2022 BMW R 18 Transcontinental Review | MC Commute - video Dailymotion

Motorcyclist

BMW Motorrad expands its Boxer Twin-powered heavyweight cruiser lineup with the addition of a full-dresser luxury-touring variation in the R 18 B Transcontinental ($31,320 as tested).The Transcontinental goes up against motorcycles like the Bar & Shield brand’s Electra Glide and Indian Motorcycles Roadmaster. In this video review we describe what it’s like to operate during the official North American press introduction.  ---  Full story here: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/reviews/2022-bmw-r-18-b-transcontinental-mc-commute/  Learn more about the rest of the R 18 lineup:  2021 BMW R 18 Cruiser MC Commute Review: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/reviews/2021-bmw-r-18-cruiser-mc-commute-review/  2021 BMW R 18 Classic First Look Preview: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/news/2021-bmw-r-18-classic-first-look-preview/  2022 BMW R 18 B and R 18 Transcontinental First Look: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/news/2022-bmw-r-18-b-and-r18-transcontinental-first-look/  2021 BMW R 18 Power Cruiser First Look Preview: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/news/2021-bmw-r-18-classic-first-look-preview/  BMW Concept R18 Cruiser First Look: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/bmw-concept-r18-cruiser-first-look/  BMW R 1800 Big Boxer Twin Technical Details https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/news/bmw-r-1800-big-boxer-twin-technical-detail/  Photography: Kevin Wing Videography/edit:  @AdamWaheed    Motorcycle Riding Gear Worn  Helmet: Shoei RF-SR, https://www.shoei-helmets.com/ Jacket: Saint Unbreakable Denim Shearling Collar, https://us.saint.cc/products/unbreakable-shearling-collar-jacket Pant: Saint Unbreakable Gloves: Racer Guide, https://www.racerglovesusa.com/ Boots: TCX Rush 2 Air, https://us.tcxboots.com/  Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine   See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/

Transcript

00:00 Hey folks, welcome to this special edition MC Commute coming to you live from the official

00:06 North American press introduction of BMW Motorrad's 2022 R18 Transcontinental.

00:15 Let's swing a leg over this bad boy and see what it's like to ride.

00:19 Yew!

00:20 All right boys and girls, here it is.

00:23 BMW Motorrad's R18 Transcontinental luxury touring bike.

00:30 This motorcycle is all new for the 2022 model year.

00:35 It expands BMW Motorrad's cruiser lineup, which began last year with the 2021 R18.

00:47 Then the R18 Classic was added, which is basically an R18 with 16-inch wheels and a windscreen

00:56 and nice luggage.

00:58 And then we have the R18B, which is the beggar variation of this motorcycle designed to go

01:06 up against American V-Twins.

01:09 And now we have the granddaddy of them all, the R18 Transcontinental.

01:16 This motorcycle is designed for conventional cruiser riders who are looking for a motorcycle

01:24 that they can tour the country on.

01:29 This motorcycle is powered by BMW's 1802cc Boxer twin.

01:36 BMW's been crafting these engines for over 90 years.

01:40 Isn't that crazy?

01:41 90 years of Boxer engine design and manufacturing in Germany.

01:49 And look at that engine.

01:51 Look how beautiful it is.

01:52 This thing is just absolutely gorgeous.

01:54 It is easily one of the most pretty motorcycle engines or any kind of vehicle, internal combustion

02:01 engine that I've seen in a long time.

02:05 Now imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and this bike looks just like an electric

02:10 ride.

02:11 Come on.

02:12 The front fairing, the wheels, the lines of the motorcycle is very, very based on Harley

02:22 Davidson's awesome electric ride.

02:25 I really like the styling of this motorcycle.

02:27 It almost looks like an electric ride crossed with a MXG, MGX21 Moto Guzzi and you have

02:35 this fine piece of jewelry.

02:39 I also like the styling of the mechanical drive shaft right there.

02:45 Look how pretty that thing is.

02:47 Everything on this motorcycle just looks top notch.

02:51 It looks like a two-wheeled piece of high-end jewelry.

02:57 But enough talking about this motorcycle.

03:00 Let's swing a leg over it and tell you what it's like to ride.

03:05 Woo!

03:06 All right, folks, here we are about to get on the 2021, I'm sorry, 2022 BMW R18 Transcontinental.

03:21 This is a new motorcycle from BMW Motorrad out of Berlin, Germany.

03:32 Now this particular motorcycle is the full dresser touring specific cruiser that BMW

03:44 now offers.

03:46 Now earlier in the year, actually last year, they debuted their R18 cruiser, which is just

03:54 a conventional twin-cylinder cruiser modeled after Harley-Davidson's soft tail slim, I

04:04 believe.

04:06 Then we have the R18 Classic, which is a BMW twin-cylinder cruiser with a nice windshield

04:18 and a set of luggage, and that motorcycle is more along the lines of Harley-Davidson's

04:27 soft tail heritage vehicle.

04:32 Then we have the BMW R18B, which is the bagger-style motorcycle right over there.

04:43 It does not have the top case on it, nor this huge encompassing aerodynamics and these air

04:54 levers here and there that give more wind protection.

