18 Classic. Though it looks like HD is the bargain with the Road King. Weight is also a concern with these monster touring bikes but I can see the R18 Classic and Road King are about the same.

I have been at times tempted by fairings for a "change" without seeing the BMW in person it wouldnt be fair to say this but I think I would be more tempted by Harley because of price and I would go for a more stripped down fairing bike which Hd offers the "standard". Ill admit I am the odd man out on this. Man I just want the lightest touring bike in a family of touring bikes AKA Road King, R18 Classic and Indian Springfield.

AS far as the bikes in the OP. Im not turned on by tons of electronics on a bike, I use the bike to get away from it all so the fairing displays mean nothing to me, The color choice is a turn off for me as well, that would be a lot of money to look at a bike I wouldnt enjoy looking at.

There maybe one more concern as far as a long range cruiser on the BMW, a 1500 mile test by one mentions the jugs in the way to stretch out your legs though I am sure anything is fixable and I guess I will never own a bike over $30,000 never mind a stripped down version over $23,000 ... maybe I am just getting old :( but I look at the R18 Transcontinental and like any $30,000 bike I guess, I just see a bike that is gordy, fat and heavy.
At least in the photos. Now it would be a different story for me if side by side were the R18 Classic, Road King Standard and Indian Springfield. Its amazes me that the Harley is priced almost lower them them all, though you will be able to discount the others I am sure.
I am sure I am not the person BMW is marketing the Transcontinental too... *L*
 
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The music, the black bikes, the fairings, the bags, all scream “we’re looking at you Harley”……..with the narrator sporting rolled up jeans and brown Brogans! :unsure: Though giving the specs out in kilowatts and Newton meters and the narrator is speaking English, this production could not have been aimed at the American market! BMW vs Harley….take two.🎬
 
blueglide88 said:
Revzilla isn't impressed

www.revzilla.com

2021 BMW R 18 vs. 2021 Harley Davidson Softail Slim: Battle of the big twins - RevZilla

BMW built the R 18 cruiser to take on Harley Davidson's Softail Slim. Did it succeed? We rode the two together to find out.
www.revzilla.com www.revzilla.com
Click to expand...
WOW,
Great post!
Im kind of ignorant when it comes to other manufacturers models. I thought, wrongly the R18 Classic was just a Transcontinental without the fairing when I saw the new BMWs all lined up in a row, much like Harleys Road King VS Electra Glide VS Road Glide Ultra and Street Glide Ultra.
I couldn't be more wrong. I expected the R18 to be compared to the Road King as the Road King is about the same weight. But now I can see I was confusing it with the R18B?
Oh well, very informative post, not very impressive comments on the R18 from Revzilla and I suspect that is going to be repeated from others. Certainly would make one want a Softail!
Granted doesnt have to do with the Transcontinental but have a feeling is going to be another "fail" for BMW.
Not. knowing much, to me, it seems Indian is the closest competitor to Harley.
 
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Even the Japanese companies have flops. Look at the Honda VFR1200X. One of my local Honda dealers still has eleven 2017’s in stock.
 
The BMWMOA national rally will be in Springfield MO this year. So if you are interested, you can attend and probably get to talk to some owners and maybe score a test ride if BMW cooperates ad brings bikes this year test rides are always in short supply, so please only if actually interested, not just curious.

Rod
 
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Finklejag said:
My local dealer has them marked down $7000. The R18 is a flop!
Click to expand...
About 20 years too late. Apparently the Harley demographic in Europe is a lot younger than the demographic in the US.

There's a great review of it in todays WSJ.


"...
In its comfy riding posture (floorboards, rocker shifter), its chuffing power delivery, its glinting presence, the Conti is undeniably Milwaukee-adjacent. But there are intriguing differences. Harleys have V-twin engines, with the crankshaft oriented east-west. The BMW, hewing to company tradition, uses a horizontally opposed “boxer” engine, with its forged steel crankshaft oriented north-south (longitudinally), and with the big silver-metallic cylinder heads jutting out to the sides, like a boss.

The arrangement has one fairly startling dynamical effect. When sitting at a stop, if you rev the enormous engine hard from idle, the momentary gyroscopic precession of the crankshaft is sufficient to pitch the bike sideways along a force vector of surprising magnitude—like a 30-knot crosswind with your name on it. Whoooaaa, bike! Was die scheisse!..."

I particularly love this piece,

"..If the R 18 Transcontinental wanted to shed a few pounds, it could lose the Marshall audio system. Those things are so rude. Riders cannot hear the music at cruising speed, over the engine and through a helmet, even with the volume at 11. However, others can, for miles around, as your classic-rock playlist spreads across the landscape in Doppler-shifted rings of jackassery..."
 
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