• Welcome to the BMW R18 Forums. Member registration disables ads and allows you to post and share. Register Here.

The positive things thread

  • <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=1768230793#check"></use></svg></i> Discussion starter Discussion starter Petrus
  • Start date Start date
1. What attracted me are two emotional nostalgic styling details:

- The exposed drive shaft like my 1939 Nimbus.
- The exhaust design; teardrop akin my old 1953 Norton Dominator 500 type 7 and fish tail end like again the Nimbus.

and what made me buy it is the upcoming wedding for which I ´need´ a two up honey moon travel bike. Both Vespas are just too much of a challenge beyond some 80 km/day two up. I have had to tune both to handle the steep hills here and the R18 effortlessly rumbles up the steepest inclines.
 
I bought the R18 TC because it was a rolling piece of art. It's simply beautiful.
1. Fit and finish are outstanding. I think it's better than Harley Davidson (except for paint; no one beats HD paint)
2. I was really surprised by the excellent wind management. Just looking at the bike, you might not think it would be as good as it is, but it's truly excellent.
3. I like the ability to see my navigation in the display without having a phone on a mount.
4. I like the quality of audio when listening to local HD radio stations.
5. Last but not least, I like not seeing myself coming and going on the road. The R18 is very unique.
 
RhoXS said:
2. I was really surprised by the excellent wind management. Just looking at the bike, you might not think it would be as good as it is, but it's truly excellent.
Click to expand...

BMW have been using the wind tunnel since end of last century; see the R100 (RS). Only Moto Guzzi beat them to that.
 
1. What attracted you to the R18; what made you buy it.
My father had a R51, sniff

2. What have you liked most since.
To give speed in Rock Modus and look down to this big ...😎

3. Whichever positive about it/the experience.
All around the quality is good and everything was fast solved. Netherless a good decission to buy it!
 
I went to buy my dream bike, a white seeK1600GTL...

1. What attracted you to the R18; what made you buy it.
- my wife took one look at it and said, 'that's the bike.' Whatever 🤨...
- I took lengthy test rides on both, back to back (the dealership had both bikes)
- the R18TC beat the K1600 in every aspect of what I WAS LOOKING FOR in my next bike.

2. What have you liked most since.
- the ride, I just love the ride. Yes, I miss the long-travel suspension of my GS, but I love the low seat height and the 1800cc engine.

3. Whichever positive about it/the experience.
- it's the whole experience of the bike, the whole enchilada, just like it was/is with the GS... there isn't another bike like it and it does everything I want so very well.
 
1. What attracted you to the R18; what made you buy it.
My wife wanted me to have amazing 50th birthday present. I wanted a bike with adaptive cruise control. My Ninja H2 SX SE had adaptive cruise control but was too tall so we traded it in. I think the R18B is the bike with adaptive cruise control and the shortest seat height in the market at the time. I would have loved it if my Honda Rebel 1100 had adaptive cruise control instead.

2. What have you liked most since.
Riding at the magic speed limit and gear combination where the bike rides smooth as silk. 45 MPH in 4th gear or 65 MPH in 6th gear for example.

3. Whichever positive about it/the experience.
One positive about the R18B is I can go beyond ton up and the phone app records all sorts of stats.
 
1) Looks
2) sense of ‘occasion’ you get riding it
3) see above plus the riders POV. It’s epic.
 
Like Cu Dubh, I went to find a replacement for my M109R after 15 years of flawless ownership and the K1600B was my choice after months and months of research, YouTube reviews and even signing up to the K1600 Forum.
I was intimidated by the K size when I saw it in the flesh (don’t know why) and the dealer suggested the R18.
For me, it was the R18B after almost 2 hrs test drive. I loved it so much I paid a deposit on the one I tested, I did not want another.
The looks, the nostalgia of the design, the attention to detail on the finish product, the combination of analog gauges with TFT and the plethora of technologies that make the bike unique. The final drive shaft alone deserves a place of its own on top of the mantelpiece for crying out loud.
The smooth torque delivery and that induced shake when you are waiting in neutral for the traffic lights to change is also intoxicating.
The ability to cruise all day long at 65/70mls/h playing your favourite songs , wrapped in your little bubble, makes me want to ride her every time. I commute to work and sometimes I even find myself finding excuses at the weekend to go to the supermarket to buy another carton of milk.
Hands down, one of the finest machines I have ever owned.
 
