Transcontinental thouhts

E

esmurrell

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Ok, I spent about 6 hours on my R18 T today and did several hundred miles and have a first impressions report to offer. I'm not particularly eloquent with words but will do my best. Here goes....

Overview:
I bought this bike after just seeing the pictures on the internet. I hadn't ridden any version of the R18 so didn't know what to expect. I had a 2018 Goldwing and decided I had enough of that. The bike was fine and glitch free. It works perfectly well but doesn't have the "soul" I like when riding. So, I sold it hoping the R18 Transcontinental would fill the bill. My initial impression is that is just might. There is no doubt the Goldwing is smoother than the R18 but it should be with a 6-cylinder engine. I like the way this twin operates. It provides enough without causing my eyes to pop. The vibes of the engine let me know I have a thoroughbred between my legs and I need to be careful when mounting her. It seems a little nervous but will hold a line at 75 mph with no hands on the bars and cruise on (not advised). I have been going from bike to bike in an attempt to reach that state of nirvana that says, I finally have it and will stop buying bikes. Once I thought I was there with my 2009 K1200 LT but got itchy when I heard the K1600GTL was on the way (that was a bad move). The R18 T is a mans bike and not for the faint of heart. When you read the spec regarding the weight, believe it. It takes quite a bunch to lift off the side-stand. I am hopeful this bike will provide me with miles of smiles. Right now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Likes:
Big twin rumble - there are some that believe this engine to be too vibey but my thinking is they may not be accustomed to large twin engines. The boxer configuration takes care of primary vibrations but there are secondary and tertiary vibes that get through. I believe they are the good kind and I like them.
Torque - this big twin has great acceleration and passing power. If you are judicious with the transmission, you should be pleased with it's pulling power from any speed.
Tech - this bike has all of the tech anyone could ask for. Because of the depth of the technology on this bike, you really need to spend some time reading the owners manual to appreciate everything there. It's pretty extensive and I love that about it. Also, so far, everything is working glitch free.
Finish - I have the Galaxy Dust and it looks amazing! I absolutely love it. Whenever I stop someplace, people want to talk about the bike. It is an attention getter.
Exhaust note - enough said.
Heft - the size of the bike makes for an exceptionally comfortable ride, especially in the corners. You have to be deliberate when turning it but it will hold a line like nothing else and return the confidence of a pit bull.
Connected app - I love the two-way talking the app does with the bike. Getting bike data on the app is truly cool to me.
Sound system - most of the time, I use a headset but the fidelity of the sound system is much better than my 2018 Goldwing (especially with the headset). That's a pleasant surprise.

Dislikes:
Cellphone case - I have a Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G and it won't fit in the case. Given the navigation data is fed real time to the bike, it sucks the life out of the battery in about 5 hours. This simply wont do. My phone costs $1,200 so I'm not replacing it. It shouldn't be too hard to increase the size of the case slightly to hold all phones. I'm disappointed with this (pissed).
Slow speed handling - you really have to be paying attention when maneuvering at parking lot speeds (can anyone say pucker that butt?!?!). I'm sure my skill will improve but it is quite dicey.
Keyless - I'm coming from a 2018 Goldwing and with it, you just walk away from the bike and the thing automatically locks itself. BMW could learn something here. Remembering to lock it is a pain. In 2021, this should be a simple change, perhaps even a download. Help us BMW!
Connected app - while I can use the app without a problem, BMW should allow Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Come on BMW, help us here!
Sound system - I was expecting more from the marriage with Marshall. It's not bad but not great either.(bass is boomy and that's with equalization set to flat). I think this should be better but that's just me.

Those are my initial impressions and of course, YMMV.

Eric
 
Interesting thoughts, thanks. I briefly test rode (almost 30 minutes) a TC. Coming from a K1600 Grand America it was definitely a change, but in a good way I think. The TC has character (soul?) compared to the GA, and is more engaging to me. I’m going to be bringing my wife with me for another test ride on this beat to see what she thinks of it. She wants me to keep the GA, but the bike’s freeway instability when riding solo is having me look for something else.
 
Rambler358 said:
Interesting thoughts, thanks. I briefly test rode (almost 30 minutes) a TC. Coming from a K1600 Grand America it was definitely a change, but in a good way I think. The TC has character (soul?) compared to the GA, and is more engaging to me. I’m going to be bringing my wife with me for another test ride on this beat to see what she thinks of it. She wants me to keep the GA, but the bike’s freeway instability when riding solo is having me look for something else.
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Rambler,

I owned a K1600GTL when they first came out. If you compare the freeway stability, you will not be very happy. I believe it is the fact the R18 T has a fork mounted fairing. If you can make a mental adjustment for that, you will find this bike is quite stable. In fact, I can ride with the cruise at 75 with you hands on the bars. I don't recommend it but you can do it.

Eric
 
esmurrell said:
Rambler,

I owned a K1600GTL when they first came out. If you compare the freeway stability, you will not be very happy. I believe it is the fact the R18 T has a fork mounted fairing. If you can make a mental adjustment for that, you will find this bike is quite stable. In fact, I can ride with the cruise at 75 with you hands on the bars. I don't recommend it but you can do it.

Eric
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Agree I have owned two 1600 GTL and GTE along with the Grand America and the R18TC is much more stable passing trucks without the buffing or shaking. Agree you can ride no hands and it stays on the line....a different type of ride in a good way but I am still getting use to the shifting with the toe and heel since I didn't come from the HD world...
 
Bigphoto said:
Agree I have owned two 1600 GTL and GTE along with the Grand America and the R18TC is much more stable passing trucks without the buffing or shaking. Agree you can ride no hands and it stays on the line....a different type of ride in a good way but I am still getting use to the shifting with the toe and heel since I didn't come from the HD world...
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From what I’ve seen, the TC has the same type of heel-toe shifter that are on other cruisers. So if you don’t like the heel shifter it can be removed, and the toe shifter can be adjusted to your liking.
 
