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

My 10cts

  • <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=1758297946#check"></use></svg></i> Discussion starter Discussion starter Petrus
  • Start date Start date
BAD MIKE said:
My 2021 R18 Classic came with a damper.
Click to expand...
As I observed earlier, with the R18 it is linked to the cruise control. Mine has no cc thus no damper.

From what I understand, the mounting and damper on the R18 and other models are different. As the cruise control / steering damper was only available post 31/08/´20 there are not thát many R18 steering dampers popping up for sale ;)
 
Last edited:
a sidestep:

I have long been and still am a Moto Guzzi fan.
The brand has an incredible racing history. Even build their own wind tunnel on the factory premises. The factory is still on the same site, wind tunnel and all.
Anyway, the link to the BMW R18 is the ´California´ model. It saw the light in 1971 for the L.A.P.D. Basically the Moto Guzzi cruiser. It and subsequent models sold quite well to various US police forces.

Moto Guzzi California LAPD.jpg

The last version was the Moto Guzzi MGX21 Flying Fortress a 1400 V twin bagger launched in 2017. Unlike the more versatile earlier Californians, the Flying Fortress was a bagger aimed at the US market. Arguably the best on the market. Certainly the best handling and with the shaft drive most practical. But surprise! Despite the US police heritage the Americans stuck with HD; period. In 2021 Piaggio gave up on the cruiser concept terminating the Californian line. Rather striking that decision by the inventor of the Vespa scooter no?! And next BMW come with their bagger and tc... Nuff said.
For those who are not familiar, the T3 Californian is the jewel of the family. It has the racing developed Lino Tonti frame and a bomb proof engine. They are still quite easily to find at reasonable prices.
Another R18 link is the exhaust type the factory fitted to most street bikes. Here a 1953 Airone:

Airone.webp
 
Last edited:
Petrus said:
a sidestep:

I have long been and still am a Moto Guzzi fan.
The brand has an incredible racing history. Even build their own wind tunnel on the factory premises. The factory is still on the same site, wind tunnel and all.
Anyway, the link to the BMW R18 is the ´California´ model. It saw the light in 1971 for the L.A.P.D. Basically the Moto Guzzi cruiser. It and subsequent models sold quite well to various US police forces.

View attachment 18938

The last version was the Moto Guzzi MGX21 Flying Fortress a 1400 V twin bagger launched in 2017. Unlike the more versatile earlier Californians, the Flying Fortress was a bagger aimed at the US market. Arguably the best on the market. Certainly the best handling and with the shaft drive most practical. But surprise! Despite the US police heritage the Americans stuck with HD; period. In 2021 Piaggio gave up on the cruiser concept terminating the Californian line. Rather striking that decision by the inventor of the Vespa scooter no?! And next BMW come with their bagger and tc... Nuff said.
For those who are not familiar, the T3 Californian is the jewel of the family. It has the racing developed Lino Tonti frame and a bomb proof engine. They are still quite easily to find at reasonable prices.
Another R18 link is the exhaust type the factory fitted to most street bikes. Here a 1953 Airone:

View attachment 18937
Click to expand...
They are unveiling their beautifully designed new factory, on same location.
And of course, the same red door.

 
emgarciax said:
They are unveiling their beautifully designed new factory, on same location.
And of course, the same red door.

Click to expand...
a visit to the factory, whether one is a Guzzi afficionado or not is really worthwhile.
I went there mid seventies when that was still vére unusual and the museum was just a relics back room which needed to be opened by a pensioner who had to come up from the village for us. It was raining and if you did not know you would not notice that the neglected old dark red paint was an intentional reference to Guzzi red.
Second visit was 20 years later; already a lot more polished but still properly ´italian´, not quite Piaggio modern.

Back to BMW and heritage, perception contrasts.
Back in 1961 a specially prepared R69S was ran on the banked Montlhéry track and set a 24h record with 175.80 km/h.
It was not much if at all published in the USA.
It took untill 1972 for a tuned Kawasaki Z1 on the Daytona banks to raise is by a whopping.... 0.65 km/h.
This new record obviously was made a húge thing in US motoring press. That is was such a minute difference not 🫣
If you think about this for a moment, the R18 boxer has pretty cool roots.

The Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry still exists and is an interesting historic place to visit. A great many European manufacturers went there for speed records in every conceivable class. Even Vespa!! It currently is a popular venue for classic car/motorcycle events.
Stateside it may be ´known´ from the late Ken Block's Gymkhana Three video which was an advertisement for his DC Shoes.
 