Well i,ll start at the beginning , on a test ride BMW open day i tested a couple of other models , first opinion was oh my god this bike is way to heavy , however when i got it out on the road the centre of gravity and handling was superb , the torque and acceleration was smooth and responsive also the build quality , after ten thousand miles on this bike i cannot foresee ever changing it , this bike has had a lot of bad press but to me its all bull.
 
The R18 does have a decent amount of haters out there. In my opinion, there are a few die hard fans of certain manufacturer that saw the R18 at the very beginning as a potential threat, given the similarities but more importantly the price compared to that particular brand and the quality of the product.
I can’t blame them entirely for that because there was a lot of press coverage from reputable /well known motorcycle magazines, claiming that BMW wanted a share of that wallet and I think a lot of people were worried about that. That may have been BMW’s initial intention, who knows, but I think they are old and wise enough to attempt something like that overnight. You don’t see a press coverage regarding the Japanese cruise segment trying to take ownership of that particular market and they build by far many more cruisers than BMW will ever build. I have seen comments on non R18 forums calling the R18 line a monstrosity and nothing could be further from the truth, but these are people that deep down know the bike is awesome but can’t be seen in public admitting to that or celebrating the R18. My 2 cents as my good friend Ulrich would say 👍
 
Petrus said:
It has???I am very curious to readthat side too. Can you open a dífferent thread? I am serious. Nothing negative in Europe. Maybe Google/Youtube et all, screening for us Old World?
Click to expand...
The initial press launches were given a poor reception by the motorcycle press. Of couurse, they built up the myth of BMW competing for HD's market share. This press also seemed to push a bias that BMW was building a bike outside the company's normal expertise... to which I, at the time, said was bullshit.

In my opinion there is enough market for both, though I also believe it is overall a shrinking market. Quality, price, and perceived and actual value to the individual rider will set the market, for those who can look beyond brand-addiction and brand-phobia.
.
 
La TC est une moto exceptionnelle, j'ai bien fait de ne pas tenir compte de la presse qui a détesté cette moto et de l'avoir acheté.
En 30000 kms , c'est une joie à chaque fois .
 
1. What attracted you to the R18; what made you buy it.

I bought mine (Alcina) sight unseen (pictures only from my dealership website). My first ride on her was taking her home. She's a 2022 R18 TC first edition. I've wanted one ever since BMW announced the R18 line, as I was a "Chromehead" owner (r1200c) and hated that BMW discontinued that line.

2. What have you liked most since.

Alcina's a modern-art masterpiece. I think in a couple decades, people will look back at the R18 line as one of the most beautiful production beemers ever made. As for riding, I've enjoyed the ACC, as I ride mostly highways, and the system lets me focus more on the ride, versus brainpower spent on keeping decent distance between me and the car ahead.

3. Whichever positive about it/the experience.

The R18's have character. Even though Alcina's fuel injected, she still gives a bit of backfire out the tailpipes when slowing down in gears. While I certainly have my criticisms (no BMW offered service manual, for example), Alcina's a bike I'm likely going to pass down to my kids.

Mike
 
I bought my R18B because it spoke to me. Unlike other BMW’s my R18 fit me like a glove, rode and handled awesome and has been absolutely reliable so far. You can’t beat the fit and finish of the machine and the nostalgic feel of the motor and performance.

My bike gets routinely serviced by the dealer in Seattle and I have total confidence in their work.

I ignore the naysayer comments by some people on this forum. It’s like they say about men in the army, “if they are not complaining, they are not happy.”

I have a 2025 R1250GSA. Between both bikes, I have every riding situation covered.

Thank you BMW for the R18. You did good!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top