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Future R18 owner

  • <i class="fa--xf fal fa-check "><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" role="img" aria-hidden="true" ><use href="/data/local/icons/light.svg?v=1758297946#check"></use></svg></i> Discussion starter Discussion starter goman
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Hi Goman. Got some skin in this game. Had mine 4 months now and have been able to start using it properly now that the weather is much better here in the UK. (I had a R18FE for 2 1/2 years before it so know the bikes pretty well).

Roctane IMHO does ride well, plush firm I’d call it, the larger wheels (21/19) do make a big difference to slow speed cornering (over the FE) and I haven’t yet come close to even dragging a peg. Riding position is similar, as you would expect, I really don’t have any issue with the mid pegs, I have owned a HD with forward controls in the past and I couldn’t get on with it. Guess it’s what you are used to and what you want.

Now to the elephant in my room. The heel & toe. Never used one ever before and tbh at first wasn’t that keen. It seemed awkward and I kept having to look where to put my left foot because unlike a foot peg that holds your foot in a fixed position with footboards you can float your feet all over the place. You can adjust the foot peg levers quite a bit to get your foot under there and I did try just using only the front of the gear lever (not using the heel peg) for a bit like a normal bike BUT it wasn’t really ideal and after about 250 miles I started to get more comfortable generally on the bike and felt relaxed enough to have another proper go.

I’m now over 400 miles and I’d say I use the heel & toe probably 95% of the time and actually quite like it. I’ve got some muscle memory going now and hardly ever have to look down at my left foot. It sort of suits the bike, a big cruiser. Mines booked in for 1st service in a fortnight so I’ve got just a few more miles to put on before then.

I deffo wouldn’t buy blind without a decent test ride though. IMHO the R18 isn’t an easy bike to just jump on and get the best out of it. I’ve had a few other BMW’s myself in the past (R850R, K1100LT, RnineT) but the R18 needs a different mindset and it’s why I think some people just don’t get on with them.

Gearing is very tall (60mph at 2150rpm in top) and it’s a very low revving engine so short shift it and operate the engine in the sweet spot (say 1800-3200 rpm’s) because if you try to ride it like a normal bike and rev it out or hold onto low gears with the engine spinning hard it’s will vibrate like a jack hammer. Get it right and it’s silky smooth. You’ll know what I mean if/when you ride one.

I’m very happy with mine, really like it and if there’s anything specific you want to know PM me. Hope this helps 👍
 
Rufus said:
Hi Goman. Got some skin in this game. Had mine 4 months now and have been able to start using it properly now that the weather is much better here in the UK. (I had a R18FE for 2 1/2 years before it so know the bikes pretty well).

Roctane IMHO does ride well, plush firm I’d call it, the larger wheels (21/19) do make a big difference to slow speed cornering (over the FE) and I haven’t yet come close to even dragging a peg. Riding position is similar, as you would expect, I really don’t have any issue with the mid pegs, I have owned a HD with forward controls in the past and I couldn’t get on with it. Guess it’s what you are used to and what you want.

Now to the elephant in my room. The heel & toe. Never used one ever before and tbh at first wasn’t that keen. It seemed awkward and I kept having to look where to put my left foot because unlike a foot peg that holds your foot in a fixed position with footboards you can float your feet all over the place. You can adjust the foot peg levers quite a bit to get your foot under there and I did try just using only the front of the gear lever (not using the heel peg) for a bit like a normal bike BUT it wasn’t really ideal and after about 250 miles I started to get more comfortable generally on the bike and felt relaxed enough to have another proper go.

I’m now over 400 miles and I’d say I use the heel & toe probably 95% of the time and actually quite like it. I’ve got some muscle memory going now and hardly ever have to look down at my left foot. It sort of suits the bike, a big cruiser. Mines booked in for 1st service in a fortnight so I’ve got just a few more miles to put on before then.

I deffo wouldn’t buy blind without a decent test ride though. IMHO the R18 isn’t an easy bike to just jump on and get the best out of it. I’ve had a few other BMW’s myself in the past (R850R, K1100LT, RnineT) but the R18 needs a different mindset and it’s why I think some people just don’t get on with them.

Gearing is very tall (60mph at 2150rpm in top) and it’s a very low revving engine so short shift it and operate the engine in the sweet spot (say 1800-3200 rpm’s) because if you try to ride it like a normal bike and rev it out or hold onto low gears with the engine spinning hard it’s will vibrate like a jack hammer. Get it right and it’s silky smooth. You’ll know what I mean if/when you ride one.

I’m very happy with mine, really like it and if there’s anything specific you want to know PM me. Hope this helps 👍
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All good information, thanks. I believe my mind is right for this bike. Looking to slow done for some typical day rides I take after moving out of the city of Austin. A lot of fairly straight roads for some common destinations. Always have the RT for multi-day or some twisty stuff in the Texas hill country or the GS (needs serious work though) for rough back roads. My RS is now more for show though I keep it up and running.

Curious as to what speed you find as the sweet spot in top gear for extended periods. Every bike I've owned seems to settle into some maximum speed where you just can go and go without any annoying vibration/turbulence.

