Hello - R18 Transcontinental - Slightly Nervous

JohnJohn

JohnJohn

New member
Visit site
Hello Everyone,

Buying my first BMW tomorrow, but I'm slightly nervous. [So I decided to join a forum that will likely reassure me, so I guess secretly I'm not worried about the purchase.] šŸ¤£

Up until now, I've been drinking the Triumph kool-aid and honestly still love it. I own three currently. (18 Tiger 800, 22 Bobber, 22 ScramblerXE) However, with their lack of a decent long-haul touring bike, I am about to add a new brand to the garage.

During Covid, my wife and I dropped to having one car. After having two for the last 25 years. I'm looking to the R18 TC to act as a long-haul bike for my wife and me and as a casual ride to work 1-2 days a week when I need to carry camera gear, etc.

My wife is not a rider and has spent very little time as a pillion. One long weekend on an Indian Roadmaster, which she enjoyed, and maybe two times on my Tiger with hard luggage as a backrest. It should be said that I love her will all my heart, but she is particular. While she is not quite "The Princess and the Pea," she likes to be comfortable.

I rode the TC a few days ago without her and noticed that the top box shook at idle and have read about vibrations in the floorboards. Is this a genuine concern over others in this class? She has to be comfortable, but she also knows it's a motorcycle. She is not unrealistic in her expectations, but I may be. I want her to ride this with me. She said it would be fine, but $30k is a ton of bread. šŸ˜¬

I'm debating with myself on the following issues (personal and bike-related)
  • Roadmaster
    • + fewer vibrations(???)
    • - less my style than the BMW
    • - air-cooled (live in Texas)
    • - limited availability right now
    • - no Adaptive Cruise
    • + apple car play
    • + wife has already ridden on one of these
  • Challenger Pursuit
    • - definitely less my style than the BMW
    • + liquid-cooled
    • - no Adaptive Cruise
    • + apple car play
  • Gold Wing
    • - definitely less my style than the BMW
    • + liquid-cooled
    • - no Adaptive Cruise
    • + apple car play
    • + free coffee at Denny's (old man stigma)
    • + available right now
Any advice from TC owners and specifically those with pillions.
Thanks,
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Vyk
I also have the TC. My previous bike was a BMW K1600 Grand America, and my wife says the TC is more comfortable. There is a bit of vibration, but my wife doesnā€™t have an issue with it.
See if you can take another test ride with her on the back.
 
Rambler358 said:
I also have the TC. My previous bike was a BMW K1600 Grand America, and my wife says the TC is more comfortable. There is a bit of vibration, but my wife doesnā€™t have an issue with it.
See if you can take another test ride with her on the back.
Click to expand...
I was hoping you would jump in on this. I'm been reading the forum all morning and you seemed to be the only one who has mentioned a passanger. Honestly I think my wife likes the 'soul" of a twin as she liked the Roadmaster. However I just can't pull the trigger in a V-Twin becasue of styling, and the Gold Wing / K1600 needs more 'soul'
 
My wife thinks a GW is for old people, and I just turned 64, but I considered it. LOL
I also donā€™t care for the forward controls of other cruisers, so the TC felt better to me. I honestly never thought Iā€™d own a ā€œcruiserā€, but something about the TC just drew me to it. This bike is great as a tourer though, and the ACC has come in handy a few times. Unlike the new BMW RT, I like having the analog guages along with the big TFT. But the RT has programmable buttons that you can assign to heated grips or the like, where with the B/TC you need to dig through the menus to get to those functions. But after some time you get familiar with it and itā€™s really not an issue anymore.
Overall Iā€™m very happy with the bike. The weight is only an issue bringing it off the side stand and slow turning maneuvers, but practice definitely helps.
 
Rambler358 said:
My wife thinks a GW is for old people, and I just turned 64, but I considered it. LOL
I also donā€™t care for the forward controls of other cruisers, so the TC felt better to me. I honestly never thought Iā€™d own a ā€œcruiserā€, but something about the TC just drew me to it. This bike is great as a tourer though, and the ACC has come in handy a few times. Unlike the new BMW RT, I like having the analog guages along with the big TFT. But the RT has programmable buttons that you can assign to heated grips or the like, where with the B/TC you need to dig through the menus to get to those functions. But after some time you get familiar with it and itā€™s really not an issue anymore.
Overall Iā€™m very happy with the bike. The weight is only an issue bringing it off the side stand and slow turning maneuvers, but practice definitely helps.
Click to expand...
Iā€™m 50. I actually wanted a 22 K1600 GA, hence looking at the Wing too. Since the 22 GA wonā€™t be here until Summer that got me looking at others. This is the closest Touring bike Iā€™m going to get to the look of a Triumph, the souls of a V-Twin and maybe the comfort of the Wheel of Fortune watcher (Wing).
 
JohnJohn said:
Iā€™m 50. I actually wanted a 22 K1600 GA, hence looking at the Wing too. Since the 22 GA wonā€™t be here until Summer that got me looking at others. This is the closest Touring bike Iā€™m going to get to the look of a Triumph, the souls of a V-Twin and maybe the comfort of the Wheel of Fortune watcher (Wing).
Click to expand...
Might help direct a choice for you based on what type of touring you think you would like to do. Your Triumph bikes are all relatively lightweight and good handling, so do you want a canyon carver with luggage or something with a lot of character or something that can eat miles like a car?.