Plenty of history, including the R 80 G/S Paris-Dakar victories in the early 80's by Hubert Auriol and Gaston Rahier.
 
emgarciax said:
Plenty of history, including the R 80 G/S Paris-Dakar victories in the early
80's by Hubert Auriol and Gaston Rahier.
Click to expand...

One would not expect BMW to have decades of WOW palmares in the International Six Days Enduro in solo and sidecar classes. In that light of off road experience the PD success was not súch a surprise.

image_2025-09-06_174335905.png



I have a set of those rubber knee pads on my whish list. The Wünderlich ones look and are too thin.

image_2025-09-06_175623603.png


p.s. a versatile ample source for vintage details to the BMW is https://www.ebay.es/str/oldtimerkoniberlin
 
Last edited:
again my appologies for digressing but then there may be some who think the history intresting and those who don´t can skip it ;)

The R18 being a big bruiser retro looking at the R5/R50 makes it easy to overlook the racing cousin; the RS54. A 500cc DOHC which in shortstroke version pumped out >65 hp at 9.500 rpm :oops: The last engines were said to have 80 hp at an even higher rev limit.
As a solo GP racer the factory racing bike was not successful but the engine reigned supreme in sidecar racing with 21!!! world championships.
Despite this extremely long succes run, BMW produced very few of these DOHC RennSport engines.
Anyone interested in engine tech will marvel at the valve train mechanism of these engines. Really worth a look. I should have a detiled drawing in my library but cannot (yet?) find it 😞
They are a testament to BMWs experience with the boxer twin concept.
 
My 10cts worth (so 16c Australian worth)..... I like my wunderworld tank pads (especially now I can't remember how much they were).
 
Noelpolar said:
My 10cts worth (so 16c Australian worth)..... I like my wunderworld tank pads (especially now I can't remember how much they were).
Click to expand...

The Wünderlich ones?
Dó share photos por favor.
They have the Schorsch Meyer texture too no?!
A serious advantage they have over vintage ones is that they are thin.

I like the one belo. Also because the back looks like it suits the use of double sided tape. The downside is that it is 2 cm. thick.

image_2025-09-08_100735024.png
 
Petrus said:
The Wünderlich ones?
Dó share photos por favor.
They have the Schorsch Meyer texture too no?!
A serious advantage they have over vintage ones is that they are thin.

I like the one belo. Also because the back looks like it suits the use of double sided tape. The downside is that it is over 1 cm. thick.

View attachment 18952
Click to expand...

f585f7a9-8c95-40fe-b359-9c47f57dc044-1_all_29569.jpg
 
thanks!! @Noelpolar

Nice ´megaton´ no-mufflers 🫣

Lóve that saddle and luggage carrier.

All in all save for the fishtails of those days much like the R51/3 imo

image_2025-09-08_110531963.png

An imo übercool R18 styling detail is the wink to the old air filter cover by the small chrome cover on the inlet under the tank. The designers réally incorporated a lot of retro homage details.
 
Noelpolar said:
No worries.... the R18 range does lend itself to "various personalities" ..... I am mostly attracted to the old classic vibe and riding position... and torque!
Click to expand...
It is what the prime objective of the design brief was. A good look in the BMW museum was the most important source for styling queues.
Hence the R5 homage, R18 Concept , FE and 100 years. The rubber OEM homage saddle you have is a finger point too.
And of course the platform had to and does lend itself for other design flavours.
 
BAD MIKE said:
Thats a great look. Especially those pipes. What are they? Did you lower your speedo/headlight? I want those tank pads
Click to expand...
I think the speedo is not lower but the handlebars higher.
About the pads ... I want pads but which ones????
These are the Wünderlich now cheaper from China. They are the least ´risk´ and cheapest.


image_2025-09-08_141923549.png
 
Petrus said:
I think the speedo is not lower but the handlebars higher.
Click to expand...

Well spotted.... I spent 2 weeks with 25mm then 50mm risers and settled on the 25's then replaced the brake lines with longer ones to suite. The 50's were good for slow riding but once doing 80kmh or faster a slight forward lean worked better against the wind... and I ride 75% of my time over 80 (I live rural).

Fwiw.... I've made over 15 modifications to the basic bike to get it how I like.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top