How would you describe the R18?

TodkaVonic

TodkaVonic

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To someone with little or no knowledge of motorcycles?

I got to thinking about this after an interaction with a bartender this past Saturday. She asked “whatcha riding?” I says “BMW.” She says, “oh, I love those touring bikes. They look so comfortable.” I reply, “no, it’s
not really a touring bike.” I could see her sorting through her limited knowledge of BMW and got this weird sense that she thought I was lying to her. Then to clarify I said “it’s like a Harley.” “Ahhhh” she replies. “Probably loud when you rev it, huh.” I say, “not so much.” And she gives me the side-eye.

I described it that way to easily convey an image to a motorcycle-naive person and, honestly, partly because it’s kinda true. It’s an answer but I feel that it’s not the best answer. The “it’s a German Harley, no it’s not, yes it is!” Back and forth in another thread got me thinking about this too.

So, R18 people, what do you tell your friends and neighbors? How do you describe the R18 in a concise and honest manner?
 
TodkaVonic said:
To someone with little or no knowledge of motorcycles?

I got to thinking about this after an interaction with a bartender this past Saturday. She asked “whatcha riding?” I says “BMW.” She says, “oh, I love those touring bikes. They look so comfortable.” I reply, “no, it’s
not really a touring bike.” I could see her sorting through her limited knowledge of BMW and got this weird sense that she thought I was lying to her. Then to clarify I said “it’s like a Harley.” “Ahhhh” she replies. “Probably loud when you rev it, huh.” I say, “not so much.” And she gives me the side-eye.

I described it that way to easily convey an image to a motorcycle-naive person and, honestly, partly because it’s kinda true. It’s an answer but I feel that it’s not the best answer. The “it’s a German Harley, no it’s not, yes it is!” Back and forth in another thread got me thinking about this too.

So, R18 people, what do you tell your friends and neighbors? How do you describe the R18 in a concise and honest manner?
Click to expand...
It is a BAC (big ass cruiser)
 
Black Dog said:
Again, that is meaningless. Hydra is that one of Sponge Bobs pals?
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Hydra, also called the Lernean Hydra, in Greek legend, the offspring of Typhon and Echidna (according to the early Greek poet Hesiod’s Theogony), a gigantic water-snake-like monster with nine heads (the number varies), one of which was immortal. The monster’s haunt was the marshes of Lerna, near Árgos, from which he periodically emerged to harry the people and livestock of Lerna. Anyone who attempted to behead the Hydra found that as soon as one head was cut off, two more heads would emerge from the fresh wound.595BB5DA-F196-4314-8861-0A8456E2F689.jpeg2600763B-0E3E-4D04-806C-E0F783EDD1B8.png
 
R2K said:
Hydra, also called the Lernean Hydra, in Greek legend, the offspring of Typhon and Echidna (according to the early Greek poet Hesiod’s Theogony), a gigantic water-snake-like monster with nine heads (the number varies), one of which was immortal. The monster’s haunt was the marshes of Lerna, near Árgos, from which he periodically emerged to harry the people and livestock of Lerna. Anyone who attempted to behead the Hydra found that as soon as one head was cut off, two more heads would emerge from the fresh wound.View attachment 1331View attachment 1332
Click to expand...
Again meaningless, a wave runner would be more appropriate
Unknown-4.jpeg
 
TodkaVonic said:
To someone with little or no knowledge of motorcycles?

I got to thinking about this after an interaction with a bartender this past Saturday. She asked “whatcha riding?” I says “BMW.” She says, “oh, I love those touring bikes. They look so comfortable.” I reply, “no, it’s
not really a touring bike.” I could see her sorting through her limited knowledge of BMW and got this weird sense that she thought I was lying to her. Then to clarify I said “it’s like a Harley.” “Ahhhh” she replies. “Probably loud when you rev it, huh.” I say, “not so much.” And she gives me the side-eye.