The K1600 puts a smile on your face when you twist the throttle because it accelerates so quickly, while the R18 puts a smile on your face because of the sound it makes and the rumble in the seat, the Wing puts a smile on your face because you rode 1000 miles and never left the saddle.
 
From past experience on a Road Glide fitted with a tour pack, all the HDs will vibrate to some degree. Not so much with a passenger. It's a characteristic of the big V-twins but I can't say as I've never owned an Indian. I looked at the Springfield before I bought my Classic and just liked the uniqueness and the BMW incentives. It's darn hard to beat a Road Glide Ultra for long haul comfort. The frame mounted faring is rock solid on the road and in the wind.
I'd take that TC on the highway two ways to Sunday and put it to the test. After all, you're right. $30k is a lot of cash to drop on a bike. Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Iā€™ll throw in my 2 cents worth. I looked at the big Indians and Harleys before buying the TC. I liked everything on the Harley except the shit suspension. I just didnā€™t care for the fit and finish on the Indian, loved the Challenger engine, didnā€™t care for the extra long bars that come with the fixed fairing. I am coming off of a K1200LT that my wife and I enjoyed for 12 years. She is happy with the pillion accommodations of the TC, thatā€™s saying a lot considering the K12LT is fantastic in that department. The thing I never cared for on the LT was the high center of gravity, the TC is over a hundred pounds heavier but carries the weight lower. My advice is to ride them all and buy the one that moves your soul.
 
jclark83 said:
Iā€™ll throw in my 2 cents worth. I looked at the big Indians and Harleys before buying the TC. I liked everything on the Harley except the shit suspension. I just didnā€™t care for the fit and finish on the Indian, loved the Challenger engine, didnā€™t care for the extra long bars that come with the fixed fairing. I am coming off of a K1200LT that my wife and I enjoyed for 12 years. She is happy with the pillion accommodations of the TC, thatā€™s saying a lot considering the K12LT is fantastic in that department. The thing I never cared for on the LT was the high center of gravity, the TC is over a hundred pounds heavier but carries the weight lower. My advice is to ride them all and buy the one that moves your soul.
Click to expand...
Amen on the HD suspension
 
JohnJohn said:
Hello Everyone,

Buying my first BMW tomorrow, but I'm slightly nervous. [So I decided to join a forum that will likely reassure me, so I guess secretly I'm not worried about the purchase.] šŸ¤£

Up until now, I've been drinking the Triumph kool-aid and honestly still love it. I own three currently. (18 Tiger 800, 22 Bobber, 22 ScramblerXE) However, with their lack of a decent long-haul touring bike, I am about to add a new brand to the garage.

During Covid, my wife and I dropped to having one car. After having two for the last 25 years. I'm looking to the R18 TC to act as a long-haul bike for my wife and me and as a casual ride to work 1-2 days a week when I need to carry camera gear, etc.

My wife is not a rider and has spent very little time as a pillion. One long weekend on an Indian Roadmaster, which she enjoyed, and maybe two times on my Tiger with hard luggage as a backrest. It should be said that I love her will all my heart, but she is particular. While she is not quite "The Princess and the Pea," she likes to be comfortable.

I rode the TC a few days ago without her and noticed that the top box shook at idle and have read about vibrations in the floorboards. Is this a genuine concern over others in this class? She has to be comfortable, but she also knows it's a motorcycle. She is not unrealistic in her expectations, but I may be. I want her to ride this with me. She said it would be fine, but $30k is a ton of bread. šŸ˜¬

I'm debating with myself on the following issues (personal and bike-related)
  • Roadmaster
    • + fewer vibrations(???)
    • - less my style than the BMW
    • - air-cooled (live in Texas)
    • - limited availability right now
    • - no Adaptive Cruise
    • + apple car play
    • + wife has already ridden on one of these
  • Challenger Pursuit
    • - definitely less my style than the BMW
    • + liquid-cooled
    • - no Adaptive Cruise
    • + apple car play
  • Gold Wing
    • - definitely less my style than the BMW
    • + liquid-cooled
    • - no Adaptive Cruise
    • + apple car play
    • + free coffee at Denny's (old man stigma)
    • + available right now
Any advice from TC owners and specifically those with pillions.
Thanks,
Click to expand...
I'm single and have had a taken a few ladies for rides on my TC. I must admit that it never occurred to me to ask about comfort. But I do know that they all fully enjoyed their experience on the back with me. I am a previous 2018 Goldwing owner and wholly agree with your assessment. The GW is a great bike but it's so smooth and quiet that it began to bore me. The Challenger Pursuit has impressed me but not enough so to justify purchasing one. Though I am a big TC fan one thing to consider is luggage space. From my observations the TC's luggage capacity is lacking compared to the competition. The TC's interior space does not match what their exterior would have one believe.
 
My many past rides have been mainly on Harley touring bikes, I bought my first BMW R18 Classic last March.

Missed the creature comforts on the Classic compared to past touring bikes, namely uncomfortably seats, no fuel gauge and unforgiving ride comfort after 50 miles in the seat.

Therefore Purchased new TC in October 21 which is well built inch all the kit you will ever need. The only negatives are the weight at low manoeuvring speeds, itā€™s a heavy bike that demands your attention! Once underway itā€™s a fantastic handling highway cruiser especially the adaptive cruise control.

The build quality is first class and the bike turns heads wherever you ride. I consider this to be my last bike as I am approaching 69 years of age.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top