New BMW R18B

[bdalameda]

Hello all
I just purchased a brand new 2023 R18B. I've been riding now for 55 years and have owned 60 motorcycles. I have been intrigued with the R18 for a while and have been lurking on this site for a while. My last two BMW's were a R90s and a R100RT I had many years ago. This bike came up at such a ridiculously low price I could not turn it down and decided to give it a try. It is a heavy beast but well mannered and fun to ride. Looking forward to putting some miles on it. I live on the West Coast of California just a couple of miles from Highway 1. I know these are not selling well but it is a unique bike and perhaps not for everyone.

Dan

 

[Rambler358]

Congrats! What city? I’m in the Torrance/South Bay area.

 

[fleabag]

Congrats. I’m not that far from you in the Bay Area

 

[Anibal]

Congratulations on your new bike and welcome aboard. The R18 is not everyone’s cup of tea but you have just purchased one hell of a motorcycle at a ridiculous low price and that to me is a win win situation. A rolling piece of art and history. Enjoy

 

[Petrus]

First of al congratulations.


I have been pondering on the reason behind the low prices.
The weight is often mentioned but there ae equally heavy and even heavier bike nót suffering the same thing.
An obvious one is owners getting shy because of having dropped it.
I have been caught out twice now. Both times sort of my own fault but still, it was the bíke´s properties which caught me out.
Both times I had little but tough charming company helping me out but I find it totally understandable that it is too disconcerting and motivates a sell on.

Ok, back to the crux: Why the R18 and not other lardies? Whát is the difference; the extra disconcerting thing.
My current thinking is that it is the cilinders sticking so far out. The heavy part of the cilinder head sticks 35 cm out. These heads are properly HEAVY. For one this adds a considerabe angular moment but the crux is at or nigh standstill. If the bike leans over just a little bit into the side the handle bars is turned into, it gets and dropping becomes all but unavoidable.
The inside cilinder pulls the bike down whereas the one at the other side is no longer counter balancing because increasingly leaning inwards too. The further it leans the worse it gets.
It is like going over the hill top; the situation gets increasingly worse. I think thát is wat is the disconcerting aspect of it. Not weight persé but it getting incréasing worse instead of gradually.

Mind; again, the it is the combination with the steering being turned.
You can easily try it out with the side stand kicked out.
Turn the steering all right and lean left feel the force while letting it go on the sidestand.
Turn the steering all left and ditto.
Note how and how far the bike leans in.
Try see how the cilinder head covers move in relation to the axis through front and rear tire contact patches.
The left cilinder moves further out and the right tówards the axis, this increasingly enlarging the force pulling the bike over.
Imo thérein lies the crux of the issue with this bike.

You can also experience it when on the move, leaning into a curve. There is a marked moment when you can feel the bike go from lazy understeer to surpisingly quick oversteer falling into the corner asking for a extra throttle.

Right. Thanks for following my train of thought. Hope I made some sense

 

[bdalameda]

Congrats! What city? I’m in the Torrance/South Bay area.

I live near Monterey, CA right next to the Laguna Seca Raceway.

 

[Red64]

I live near Monterey, CA right next to the Laguna Seca Raceway.

A truly amazing area for riding. But I must admit I have not been there since I spent some weeks on exchange at Fort Old back in '88 working on Blackhawk's.
But loved the area and always wanted to make it back someday but so for not fortunate enough to visit.

 

[R2K]

Congratulations, welcome

 

[BOXR18B]

congratulations. Im hoping to get mine soon.

 

[Petrus]

could not resist placing the below photo here because of the same extreme contrast as the topic