New R18TC in South Carolina

R

RhoXS

Member
Visit site
Hi! I'm a new owner of a 2023 R18TC. I've been riding for about 47 years. My previous rides include a Honda XL250, a Suzuki RE-5 (look that one up!), a couple of Kawasaki Vulcans, a Victory V92TC and a Victory Vision (best long distance touring cruiser bar none).
While the R18TC is a beautiful motorcycle and I really enjoy riding it, I'm finding out that it's not exactly what I thought it was...a long distance tourer. The Victory set a very high bar for comfort. I think the TC is more akin to a bagger with a trunk, most of which are more about looks and less about touring.
That said, I'm coming to appreciate the TC for what it is and it is fun getting attention at the local watering holes ;)
Looking forward to sharing ideas and experiences
 
Welcome! Similar rides from long ago, several SL Hondas (100, 125 and 250), Vic Cross Roads and I didn't need to look up the RE-5 as I worked for a Suzuki and Maico Dealership when they came out, very cool motorcycle for sure!!

The Victory offerings are great bikes and I still haven't forgiven Polaris for the way they put a bullet in the back of the Brand's head. I had mine for about 1.5 years and put approximately 45,000 miles on her and my friend still has his Cross Roads Tourer with 120,000 on it that outside regular servicing has only needed a clutch cable and the starter was changed under warranty as it was dragging a bit. He keeps that as his wife really likes the pillion comfort best and he rides solo on his Vision putting crazy miles on it too. That all said, I compared my R18 directly to the Cross bikes and there are standards that Vic is superior in and also the R18 has benefits over the Vic as it should being so many years newer.

While you may ultimately not find the bike to be your tourer of choice I would first get to know her before pulling the plug. In my experience I wouldn't sell the R18 short on touring, but also as a great motorcycle for riding on our lovely Appalachian Mountains roads. One of the best things about the Victory was how good it was as a motorcycle, not as a bagger or tourer or whatever, just a very good handling and performing motorcycle and the R18 platform is all that and a bit more. My R18 Classic doesn't have the touring goodies your TC has, but I can say as I approach my 18,000 service it has performed flawlessly, is more like a Roadster/Standard on our back country roads than any "Bagger" and I have completed my first Cross Country run with a great mix of roads and weather from the Cascades, Rockies, plenty of corn fields and even a visit to the Ozarks added into the mix. Day in, day out, no oil use, great mileage, flawless performance and the only upgrade was the optional "weekender" seat and running a comfortable pace 500-600 miles per day. Had the bike serviced in NC before I left and again in WA before headed home. Dealers were easy to schedule with and certainly one could easily do their own oil change at home or during travels if they choose to.

Best of luck with her!
 
Last edited:
BobW said:
Welcome! Similar rides from long ago, several SL Hondas (100, 125 and 250), Vic Cross Roads and I didn't need to look up the RE-5 as I worked for a Suzuki and Maico Dealership when they came out, very cool motorcycle for sure!!

The Victory offerings are great bikes and I still haven't forgiven Polaris for the way they put a bullet in the back of the Brand's head. I had mine for about 1.5 years and put approximately 45,000 miles on her and my friend still has his Cross Roads Tourer with 120,000 on it that outside regular servicing has only needed a clutch cable and the starter was changed under warranty as it was dragging a bit. He keeps that as his wife really likes the pillion comfort best and he rides solo on his Vision putting crazy miles on it too. That all said, I compared my R18 directly to the Cross bikes and there are standards that Vic is superior in and also the R18 has benefits over the Vic as it should being so many years newer.

While you may ultimately not find the bike to be your tourer of choice I would first get to know her before pulling the plug. In my experience I wouldn't sell the R18 short on touring, but also as a great motorcycle for riding on our lovely Appalachian Mountains roads. One of the best things about the Victory was how good it was as a motorcycle, not as a bagger or tourer or whatever, just a very good handling and performing motorcycle and the R18 platform is all that and a bit more. My R18 Classic doesn't have the touring goodies your TC has, but I can say as I approach my 18,000 service it has performed flawlessly, is more like a Roadster/Standard on our back country roads than any "Bagger" and I have completed my first Cross Country run with a great mix of roads and weather from the Cascades, Rockies, plenty of corn fields and even a visit to the Ozarks added into the mix. Day in, day out, no oil use, great mileage, flawless performance and the only upgrade was the optional "weekender" seat and running a comfortable pace 500-600 miles per day. Had the bike serviced in NC before I left and again in WA before headed home. Dealers were easy to schedule with and certainly one could easily do their own oil change at home or during travels if they choose to.

Best of luck with her!
Click to expand...
Great write up 👊👊👊
 
RhoXS said:
Hi! I'm a new owner of a 2023 R18TC. I've been riding for about 47 years. My previous rides include a Honda XL250, a Suzuki RE-5 (look that one up!), a couple of Kawasaki Vulcans, a Victory V92TC and a Victory Vision (best long distance touring cruiser bar none).
While the R18TC is a beautiful motorcycle and I really enjoy riding it, I'm finding out that it's not exactly what I thought it was...a long distance tourer. The Victory set a very high bar for comfort. I think the TC is more akin to a bagger with a trunk, most of which are more about looks and less about touring.
That said, I'm coming to appreciate the TC for what it is and it is fun getting attention at the local watering holes ;)
Looking forward to sharing ideas and experiences
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum and I hope you get to love your TC with time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top