BMW R 18 B + TRANSCONTINENTAL

Page 28 The large group of R18, the new B & Transcontinental, were lined up across the street from the ritzy Halcyon Hotel in the Cherry Creek section of Denver, Colorado.

BMW R 18 B and Transcontinental

BACKROADS • NOVEMBER 2021 Last year we had the original R18 and felt, as pretty as it was, it was far too big a bike for us. Handling was a bit sluggish and you needed to be con dent in the tight stuff, as there was a lot of scraping going on.

At the media intro the night before, BMW explained that there had been modi cations to the new R18’s chassis and suspension – I hoped that was the case.

Indeed, rolling out of Denver and once underway, the R18 B (B for Bagger) felt far more nimble than the previous year’s model. Still, I learned to appreciate the reverse drive.

Is BIGGER

Really BETTER?

words: Brian Rathjen • images: Kevin Wing

I was pleasantly surprised that BMW’s work on the chassis – a thicker double-steel backbone and changes to the rake angle – up to 32.7 compared to 27.3 - was making a serious difference. This also added a bit more ground clearance and slightly higher seat height, that we all would need as we headed in the Rockies.

The machine has three power modes. I kept my R18s (we’d switch models after lunch) in Rock-mode all day. Roll was okay and the Rain mode was just silly.

Like The Who sang – Long Live Rock!

On the highway heading towards the town of Golden, the R 18 B happily chugged along at a good 75 mph at just under 3K on the tach.

With a good amount of miles on the big road, I turned on the built-in

Sirius Radio and began to ick through the channels, settling on a station that plays the same kind of music I hear every time I go to a Lowes store. Hey, I am a child of the 60s and 70s. After that, the music died.

BMW has options for Marshall speakers, built into the bike. They put out a serious sound, and I put them on just to get a feel for them. In truth, I try to stay away from riders with loud sound systems. They annoy the hell out of me and that is why we have personal headsets built into our earplugs.

The R 18’s large, 10.25” TFT screen will let you keep an eye on all the information you might need and then some. It is crisp, clear, and easily read.

On the tank, there is a door that opens to allow you to stow and charge your Smart Phone – which plays with the R 18 very well once you download the app. It has a cooling system to keep your phone from overheating while locked away.

I understand this is where we are all going, but I still am a bit of a Luddite with all this.

While in Golden, home of Coors, the Boxer engine, all 1803 CCs (110 cubic inches ) and 288 pounds of it, began to get a bit hot and the TFT screen told me just that. This is an air-cooled machine, and it likes to be ridden in an easy-going manner.

With this big engine came plenty of low-end grunt, but a canyon racer this is not and this was apparent as we headed into the twisty parts of this day’s route.

The brakes worked smoothly and with gusto – which was much needed to slow this “Big Honkin’ Bike” down while heading into the tighter turns.

Our lunch stop for today’s ride would be The Stanley Hotel, in Estes Park. This grand old place is mostly known for being the impetus for Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’ and a good deal of the lm was shot here.

I looked for Jack, but could not nd him – but we did nd Room 217 that he hatcheted to pieces. It was blocked off, but making nice with the cleaning staff I got to see it.

After lunch, I swapped from the B to the Transcontinental.

Set up with an additional top case and cushier saddle (that pivots when you move around) it adds another 65 lbs. to the party.

Although many of the other moto-scribes preferred the B over the Transcontinental – I was having more fun on the bigger bike.

Perhaps I had gotten used to all the weight or maybe this machine was set up better than the B from earlier in the day.

Like they say… “Never buy a bike that was built on a Monday morning!”

I try not to nitpick when on press rides, but the bike comes with a Heel / Toe Shifter, and they were not set up well from Germany, making up shift dif cult with a banging of my heel each time. During lunch, techs made an adjustment to the H/T’s position and things got a bit better shiftingwise.

But nothing is perfect.

Earlier I had the brakes fade a bit, on some of the canyon roads with their major elevation changes, and the clutch got a bit tired and slippery as well.

As I stated, in Golden, while doing photography, I had a warning prompt across the TFT that said the machine was getting hot and “Ride at Slow Speed” to cool it down. This would be a recurring issue.

Up in the mountains I got into the groove of pushing this big bike through the curves and once in the turns, the R 18, in both versions, was sure-footed and well-planted.

As is the way with Media Intros the dash back to Denver was on the fast side. But no police got involved – thankfully.

The bike features BMW’s new Ative Crise Contro. This new ACC has three control features. Dynamic Cruise Control (DCC) regulates the riding speed set by the rider. Active Cruise Control (ACC) regulates the selected speed in consideration of the distance to preceding vehicles set by the rider. If necessary, the curve control feature of the ACC will automatically reduce your speed, enabling you to hit the curve at a comfortable

lean angle. As the lean angle increases, the braking and acceleration dynamics are limited. This helps you to ride in a stable manner.

The ACC gives you full control: As a rider, you are always in control and have the option of making changes at any time.

But, this sort of fast-paced riding brought up the recurring clutch and brake fades. And, riding into Denver, after ten minutes of stop and go piloting through Denver traf c back to the hotel, my TFT went red and it instructed me to pull the machine off the road and turn it off until it could cool down. Both the R 18s I rode had heating issues in slowspeed city traf c. Perhaps BMW can and will address these issues.

As I had said about the original R 18 – these bikes

are visually stunning – truly works of art, especially the very cool Galaxy Dust paint job that is offered as an option.

It is the Kim Kardashian of motorcycles. Big and sexy with “huge tracks of land!” (Okay, I mean displacement).

But, although I’d love to walk hand in hand with Kimmy down Main Street in Daytona, I would never bring her home to meet my mother.

That being said this is my opinion. As the years have gone by I have gotten into far more nimble rides, but there is a huge market and thousands of riders who prefer big rigs.

If this is you then the BMW R 18 B and Transcontinental might be just right for you.

Pricing for the 2022 R 18 B starts at $21,945 and the R 18 Transcontinental starts at $24,995. Available at your local BMW dealership now. ,