I've had my R18 since September 22nd. I managed about 1000 miles before winter. She's had her first service. I haven't had any problems.
At 120 miles, on September 23rd, I posted the following on a Moto Guzzi site I also frequent. I'm posting it here as sort of a barometer on issues; positive and negative. Maybe it'll help a prospective buyer with questions/concerns? It's interesting when I look back at this because I'm less concerned about GP shifting than I was, and my initial positive feelings about the pipes hasn't soured. The post was taken with typical Guzzi-graciousness. Most are riders first and Guzzi owners second.
[begin]
I bought one yesterday. Rode it about 120 miles today. It's a blast. Pulls like a damn freight train. I'll get to more of my impression later.
First, the usual gripes:
1) It's heavy. Yes. It's something insane like 760 pounds. It's really heavy. Despite it's girth, riding around, even in parking lots, it feels...nimble? Can I say that about 760 lbs? Maneuvering it in my garage is tedious. There's an electrical reverse gear that's something of a novelty. I don't have any trouble pushing her backwards though, at least on flat surfaces.
2) It's low. Yes. Saddle height is 27 inches. That's not a big deal until you get to 2.b) the pegs are like 8 1/2 inches from the ground and 2.c) There's only 3.5" of travel in the rear shock. Many, many reviews mentioned pegs scraping seemingly all the time. Well, 100+ miles today in the coulee region of SW Wisconsin and nary a scrape. Granted, I was careful and was "cruising", but, regardless, she's not the peg-scaper that you may be lead to believe, at least not with, let's say, un-spirited use. The rear shock travel issue is confusing to me because reviewers will say it's not typical of BMW but IS typical of other cruisers, ie the HD Softail, etc., and then go on to say that it's a problem. I guess either way it translates to potentially not the smoothest ride. Felt fine to me though.
3) The pegs are under you. Kinda. They're actually about 16" forward. I'm 6' with a 32" inseam. Sitting in the saddle, my thighs are parallel with the ground and my knees are at a 90 degree angle. It's like sitting on the can.
It's not uncomfortable for me, but I'm used to a loop frame and, if I really want to torture myself, a Ducati Sport Classic. If you absolutely must equate cruiser with extreme foot-forwardness, you're out of luck.
4) those mufflers! Holy crap what were they thinking? All I can say is, in person, they're kinda sexy. They curve in and under and are pretty sleek overall. I had anticipated changing them pretty much immediately, now, well, we'll see.
5) It vibrates! Why no counter-weights! Yup. Apparently the engineers wanted to recreate the R5 feel right down to it pulling to the left when you twist the throttle. After riding my Guzzi (which visibly shakes whilst on it's stand), this engineered un-refinement doesn't faze me. I could see it bothering some, however.
Next, my gripes
1) There's no fuel gauge. It's a $23K motorcycle with all sorts of useless info on the dash (average speed? Seriously?) but no fuel gauge. How is this acceptable?
2) The seat is atrocious. For reference, remember, I ride a Paul Smart Ducati who's seat cushion is slightly thicker than a folded $5 bill, and my old Guzzi which has a generic "bobber" seat. Not premium comfort items, either of them. So you can sense my disappointment with the abuse that is the R18 saddle. I remember one reviewer who said that swapping seats is mandatory. He was correct and it will happen.
3) She's kinda quiet. Not sure how to remedy that short of swapping pipes.
4) There's no way that I can see to reverse the shifting to GP to match my other bikes. Bummer.
Next still, my positive impressions
1) The build. It's built like a brick sh*thouse. Everything is very-well executed and exudes quality in both build and material. In terms of fit and finish, it's very well done.
2) The look. Long and low. The lowness (as mentioned above) sacrifices lean angle and rear shock travel. In return, you get that cruiser aesthetic. Adjunct to this is the simplicity of the dash and overall cleanness of the handlebars/controls. Everything is tidy.
3) That engine. It's monumental. It's uncluttered by hoses and cables and trim pieces. It's just a great big boxer engine, right there, and there, and there's some too. I find it beautiful. And, performance-wise, it's a hoot. Twist the throttle and it just keeps pulling and pulling. The torque is fantastic, which is important because she only makes 91hp.
4) It's purpose-built for cruising. So many of the reviews found faults because they were trying to make the R18 into something it isn't. She's not a bagger. Although you can get a windscreen, if you don't have one, and you're doing 70 sitting bolt upright, there's gonna be a breeze. She's not a sport bike. If you're scraping your pegs around every corner, you're going too fast. Slow down. Cruise. She's not a touring bike. The tank is a bit over 4 gallons and the seat is horrible. You're gonna want to stop to stretch out, low fuel notwithstanding. So stop. Look around. Relax.
