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GreenPatrol

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Hi all - I don’t currently have an R18, but it’s a future possibility. I’ve been riding a Goldwing GL1800 since 2011, and a Ural sidecar since 2017. Actually two Urals at the moment, till I sell the older one. I’m 62 and like to ride 2 up on the Wing with my wife on trips every year. As much as I like heading into the mountains on 2 wheels, I’m finding I’m also quite enjoying my sidecar, but realistically, a Ural is not ideal for the highway travel we need to do to get anywhere interesting to ride. So one thought I’ve had is to get a rig with enough oomph for long hauls on the freeway. One possibility would be to put a sidecar on my current ‘06 Wing. The big advantages there would be that I already own the Wing, and also that I’m already very familiar with it mechanically (I do my own wrenching). Downside is I’ve had the bike for a long time and something new would just be nice. Plus I haven’t seen too many Wings of this vintage with sidecars that I find overly attractive.

I’ve been quite struck by the looks of the R18’s since they came out, and from the YouTube reviews I’ve seen, they seem like a good candidate to add a hack for touring. Ample power, reverse, shaft drive (just a preference, not a requirement for a sidecar). I’ve seen few pics of R18’s with Hannigan Heritage sidecars and I think they look awesome, but I haven’t seen any thorough reviews. I’ve had a quick look on this site and haven’t found too much info regarding sidecars, but that may well be due to my lack of search skills.

Anyway, the two things I’m hoping to ascertain from this forum are:

a) what’s the ownership experience of R18 owners over the long term? I’m coming from owning a Goldwing which is ultra-reliable and not too difficult to work on for regular maintenance (tedious, yes, but not difficult). They also have the reputation for crazy longevity; not that I’ll ever be able to wear out any bike I buy. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m also used to my Urals which are kind of the opposite of the Wing with regard to longevity and reliability, but even easier to work on. Given that spectrum, where would an R18 fall? Closer to the Wing, I imagine?

b) is there anyone here who’s had a R18 with a sidecar and done a review? Or has anyone come across a good review for a hacked R18?

Cheers all.
 
Morning. There must be R18 owners with sidecar on the forum, just depends when they check in next really to offer informed opinion. I had a Gen6 Wing (non tour) a couple of years ago. Enjoyed it for a while but didn’t keep it long. It was a symphony of plastic and I was ever so slightly disappointed with it really. Anyway, It’s too early to compare longevity with the Gen5 Wing because the R18 platform has been around only a few years, however, the engine has been rated as one of the most understressed available and I’ll use the word ‘ bombproof ‘ so the prognosis is good.

The higher spec bikes (B and TC) have a lot more tech, are much more comfortable than mine so owners of those will have to fill in the gaps for you. Personally I think they look stunning, spectacular even, but I don’t need or want a bike that big.

The TC is the version closest to your Wing so I would suggest a test ride is a must before doing anything else. The seating position is going to be similar but that’s where it ends for me. The engines are so different for a start. Like every Honda you can just jump on and ride but maybe they do lack a bit of character, whereas I think the R18 needs more time and effort/patience to bond with and get the best from but once you get there it’s really rather lovely.
 
Good morning and welcome to the forum. I believe there are 2 or 3 members in this forum based in NAM who has fitted sidecars to their bikes. Do a quick search on the search function by typing Sidecar and I am sure you will see a few posts in there. Because your intended use and since you travel with your wife, if I were you I would concentrate on the Transcontinental (TC for short ) and the reason for this is because the TC will be the comfiest of all the R18 and has the rear seat and trunk. If however, she will be the sidecar passenger, then your opinions opens up further and consider other R18 models.
Like Rufus pointed out, the bikes are new to the market but so far, apart from an electric quirk my bike has regarding the SOS call, she has been absolutely fantastic. Certainly has the heart and soul to go long distances, the engine has a ton of character, not to mention the omphh and all the modern technology you would expect from top end machines.
With a proper maintenance schedule there is no reason why the engine and the bike won’t last for years to come and if you are good with tools , there are lots of post here on how to do your own service etc. BMW does not produce a service manual in case you were looking for it 🫣
Anyway, best of luck with your search and I hope you find what you are looking for.
 
Welcome GP. As said, you'd be looking at the TC model. The tech concerns me as it's more to go wrong, but no massive issues are known currently but I believe that North America as a whole has a stop on sales at the moment due to a potentially failing adaptive headlight, but that may not extend into Canada. I'm a new TC owner (21 model) but I have ridden BMWs for a few years now.

These use the "old" oil cooled technology which the BM touring bikes ceased using in 2014, so it is is tried and tested and was in use for multiple decades before going liquid cooled. Old oil cooled BMs are perfectly capable of doing 100s of 1000s of miles (km for you of course) and were extensively used by the police world wide with some still in service over a decade after the oil cooled RTs stopped being built. Working on the R18 appears to be quite simple, with service intervals of 6k mls (10k km) which include a valve check and adjustment every time BUT is nice and easy to do and uses the old lock nuts instead of shims. The remainder of the servicing seems very easy to deal with.

The handling is good but boat like and the vibrations are nothing that a Ural owner will find unpleasant, in fact it makes me giggle. It is different and attracts attention. At a bike cafe at the weekend of the 200 or so bikes around there, many people were looking at my TC and were complimentary. The H-D riders were a bit huffy :)
 
GP welcome. I have own a TC for the past year and I love it. I have own 2 Kawa 1700, 1 Goldwing and this is the icing on the cake. I have a friend who owns the same bike and has installed a side car, I am not sure the brand, but he loves it. I strongly recommend the BMW R18. The only change I am maing this summer is to get my seat padded. Buying a new BMW seat is out of reach for me.

Am from Ottawa
 
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