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Wreckit

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Hello Everyone,

I am up in Canada about an hour north of Toronto in Barrie, Ontario. I have on order a 2022 Storm Black R18B that I will not be able to ride even if it comes in anytime soon until March but more likely April (the snow is coming). I traded in my 2018 K1600B for it as I had it in my head that the K bike was eventually going to get me in trouble as its so easy to wick it up to 200kmph in a heartbeat plus in my opinion the whole R18 series is a work of art.

Would like to hear from TC/B owners on their riding impressions just to keep me from getting the shakes with anticipation. The only thing I worry about moving from the K to the R18 is the vibes. The K is as smooth as glass and 20 years ago I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands as back then riding my R1100R would make my hands go numb in 5 minutes. I don't mind the vibes (on the demo rides) but in the back of my head I worry about the carpal tunnel issue coming back. Any feedback to ease my mind would be appreciated.
 
I have ridden over 100 miles on my R18FE so far...and last summer I had one for an entire day on the demo ride because I know the owner of the dealer. I have owned many many motorcycles over the years...from smooth as glass honda cbr1000rr to super vibey early 2000's boxer engines. Here are my initial thoughts on riding the R18.

Startup nearly throws you off the bike...lol. It def vibes at idle as well. The mirrors are shaking and the big boxer is barely breathing...

Once you get going things get smooth really quickly. Not smooth like a Japanese 4 banger but let's be honest, this bike isn't intended for that. Riding at highway speeds in 4th, 5th or 6th gear everything is pretty smooth...mirrors are clear and the motor is in it's sweet spot.

The transmission is surprisingly good...every single bmw transmission I have witnessed has had a very loud and annoying clunk going into first gear...this bike doesnt do that. Not sure what they changed but it certainly took long enough...lol.

Power feels underwhelming, mostly because the bike runs out of rpm but then you look down and realize your doing 80mph, so it's fast but just doesn't feel that fast. It feels like it has enough torque to pull the titanic from the bottom of the atlantic though, and any gear your in the toque pulls your through. I will dragy mine soon and my guess is a high 12 second 1/4 mile and 0-60 in the low 4 second range.

So, to answer your question, I think you should be ok...it does vibe, but not all the time and the majority of the time you don't really notice it. I have really enjoyed mine so far, it gets lots of attention and feels like i am driving a modern day WW2 motorcycle.
 
ArabianOak said:
The transmission is surprisingly good...every single bmw transmission I have witnessed has had a very loud and annoying clunk going into first gear...this bike doesnt do that. Not sure what they changed but it certainly took long enough...lol.
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This cannot be overemphasized enough. It has the best R bike tranny of all time!
It will never be K16 smooth; the vibes are there, but at speed the engine is barely turning --more of a lopey low frequency vibration. I find that a shot of cruise control from time to time and giving the hand a rest helps. A set of Grip Puppies helps a good bit too.
 
TodkaVonic said:
1) welcome Wreckit!
2) Do either of you hands get numb/tingly with any activity? What parts of your hands?
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Not since I had the surgery in both hands which was years ago. I do remember it was both hands and it would be numbness in 2 and a half fingers. Every night would wake up with the numbness and had to wear braces on both hands. The surgery was a success and never had the problem again. As for activities, the R1100R was the worst but I was a service tech at the time and working with general tools would always aggravate also.
 
Wreckit said:
Not since I had the surgery in both hands which was years ago. I do remember it was both hands and it would be numbness in 2 and a half fingers. Every night would wake up with the numbness and had to wear braces on both hands. The surgery was a success and never had the problem again. As for activities, the R1100R was the worst but I was a service tech at the time and working with general tools would always aggravate also.
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Armchair doctoring, here. I'd say you're good. No symptoms for years after surgery and all the while you've ridden various bikes with different arm positions and vibrations/etc. The relative vibration-ness of an R18 won't set things off again. If it's a concern, you could premedicate with anti-inflammatories like Advil or Alleve or slap the old braces on again. Nobody will notice em because they'll all be staring at the 1803cc beauty.
 