My final word is that it's really something you need to see and, hopefully ride, before passing judgement. It's far more appealing in person than in photos and many of the expert's impressions don't really apply for typical riding.
[end]
/I still haven't scraped a peg.
Nate
At 120 miles, on September 23rd, I posted the following on a Moto Guzzi site I also frequent. I'm posting it here as sort of a barometer on issues; positive and negative. Maybe it'll help a prospective buyer with questions/concerns? It's interesting when I look back at this because I'm less concerned about GP shifting than I was, and my initial positive feelings about the pipes hasn't soured. The post was taken with typical Guzzi-graciousness. Most are riders first and Guzzi owners second.
[begin]
I bought one yesterday. Rode it about 120 miles today. It's a blast. Pulls like a damn freight train. I'll get to more of my impression later.
First, the usual gripes:
1) It's heavy. Yes. It's something insane like 760 pounds. It's really heavy. Despite it's girth, riding around, even in parking lots, it feels...nimble? Can I say that about 760 lbs? Maneuvering it in my garage is tedious. There's an electrical reverse gear that's something of a novelty. I don't have any trouble pushing her backwards though, at least on flat surfaces.
2) It's low. Yes. Saddle height is 27 inches. That's not a big deal until you get to 2.b) the pegs are like 8 1/2 inches from the ground and 2.c) There's only 3.5" of travel in the rear shock. Many, many reviews mentioned pegs scraping seemingly all the time. Well, 100+ miles today in the coulee region of SW Wisconsin and nary a scrape. Granted, I was careful and was "cruising", but, regardless, she's not the peg-scaper that you may be lead to believe, at least not with, let's say, un-spirited use. The rear shock travel issue is confusing to me because reviewers will say it's not typical of BMW but IS typical of other cruisers, ie the HD Softail, etc., and then go on to say that it's a problem. I guess either way it translates to potentially not the smoothest ride. Felt fine to me though.
3) The pegs are under you. Kinda. They're actually about 16" forward. I'm 6' with a 32" inseam. Sitting in the saddle, my thighs are parallel with the ground and my knees are at a 90 degree angle. It's like sitting on the can.
4) those mufflers! Holy crap what were they thinking? All I can say is, in person, they're kinda sexy. They curve in and under and are pretty sleek overall. I had anticipated changing them pretty much immediately, now, well, we'll see.
5) It vibrates! Why no counter-weights! Yup. Apparently the engineers wanted to recreate the R5 feel right down to it pulling to the left when you twist the throttle. After riding my Guzzi (which visibly shakes whilst on it's stand), this engineered un-refinement doesn't faze me. I could see it bothering some, however.
Next, my gripes
1) There's no fuel gauge. It's a $23K motorcycle with all sorts of useless info on the dash (average speed? Seriously?) but no fuel gauge. How is this acceptable?
2) The seat is atrocious. For reference, remember, I ride a Paul Smart Ducati who's seat cushion is slightly thicker than a folded $5 bill, and my old Guzzi which has a generic "bobber" seat. Not premium comfort items, either of them. So you can sense my disappointment with the abuse that is the R18 saddle. I remember one reviewer who said that swapping seats is mandatory. He was correct and it will happen.
3) She's kinda quiet. Not sure how to remedy that short of swapping pipes.
4) There's no way that I can see to reverse the shifting to GP to match my other bikes. Bummer.
Next still, my positive impressions
1) The build. It's built like a brick sh*thouse. Everything is very-well executed and exudes quality in both build and material. In terms of fit and finish, it's very well done.
2) The look. Long and low. The lowness (as mentioned above) sacrifices lean angle and rear shock travel. In return, you get that cruiser aesthetic. Adjunct to this is the simplicity of the dash and overall cleanness of the handlebars/controls. Everything is tidy.
3) That engine. It's monumental. It's uncluttered by hoses and cables and trim pieces. It's just a great big boxer engine, right there, and there, and there's some too. I find it beautiful. And, performance-wise, it's a hoot. Twist the throttle and it just keeps pulling and pulling. The torque is fantastic, which is important because she only makes 91hp.
4) It's purpose-built for cruising. So many of the reviews found faults because they were trying to make the R18 into something it isn't. She's not a bagger. Although you can get a windscreen, if you don't have one, and you're doing 70 sitting bolt upright, there's gonna be a breeze. She's not a sport bike. If you're scraping your pegs around every corner, you're going too fast. Slow down. Cruise. She's not a touring bike. The tank is a bit over 4 gallons and the seat is horrible. You're gonna want to stop to stretch out, low fuel notwithstanding. So stop. Look around. Relax.
My final word is that it's really something you need to see and, hopefully ride, before passing judgement. It's far more appealing in person than in photos and many of the expert's impressions don't really apply for typical riding.
[end]
/I still haven't scraped a peg.
Nate
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