I suspect I will replace the stock seat but who knows. My wife will not be riding with me on it. She rarely rides pillion at all but we'd be on the RT anyway. So an issue with the seat I'm confident would get rectified. Has anyone mentioned that the hommage seat has been superseded by another "komfortsitzbank" seat? (part# 77345A7E240 supersedes 77 34 2 469 411 in the parts fiche)

Anyway, I've got to get to the dealer for the shaft drive replacement issue for the R1200/1250 series soon and will get a chance to move forward on this quest.
 
goman said:
All good information, thanks. I believe my mind is right for this bike. Looking to slow done for some typical day rides I take after moving out of the city of Austin. A lot of fairly straight roads for some common destinations. Always have the RT for multi-day or some twisty stuff in the Texas hill country or the GS (needs serious work though) for rough back roads. My RS is now more for show though I keep it up and running.

Curious as to what speed you find as the sweet spot in top gear for extended periods. Every bike I've owned seems to settle into some maximum speed where you just can go and go without any annoying vibration/turbulence.

I suspect I will replace the stock seat but who knows. My wife will not be riding with me on it. She rarely rides pillion at all but we'd be on the RT anyway. So an issue with the seat I'm confident would get rectified. Has anyone mentioned that the hommage seat has been superseded by another "komfortsitzbank" seat? (part# 77345A7E240 supersedes 77 34 2 469 411 in the parts fiche)

Anyway, I've got to get to the dealer for the shaft drive replacement issue for the R1200/1250 series soon and will get a chance to move forward on this quest.
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Hook Em Horns...!!
 
goman said:
All good information, thanks. I believe my mind is right for this bike. Looking to slow done for some typical day rides I take after moving out of the city of Austin. A lot of fairly straight roads for some common destinations. Always have the RT for multi-day or some twisty stuff in the Texas hill country or the GS (needs serious work though) for rough back roads. My RS is now more for show though I keep it up and running.

Curious as to what speed you find as the sweet spot in top gear for extended periods. Every bike I've owned seems to settle into some maximum speed where you just can go and go without any annoying vibration/turbulence.

I suspect I will replace the stock seat but who knows. My wife will not be riding with me on it. She rarely rides pillion at all but we'd be on the RT anyway. So an issue with the seat I'm confident would get rectified. Has anyone mentioned that the hommage seat has been superseded by another "komfortsitzbank" seat? (part# 77345A7E240 supersedes 77 34 2 469 411 in the parts fiche)

Anyway, I've got to get to the dealer for the shaft drive replacement issue for the R1200/1250 series soon and will get a chance to move forward on this quest.
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Very personal on the cruising speed, personally I like 60mph ish because it’s effortless and wind pressure is generally ok at that sort of speed unless you are right into a headwind. Then it’s hard work.

The bike can and will go a lot faster (limited to about 112mph anyway) but you’d have to be an absolute masochist to try that for long, there is no way to hide from the wind, if you want to do sustained high speeds then the other R18 variants like the Classic, B and TC would obviously be a lot better because of the various fairings.

Gearing is so tall that you can always find a gear to keep the engine in the sweet range, it’s only when you hang onto one gear and rev it high that it gets unpleasant, and by high I mean into the 4000rpms and above zone. You soon realise there’s no point riding hard like that, it’s got no top end to speak of, it’s not weak or anything but you are wasting your time really. That’s my thoughts anyway.
 
Cruise control set at 72 mph on the interstate is about 2650 rpms and approximately 45 mpg. You feel the engine but not enough to get numb due to vibration. Been commuting 1 hour 20 minutes each way on my classic since March and I’m very surprised at what a nice commuter it is. Lovely bikes all around. Pic for reference.
 

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Finally got a test ride on an '25 Roctane. I'm 6' 1" and found the seating position pretty good. Had to keep remembering to move my feet forward to cover the floor boards. Took a few tries up shifting hunting around for the shifter but I think this would quickly become second nature.

Anyway got down to discussing purchase. There was one in stock for the region that had my options but there weren't any incentives, only for `24 models. Anyway I said I'll wait until there are. While the `25 improvements may be minor, I wants what I wants. We're entering the "off season" here in Texas and I have 2 bikes on the road and another to work on so I can wait. But it really was fun test ride.
 
goman said:
Finally got a test ride on an '25 Roctane. I'm 6' 1" and found the seating position pretty good. Had to keep remembering to move my feet forward to cover the floor boards. Took a few tries up shifting hunting around for the shifter but I think this would quickly become second nature.

Anyway got down to discussing purchase. There was one in stock for the region that had my options but there weren't any incentives, only for `24 models. Anyway I said I'll wait until there are. While the `25 improvements may be minor, I wants what I wants. We're entering the "off season" here in Texas and I have 2 bikes on the road and another to work on so I can wait. But it really was fun test ride.
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Hands down... The ROCTANE is the best looking R18 model off the showroom floor within the Heritage lineup...
 
I do not regret my purchase of my Roctane. I'm also from Texas, the member above is right on trying to do high speeds without a windshield.

I love the bike, the engine and have gotten used to the mid controls (your able to adjust the front lever at the peg itself and I'm able to shift it like a normal bike)

Overall love it as I love the look of the road king but wanted something different.

This is a piece of jewelry on wheels.
 

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