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burangs said:
This cannot be overemphasized enough. It has the best R bike tranny of all time!
It will never be K16 smooth; the vibes are there, but at speed the engine is barely turning --more of a lopey low frequency vibration. I find that a shot of cruise control from time to time and giving the hand a rest helps. A set of Grip Puppies helps a good bit too.
Click to expand...
Completely agree. Though having shift assist would've been a nice option for me.
 
ArabianOak said:
I have ridden over 100 miles on my R18FE so far...and last summer I had one for an entire day on the demo ride because I know the owner of the dealer. I have owned many many motorcycles over the years...from smooth as glass honda cbr1000rr to super vibey early 2000's boxer engines. Here are my initial thoughts on riding the R18.

Startup nearly throws you off the bike...lol. It def vibes at idle as well. The mirrors are shaking and the big boxer is barely breathing...

Once you get going things get smooth really quickly. Not smooth like a Japanese 4 banger but let's be honest, this bike isn't intended for that. Riding at highway speeds in 4th, 5th or 6th gear everything is pretty smooth...mirrors are clear and the motor is in it's sweet spot.

The transmission is surprisingly good...every single bmw transmission I have witnessed has had a very loud and annoying clunk going into first gear...this bike doesnt do that. Not sure what they changed but it certainly took long enough...lol.

Power feels underwhelming, mostly because the bike runs out of rpm but then you look down and realize your doing 80mph, so it's fast but just doesn't feel that fast. It feels like it has enough torque to pull the titanic from the bottom of the atlantic though, and any gear your in the toque pulls your through. I will dragy mine soon and my guess is a high 12 second 1/4 mile and 0-60 in the low 4 second range.

So, to answer your question, I think you should be ok...it does vibe, but not all the time and the majority of the time you don't really notice it. I have really enjoyed mine so far, it gets lots of attention and feels like i am driving a modern day WW2 motorcycle.
Click to expand...
That is one of the best owner reviews I’ve read describing the riding experience.
 
Personally I would not give up the K1600B for the R18.
Kept them both.
If you do not ride many miles or take long trips, and simply prefer the retro looks of the R18, you made the right choice.
If you are trading the K1600B for the R18 for other than aesthetic, you will quickly be disappointed.
For power, speed, comfort, smoothness and all around ride ability, the K1600B wins hands down.
The R18 like the Harley, does make a great for around town and a putt to the dealer on sunny Saturdays for a T-shirt

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Black Dog said:
Personally I would not give up the K1600B for the R18.
Kept them both.
If you do not ride many miles or take long trips, and simply prefer the retro looks of the R18, you made the right choice.
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This may be true for the standard R18, but not the new 2022 B and TC models.
I sold my K1600 Grand America and got the R18 Transcontinental. My wife and I do many long rides to include weekends. The TC is even more comfortable for my wife than the Grand America was.
Not disappointed at all.
 
Rambler358 said:
This may be true for the standard R18, but not the new 2022 B and TC models.
I sold my K1600 Grand America and got the R18 Transcontinental. My wife and I do many long rides to include weekends. The TC is even more comfortable for my wife than the Grand America was.
Not disappointed at all.
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You will get over it.
You see, any time I want I can ride one then climb imediately on the other one and make the same ride.
K1600B hands down the better Riding motorcycle, R18 better retro styling and Sunny Saturday morning T-shirt ride motorcycle.
 
Black Dog said:
You will get over it.
You see, any time I want I can ride one then climb imediately on the other one and make the same ride.
K1600B hands down the better Riding motorcycle, R18 better retro styling and Sunny Saturday morning T-shirt ride motorcycle.
Click to expand...
Different strokes for different folks. But I don’t have the original R18, so your thoughts are likely valid for that model. The Transcontinental is a true riding and touring bike though - at least for me, and some others who’ve bought the bike have said that. The R18 is not the same bike as the Transcontinental.
 
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