04:59 And now we have the full dresser machine.

05:02 Looking at that bagger over there, it is just so similar.

05:07 This motorcycle just looks just like Moto Guzzi's MGX21.

05:13 The lines on these bikes are very similar to the Moto Guzzi, in my opinion.

05:20 It's also interesting that the Moto Guzzi has the same, not the same boxer engine, but

05:26 a horizontally mounted engine in a V configuration, which is kind of neat.

05:34 So here we are hopping on this 2022 BMW R18 Transcontinental vehicle.

05:46 We just had lunch at the Stanley Hotel here in Colorado, which you are going to see in

05:55 a minute after we go around this curve.

05:58 There is the Stanley Hotel to our right.

06:03 And these touring style, air-cooled touring bikes are a great way to log miles and see

06:11 stuff and just enjoy the ride.

06:16 There's the Stanley Hotel right there, guys.

06:18 There it is.

06:21 So these motorcycles are a great way just to log miles, see stuff, be comfortable.

06:27 This motorcycle isn't about going extremely fast or hauling butt or doing anything crazy.

06:33 This motorcycle is all about just cruising.

06:38 And that is what we are doing right now.

06:41 Now, this particular vehicle is powered by BMW's 1802cc boxer twin.

06:53 This is an air-cooled engine that has pistons in opposed format.

07:00 So one piston is on this side going this way, one piston is on this side going this way.

07:06 And BMW likes to use this configuration, well, first off, because they've been doing it for

07:12 over 90 years.

07:14 And second off is the piston power strokes automatically neutralize vibration to a certain

07:23 extent.

07:24 So the engine is more balanced.

07:28 So that is one of the reasons why they like to use this engine configuration.

07:33 It also looks super cool and it gives a good center of gravity for a motorcycle.

07:43 Now BMW, it's crazy to think, but they've literally been making these boxer twin engines

07:49 in Germany for over 90 years.

07:52 Isn't that unbelievable?

07:54 I love any company that has heritage and really takes pride in doing something well for a

08:04 long period of time.

08:06 And I have to give a lot of respect to the Motorrad factory for sticking to their guns

08:13 and keep refining these engines into what they are today.

08:17 And this engine is just awesome.

08:20 It just delivers.

08:22 I mean, first off, visually looking at this engine, it's just, it's absolutely beautiful.

08:28 I haven't seen an internal combustion engine that looks that good, aesthetically speaking,

08:37 in a long time.

08:38 It just looks like it's, it almost looks like an electric motor because the engine is just

08:44 so precisely shaped.

08:45 It's like a capsule of performance.

08:49 Just a really nice job of styling the engine and making it look special.

08:56 And this engine is special.

08:57 Now, I also really like the sound and character of this engine.

09:04 Now these multi-twin cylinder, air-cooled, cruiser style touring bikes, these bikes are

09:12 all about having really good sound, having cool sound and engine character.

09:18 And this powertrain absolutely has a very nice rumble to it.

09:24 Not only is the rumble awesome here in the cabin, but the exhaust note, like this is

09:29 an awesome sounding motorcycle.

09:31 Now, it doesn't sound, it sounds different than the other American competitors in the

09:39 space, but I wouldn't say that their vehicles sound any better than this one.

09:45 This one has a very unique tone to it and it sounds awesome.

09:49 I love how crisp the engine note is in the cockpit and how clean the exhaust note is.

09:57 Like this is a great sounding motorcycle.

09:59 You wouldn't have to put pipes on this thing because it sounds good from the factory, in

10:04 my opinion.

10:06 Now, this vehicle is controlled via a ride-by-wire throttle.

10:14 Now ride-by-wire throttle connection is the apparatus that connects the engine and your

10:21 right twist grip.

10:24 This has allowed BMW to offer multiple power modes.

10:30 So we have the app named Rock setting, then we have a more touring friendly setting in

10:39 Roll, and we also have a Rain setting.

10:44 These settings can be all manipulated by this huge 10.5 inch color TFT display.

10:56 I love this display.

10:59 Look how big it is.

11:01 It's huge.

11:03 And the BMW multi-wheel interface, which they have here, this multi-wheel control dial,

11:12 it is very easy to get acclimated to the various settings and the way it functions.

11:22 Just from riding the BMW Motorrad bikes over the years, I think the multi-wheel started

11:26 with the K1600 way back in 2012.

11:30 All these bikes have that feature now and it's just really easy to get a hold of things

11:37 and figure things out just through this multi-wheel joystick, which gives you scrolling option

11:43 forward and back, and then an actual twisting motion, or I'm sorry, a movement motion where

11:50 you can go through the menu.

11:52 Super easy to use, super simple.

11:55 It almost feels like it was something that was designed by Apple just because it's so

11:59 easy to use.

12:02 Now this R18 Transcontinental comes with all the bells and whistles.

12:07 We have tire pressure monitoring, which is awesome.

12:10 So you can know exactly what your tire pressure is while you're riding.

12:16 We have this super advanced trip computer, so we can keep tabs on our journey and our

12:22 MPG.

12:24 Speaking of MPG, we are averaging 39.8 miles per gallon.