I did a test ride on the Bagger 4 days ago. I enjoyed all aspects of the ride though whilst cruising at a 100 km I opened the throttle to simulate overtaking a road train and the vibration level was huge, to the extent I throttled off. I have not ridden a boxer for a few years and wonder does it need a down shift when overtaking at cruise speeds? This fact alone has stopped me from buying the transcontinental. Slow speed work takes some practice but it is possible to do a full lock turn.
 
Rambler358 said:
From what I’ve seen, the TC has the same type of heel-toe shifter that are on other cruisers. So if you don’t like the heel shifter it can be removed, and the toe shifter can be adjusted to your liking.
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I have had my TC for a week now and can’t get used to the heel shifter which I have never used, however there is no choice, I’ll explain: on my HD Street Glide you could remove the heel shifter and just use your toe because your foot was quite far in front of you so you could rotate your ankle on the foot plate, however on the R18 your foot is a lot further back under you and you can’t rotate your foot far enough up to get it on top of the lever, you would have to lift your heel off the foot plate, the other answer would be to replace the foot plate with a foot-peg. I’ve tried every adjustment and lever position there is and there is just no way around it with the foot plate 🙄
 
Billy Bob McC said:
I have had my TC for a week now and can’t get used to the heel shifter which I have never used, however there is no choice, I’ll explain: on my HD Street Glide you could remove the heel shifter and just use your toe because your foot was quite far in front of you so you could rotate your ankle on the foot plate, however on the R18 your foot is a lot further back under you and you can’t rotate your foot far enough up to get it on top of the lever, you would have to lift your heel off the foot plate, the other answer would be to replace the foot plate with a foot-peg. I’ve tried every adjustment and lever position there is and there is just no way around it with the foot plate 🙄
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Or maybe a longer toe-shift lever that your foot presses on. I’m sure a lot of aftermarket stuff will be coming out.
 
Rambler358 said:
Or maybe a longer toe-shift lever that your foot presses on. I’m sure a lot of aftermarket stuff will be coming out.
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Sorted, installed the heel lever to the outside of the toe lever and rotated it down, however it was then hitting the exhaust shroud when changing up, bent the lever out about 5 degrees, now it misses the shroud, just have to get used to the toe-heel operation 👍🏻
 
We have much in common. Just 2 weeks ago I traded in my 2018 Goldwing Tour manual for the Transcontinental. Your mentioning of "soul" was very relatable to me. The Goldwing is beyond a great bike. But for me it was too smooth and too quite. I found myself a little jealous whenever a sweet sounding twin was riding near by. Didn't want to be one of the herd so a Harley was not for me. So after watching too many YouTube reviews I saw in person and purchased my Transcontinental. The heft real but disappears once underway. Topcase capacity is a disappointment but after the GW I'm used to that!lol Already missing the GW's adjustable windsheild.242183915_3064346357118373_790727924003217509_n.jpg

BTW it should be mentioned that the R18 B and Trans are impressive deals when compared to the Harley Electra Glide Ultra Limited's when features are considered.
 
Billy Bob McC said:
I have had my TC for a week now and can’t get used to the heel shifter which I have never used, however there is no choice, I’ll explain: on my HD Street Glide you could remove the heel shifter and just use your toe because your foot was quite far in front of you so you could rotate your ankle on the foot plate, however on the R18 your foot is a lot further back under you and you can’t rotate your foot far enough up to get it on top of the lever, you would have to lift your heel off the foot plate, the other answer would be to replace the foot plate with a foot-peg. I’ve tried every adjustment and lever position there is and there is just no way around it with the foot plate 🙄
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Took me about 3 times to get the heel toe adjustment to my liking. I also replaced the rear brake pedal with a Kuryakyn 3in shifter pedal. did not like having to turn my foot in so much to use the rear brake. Still not confident with u turns yet.
 
Lloydw1 said:
Took me about 3 times to get the heel toe adjustment to my liking. I also replaced the rear brake pedal with a Kuryakyn 3in shifter pedal. did not like having to turn my foot in so much to use the rear brake. Still not confident with u turns yet.
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What Kuryakyn shifter pedal did you get, link? I didn't see any accessories for the R18 on Kuryakyn's web site.
 
Rambler358 said:
What Kuryakyn shifter pedal did you get, link? I didn't see any accessories for the R18 on Kuryakyn's web
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Kuryakyn 5956 Shift peg for a Harley. Used shifters standard bolt with a washer. Hopefully you can see in pictures. I wear size 10 boots and this has worked out well for be.
 

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Lloydw1 said:
We have much in common. Just 2 weeks ago I traded in my 2018 Goldwing Tour manual for the Transcontinental. Your mentioning of "soul" was very relatable to me. The Goldwing is beyond a great bike. But for me it was too smooth and too quite. I found myself a little jealous whenever a sweet sounding twin was riding near by. Didn't want to be one of the herd so a Harley was not for me. So after watching too many YouTube reviews I saw in person and purchased my Transcontinental. The heft real but disappears once underway. Topcase capacity is a disappointment but after the GW I'm used to that!lol Already missing the GW's adjustable windsheild.View attachment 2889

BTW it should be mentioned that the R18 B and Trans are impressive deals when compared to the Harley Electra Glide Ultra Limited's when features are considered.
Click to expand...
Lloyd,

Congratulations on your new First Edition Transcontinental! I go the Galaxy Dust color. It looks like you're in Cleveland. I am in Texas. I'd love to get together and ride with you but the miles between us are significant indeed. Happy riding and stay safe.

Eric
 
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