MORE FROM FORBES Ride Review: The 2021 Indian Chieftain Elite Packs In Big Power, High Tech And That Big Bagger Swagger By Bill Roberson Many onlookers, including many riders, thought they were custom or aftermarket. For this rider, the civic-friendly sound level of the stock pipes is in keeping with BMW’s spirit of sophistication, and I enjoyed all the compliments and conversation the stylish stock pipes elicited.
But like so many things, they look much better in person than in pictures. Here’s hoping, as the twin exhausts are a key style highlight of the R 18, even though I admit I looked at photos of them a little askance when news of the bike first broke online. I’m sure some riders will decide to mount pipes with a more sonorous tone and perhaps the aftermarket can create a more vocal system that mimics the stylish lines of the stock fishtails. Even “appropriate,” if you could describe an exhaust note as such, but also powerful and in tune with the copious torque that propels you and the bike forward with alacrity. Roll on the gas in third gear while heading out onto the open road and the exhaust tone rises with the engine pulses and throttle input, but is never over-wrought. (Full disclosure, I own a 1995 BMW R1100RS).
Instead, the stock exhaust system is robust, but more measured and well-behaved as the bike surges forward under throttle. Roll on the throttle on a Harley (or an Indian) and you get a solid bark and rumble from the exhaust, but not on this BMW. As I say in the headline, this is not a BMW that wants to be a Harley. Roberson Photographyĭuring my too-brief review period, I had the chance to take the R 18 on numerous rides around the Portland area and also on a much longer ride out to central Oregon, which included crossing the Cascades during some crisp fall weather. Lenticular clouds hug the top of Mount Hood. Here it is:Ī rare moment of peace on the usually busy Highway 26. Rather than trying to co-opt the look of another brand of bike, the R 18’s look pays homage to one of BMW’s more legendary pre-war machines, the 500cc R 5 from the 1930s, a classic motorcycle I might be willing to trade a semi-vital organ for, given the chance. However, it did have “First Edition” niceties such as beautiful double-lined pinstriping over glossy black paint and an optional “chrome” package, which punched up the brightwork to be sure. I received an R 18 First Edition for review, which could be described as the base or even the “standard” model, with no added touring amenities. It’s a far cry from the oddity that was the R1200C. The R 18 platform already consists of four models, including two dedicated cruiser bikes and two more distance-enabled tourers. Now, with Harley traversing rough waters and Polaris-backed Indian back in the big-inch cruiser game, BMW is eyeing the cruiser market once again and recently debuted the new R 18, a 91 horsepower 1,800cc black beauty that sits low and sports two opposed massive air/oil-cooled cylinders out in the horizontal breeze. But in that time, it also grew into a full-on touring platform, and to this day, the model has its fans. With its telelever shaft drive, odd paralever front suspension and funky styling, it received a lukewarm reception and by 2005, the party was over for the R1200C. Back in the late 1990s, BMW took an initial swing at the then-Harley-dominated cruiser market with the R1200C/CL, which was based around the company’s then-cutting edge “oilhead” 1200 (actually 1,170cc) boxer motor.