I described it that way to easily convey an image to a motorcycle-naive person and, honestly, partly because it’s kinda true. It’s an answer but I feel that it’s not the best answer. The “it’s a German Harley, no it’s not, yes it is!” Back and forth in another thread got me thinking about this too.

So, R18 people, what do you tell your friends and neighbors? How do you describe the R18 in a concise and honest manner?
Click to expand...

I was in that thread about it NOT being a German HD, so my opinion is known already. Still, I will repeat...
It's NOT a %$#&*@!(][)$#@* cruiser just because BMW says it is and/or because it's got a lower seat and a longer wheelbase than other BMWs made today. It's a "sport-standard" motorcycle with more sporting ability than any American cruiser made and more like almost all pre-1969 BMWs which were also NOT cruisers.
As it comes off of the showroom floor the riding position requires the rider to lean well into the wind blast and his feet are under his knees. You can't install large floorboards at all and what is available do not move the rider's feet any farther forward than the stock foot pegs. Cruisers are all about "lean back, kick your feet up and KROOOOOZE along the boulevard". The R18 is fine for relaxed riding, but it excels at "cut and thrust" from curve to curve, while not punishing your body in the fetal position of a modern full-boat sportbike made to reset lap times and enrich chiropractors, nor does it suit the "riding-in-the-gynecological exam" position of a cruiser.
 
theMucker said:
I was in that thread about it NOT being a German HD, so my opinion is known already. Still, I will repeat...
It's NOT a %$#&*@!(][)$#@* cruiser just because BMW says it is and/or because it's got a lower seat and a longer wheelbase than other BMWs made today. It's a "sport-standard" motorcycle with more sporting ability than any American cruiser made and more like almost all pre-1969 BMWs which were also NOT cruisers.
As it comes off of the showroom floor the riding position requires the rider to lean well into the wind blast and his feet are under his knees. You can't install large floorboards at all and what is available do not move the rider's feet any farther forward than the stock foot pegs. Cruisers are all about "lean back, kick your feet up and KROOOOOZE along the boulevard". The R18 is fine for relaxed riding, but it excels at "cut and thrust" from curve to curve, while not punishing your body in the fetal position of a modern full-boat sportbike made to reset lap times and enrich chiropractors, nor does it suit the "riding-in-the-gynecological exam" position of a cruiser.
Click to expand...
I guess that when I think "cruiser," I think more about the riding style than anything else. 65 mph in 6th gear. Long sweeping turns. Easy. Relaxed. I don't care one lick where my feet are, because it's all about the laid-back ride. Can't do that on my Ducati. No. She needs 6k RPM and/or 80 mph, just to be happy.

Anyhow, looking at contemporaneous bikes, would you say that it's in the same category as the A) Ducati Diavel B) Triumph Rocket 3 C) Honda CB1100EX D) Moto Guzzi Audace E) none of the above?

Remember, you're speaking to someone motorcycle-naive. You say "sport-standard", she thinks crotch-rocket.
 
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theMucker said:
I was in that thread about it NOT being a German HD, so my opinion is known already. Still, I will repeat...
It's NOT a %$#&*@!(][)$#@* cruiser just because BMW says it is and/or because it's got a lower seat and a longer wheelbase than other BMWs made today. It's a "sport-standard" motorcycle with more sporting ability than any American cruiser made and more like almost all pre-1969 BMWs which were also NOT cruisers.
As it comes off of the showroom floor the riding position requires the rider to lean well into the wind blast and his feet are under his knees. You can't install large floorboards at all and what is available do not move the rider's feet any farther forward than the stock foot pegs. Cruisers are all about "lean back, kick your feet up and KROOOOOZE along the boulevard". The R18 is fine for relaxed riding, but it excels at "cut and thrust" from curve to curve, while not punishing your body in the fetal position of a modern full-boat sportbike made to reset lap times and enrich chiropractors, nor does it suit the "riding-in-the-gynecological exam" position of a cruiser.
Click to expand...
Yada Yada Yada
 
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