B4rn3y
Member
Afternoon all,
I've been following this forum for several months and having just put my name down for the Bren Tune (I'm No.20, so your ticket to $200 off) I thought I should introduce myself. But first things first, this is an excellent site! The contributions from members have been hugely informative and have really helped me to get to know my R18 and get the most out of it, so far. For example, do I need to say anymore on the subject of adjusting the rear shock? Absolutely the first thing I did thanks to this site!
My story. I live on the SE coast of England, near the Channel Tunnel that connects the UK to mainland Europe (but COVID and some trepidation about the post-Brexit welcome awaiting me in France have meant I haven't used it for some time!). I ordered the R18 FE in March last year and she was delivered beginning of July, but I could only sit on her and imagine what the ride might be like, as I was still waiting for a date to take my full Motorcycle test and the only bike I could legally ride had to have 125cc or less! 2 weeks later, I had passed my test and I was out riding that same afternoon. Unlike almost everyone else on this site, the R18 is my first, and so far only, bike. My neighbour, who passed his test the previous year and encouraged me to do the same, rides a Triumph Bonneville T120 Black and told me I was mad to get a bike this big as my first ride, but having looked around for some time and having read countless reviews, I was completely blown away by the style and beauty of the big R18 Boxer and once I had seen it in person at the Dealer, I had to buy it. With no road test (and no licence), I was admittedly nervous parting with the £21k (I went for all the add ons), but I haven't been disappointed. I'm out riding whenever family and work allows, which means not as much as I would like, and whilst I don't mind hot or cold weather (neither of which are usually extreme in this part of the world), it's only the rain that I avoid (and we seem to have a lot of that!). I've done about 3k miles, mostly in the company of the Triumph T120, but it's the R18 that gets all the admiring looks and attracts the attention of passers by when we've parked up some place. I have seen only one other R18 on the road since I took delivery of mine last year.
I've made some small changes to my R18 from stock. I fitted the Mustang Day Rider seat in brown leather (plenty of photos and discussions on this site helped me make the choice) and it is a significant improvement on the stock seat. I bought and fitted the DK Design Handlebar Riser (again, via a posting made on this site) - harder than the video made it look, but still relatively simple, and this has made for a more comfortable sitting position (I'm 5,10 and felt I was reaching forward a little too much and the riser has brought the handlebars a few inches further back towards me, making a real difference). I've also fitted the Wunderlich chrome tank rack - I don't know if it will ever serve a practical purpose, but I love the look.......!. I have the Denali Sound Bomb waiting to fit (info. from this site) and some Rizoma bar ends as well and I've got at least three grand of "absolutely have to have" other mods listed on a piece of paper that are waiting for a lottery win or a work bonus - RSD Cylinder Strips and Engine Cover Strip are top of the list and I would buy them now, only they aren't available in the UK, they're out of stock in Europe, and US distributors aren't allowed to sell them into the UK.
Bit of a ramble, so apologies, but having followed the site for a while I feel I know most of the regular contributors quite well and my guess is I'm only answering in advance the questions many of you are likely to ask, and yes, I'll get some photos uploaded at some point as well!
Thanks.
I've been following this forum for several months and having just put my name down for the Bren Tune (I'm No.20, so your ticket to $200 off) I thought I should introduce myself. But first things first, this is an excellent site! The contributions from members have been hugely informative and have really helped me to get to know my R18 and get the most out of it, so far. For example, do I need to say anymore on the subject of adjusting the rear shock? Absolutely the first thing I did thanks to this site!
My story. I live on the SE coast of England, near the Channel Tunnel that connects the UK to mainland Europe (but COVID and some trepidation about the post-Brexit welcome awaiting me in France have meant I haven't used it for some time!). I ordered the R18 FE in March last year and she was delivered beginning of July, but I could only sit on her and imagine what the ride might be like, as I was still waiting for a date to take my full Motorcycle test and the only bike I could legally ride had to have 125cc or less! 2 weeks later, I had passed my test and I was out riding that same afternoon. Unlike almost everyone else on this site, the R18 is my first, and so far only, bike. My neighbour, who passed his test the previous year and encouraged me to do the same, rides a Triumph Bonneville T120 Black and told me I was mad to get a bike this big as my first ride, but having looked around for some time and having read countless reviews, I was completely blown away by the style and beauty of the big R18 Boxer and once I had seen it in person at the Dealer, I had to buy it. With no road test (and no licence), I was admittedly nervous parting with the £21k (I went for all the add ons), but I haven't been disappointed. I'm out riding whenever family and work allows, which means not as much as I would like, and whilst I don't mind hot or cold weather (neither of which are usually extreme in this part of the world), it's only the rain that I avoid (and we seem to have a lot of that!). I've done about 3k miles, mostly in the company of the Triumph T120, but it's the R18 that gets all the admiring looks and attracts the attention of passers by when we've parked up some place. I have seen only one other R18 on the road since I took delivery of mine last year.
I've made some small changes to my R18 from stock. I fitted the Mustang Day Rider seat in brown leather (plenty of photos and discussions on this site helped me make the choice) and it is a significant improvement on the stock seat. I bought and fitted the DK Design Handlebar Riser (again, via a posting made on this site) - harder than the video made it look, but still relatively simple, and this has made for a more comfortable sitting position (I'm 5,10 and felt I was reaching forward a little too much and the riser has brought the handlebars a few inches further back towards me, making a real difference). I've also fitted the Wunderlich chrome tank rack - I don't know if it will ever serve a practical purpose, but I love the look.......!. I have the Denali Sound Bomb waiting to fit (info. from this site) and some Rizoma bar ends as well and I've got at least three grand of "absolutely have to have" other mods listed on a piece of paper that are waiting for a lottery win or a work bonus - RSD Cylinder Strips and Engine Cover Strip are top of the list and I would buy them now, only they aren't available in the UK, they're out of stock in Europe, and US distributors aren't allowed to sell them into the UK.
Bit of a ramble, so apologies, but having followed the site for a while I feel I know most of the regular contributors quite well and my guess is I'm only answering in advance the questions many of you are likely to ask, and yes, I'll get some photos uploaded at some point as well!
Thanks.
Also based in the south - in between Reading & London.