Caveman
Active member
I've waited to post this until I had a few more miles on my R18C. First of all the basics. Mine is a '21and I have a little over 1200 miles on it. I've added a few cosmetic touches but mechanically the bike is bone stock and I haven't touched the preload. I did switch out the stock seat for a Mustang/BMW Day Rider. I'm 6' and weigh 180lbs. I've been riding motorcycles since I was 18 and I've owned everything from dirt bikes to sport bikes to cruisers. I've even raced a little bit in the dirt. None of that means much except to say I'm not a rookie rider and I have a fair amount of experience with all kinds of bikes and riding. I am not an expert by any means but I do know how to ride a motorcycle somewhat spiritedly.
I live out in the country in the hills of central Kentucky. It's about a 10 mile ride to the nearest interstate. Most of the roads are two lane country roads. No stoplights, stop signs and very few intersecting roads. The first part of any trip from my house includes navigating a long downhill gravel driveway and a mile or so of single lane unmarked asphalt 'road'. Pot holes and loose gravel are everywhere. Once I get to the main roads they're all smooth and in good repair with miles and miles of curves and hills. It's a fun ride to get into town and the interstate.
I don't understand all the negative comments about handling. I can hustle through the curves and hills of Kentucky pretty darn quickly while still remaining 100% within my limits and the limits of the bike. My R18 is rock solid and feels very planted in the curves. It doesn't dive or wallow around no matter what I do with braking or the throttle. No, it's not a sport bike but it handles better than any other cruiser I've ever ridden or owned. I'm not into 'racing' on back roads but I know a competent rider could easily make any of the MoCo cruisers work to keep up. Overall the brakes are excellent even though the rear brake could be a little more effective. The stock tires are so good I don't even notice them. They just seem to work on all kinds of surfaces. It's not a particularly difficult motorcycle to maneuver slowly or on difficult surfaces (i.e, my gravel driveway) despite the cruiser design and weight. The low CG and seat height certainly helps with that.
The bottom line is this is a great handling motorcycle. Notice I didn't say great handling cruiser. It is a great handling cruiser but saying that is a disservice to how good an overall motorcycle these bikes are. Mine has exceeded my handling expectations. I can go as fast and ride as aggressively as I'm inclined to do these days which isn't particularly fast most of the time. However, knowing the bike is up to the task is very satisfying. I rode with my buddy last weekend for a short hundred mile ride and he was unable to run away from me in the twisties on his GLT1600. We weren't trying to lose each other but we were riding a little bit aggressively.
I've only scraped my floorboards once and that was when I was trying to. I wanted to see how much lean it would take to scrape them. I could only do it by going slowly (about 25mph) on a tight 360 degree highway on ramp. While riding under normal conditions I've had my bike leaned way over in long sweeping 90 degree curves at speeds of up to 65mph and never scraped. I might have been awfully close but I have no desire to ride much more aggressively than that. When I say way over I mean 45 degrees.
If you're on the fence about buying an R18 because you've read too many professional reviews don't worry about anything. This is a great motorcycle in every way. Trust me, I've owned more than a few from more than a few brands. This motorcycle rides extremely well. Your sport bike buddies will leave you behind but a decent rider on an R18 can keep up with most other bikes and a few will be surprised at how they're gonna have to work to keep up with you. Buy with confidence and enjoy knowing your bike is more capable than most casual observers will conclude. Until they try to follow you.
I live out in the country in the hills of central Kentucky. It's about a 10 mile ride to the nearest interstate. Most of the roads are two lane country roads. No stoplights, stop signs and very few intersecting roads. The first part of any trip from my house includes navigating a long downhill gravel driveway and a mile or so of single lane unmarked asphalt 'road'. Pot holes and loose gravel are everywhere. Once I get to the main roads they're all smooth and in good repair with miles and miles of curves and hills. It's a fun ride to get into town and the interstate.
I don't understand all the negative comments about handling. I can hustle through the curves and hills of Kentucky pretty darn quickly while still remaining 100% within my limits and the limits of the bike. My R18 is rock solid and feels very planted in the curves. It doesn't dive or wallow around no matter what I do with braking or the throttle. No, it's not a sport bike but it handles better than any other cruiser I've ever ridden or owned. I'm not into 'racing' on back roads but I know a competent rider could easily make any of the MoCo cruisers work to keep up. Overall the brakes are excellent even though the rear brake could be a little more effective. The stock tires are so good I don't even notice them. They just seem to work on all kinds of surfaces. It's not a particularly difficult motorcycle to maneuver slowly or on difficult surfaces (i.e, my gravel driveway) despite the cruiser design and weight. The low CG and seat height certainly helps with that.
The bottom line is this is a great handling motorcycle. Notice I didn't say great handling cruiser. It is a great handling cruiser but saying that is a disservice to how good an overall motorcycle these bikes are. Mine has exceeded my handling expectations. I can go as fast and ride as aggressively as I'm inclined to do these days which isn't particularly fast most of the time. However, knowing the bike is up to the task is very satisfying. I rode with my buddy last weekend for a short hundred mile ride and he was unable to run away from me in the twisties on his GLT1600. We weren't trying to lose each other but we were riding a little bit aggressively.
I've only scraped my floorboards once and that was when I was trying to. I wanted to see how much lean it would take to scrape them. I could only do it by going slowly (about 25mph) on a tight 360 degree highway on ramp. While riding under normal conditions I've had my bike leaned way over in long sweeping 90 degree curves at speeds of up to 65mph and never scraped. I might have been awfully close but I have no desire to ride much more aggressively than that. When I say way over I mean 45 degrees.
If you're on the fence about buying an R18 because you've read too many professional reviews don't worry about anything. This is a great motorcycle in every way. Trust me, I've owned more than a few from more than a few brands. This motorcycle rides extremely well. Your sport bike buddies will leave you behind but a decent rider on an R18 can keep up with most other bikes and a few will be surprised at how they're gonna have to work to keep up with you. Buy with confidence and enjoy knowing your bike is more capable than most casual observers will conclude. Until they try to follow you.
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Just my opinion folks!