12:30 To be fair, we haven't really been riding this motorcycle at a super zippy pace.

12:35 It's been a lot of this 40 mile per hour top gear or top gear-ish type cruising.

12:43 So if I was riding it on my own, we'd definitely get worse gas mileage.

12:48 But this is what we're getting for now.

12:51 Now it's worth noting we are at the official North American press launch event for the

13:01 R18 Transcontinental, which you see here, and the R18B, which we operated earlier.

13:10 So two new flavors, and we are here to create this content on this vehicle.

13:17 Now this motorcycle has heated seats, heated grips.

13:23 It's all accessed through this 10.5 inch screen.

13:28 We have go to the settings here.

13:31 Sorry, go to the right here.

13:33 And that is where these things are accessed right there.

13:38 Now this space right here allows for you to connect your iOS enabled smartphone or your

13:50 Android powered smartphone.

13:53 You can download the BMW Motorrad Connected app.

13:58 This app is super slick.

13:59 We've talked about it extensively in our other BMW reviews over the last couple of years,

14:05 and this app is just slick.

14:08 It allows you to have turn by turn navigation and directions right here on the display.

14:17 It pushes that information to you, so you don't even have to look.

14:20 You can put in a destination, and it'll tell you, go right here, go left there.

14:24 It's super slick.

14:26 The BMW Motorrad Connected app also lets you keep tabs on the remaining fuel inside the

14:33 vehicle.

14:35 It lets you keep tabs on service intervals.

14:37 You can even schedule a service appointment right through that app.

14:42 It's super slick.

14:43 It's free to use, and I like it very, very, very much.

14:48 Good job, BMW.

14:50 We appreciate you playing.

14:55 Good job, BMW.

14:56 We appreciate you paying attention to the technical details, and the BMW Motorrad Connected

15:02 app definitely gets it done.

15:06 Now, this engine is so awesome because it just puts out just a whopping spread of torque.

15:16 Right now, we're riding in sixth gear.

15:19 We put her in sixth gear.

15:20 We have a nice heel-toe shifter, which is super awesome, so we can actually upshift

15:25 into another gear by just pressing back on the heel shifter.

15:30 We are in top gear at 45 miles per hour, and this thing is just chugging along so nicely.

15:37 I give her some gas like that, and the engine comes online immediately with a nice wave

15:44 of torque.

15:45 I love that tidal wave feeling of torque, just a really nice sensation and sound.

15:52 Of course, if we want to downshift a couple of gears into second gear, give her some beans.

16:00 The engine is more than happy responding at a higher RPM, but to be fair, short shift,

16:12 low revs is where this thing really likes being revved.

16:15 Again, I really like the sensation of this engine.

16:19 I like the sound of it.

16:20 I like the vibration.

16:22 The vibration is just enough to know that you're riding something special, but it's

16:27 not so much vibration that it makes the ride annoying.

16:33 It's also very well calibrated.

16:36 You can tell BMW Motorrad put in a lot of time in tuning not only the harmonics, but

16:45 the vibration pattern of the engine to get that favorable experience.

16:51 The Tuning Fork brand is very, very good at tuning, of course, at tuning engine vibration

16:57 for just the right sensation.

17:01 We appreciate that these companies are paying attention to subtle details like that.

17:08 Now, the chassis on this motorcycle, this has a really magnificent looking double loop

17:18 steel frame.

17:19 The frame just looks awesome.

17:21 It looks like the original BMW R bike from 1936.

17:29 It just has those same lines.

17:33 Everywhere I ride my BMW Cruiser motorcycles, it's crazy because I'll ride these bikes to

17:40 get lunch, to get gas, to do whatever I got to do, and I'll pull up somewhere and just

17:46 people who don't ride motorcycles or just normal civilians, they'll go up to me and

17:51 they'll be like, "Wow, that bike just, it looks old, but it looks new."

17:59 Everyone I see always nails it on the first time.

18:02 They know that it looks retro, and yet they know it is a brand new motorcycle because

18:07 it's got all the sick LED lights and just looks new and sick.

18:11 They know that that styling and that the lines of that motorcycle are classic.

18:17 How do they know that?

18:18 Who even knows, but they do.

18:21 This is the first motorcycle or the first four types of motorcycles I have ridden where

18:25 people just get that off the bat.

18:28 You ride a brand new Harley Davidson, for example, like a new Softail, people aren't

18:33 going to think that's an old bike or a new bike really.

18:36 It's just a whole different mindset, and I really like that.

18:41 Back to the chassis.

18:43 We have a steel frame.

18:45 This frame has been modified.

18:48 It has a beefier headstock.

18:51 It has a beefier subframe area to accommodate the extra payload and accoutrement that this

18:58 vehicle is carrying.

19:01 The steering geometry has been modified too.

19:05 This thing has sharper steering geometry than the R18 or R18 Classic.

19:15 That gives this 941-pound bike a lot of maneuverability.

19:19 It is really pretty insane how maneuverable this 941-pound R18 Transcontinental is.

19:29 Now, a lot of spec sheet mavens are grumbling about the weight of this motorcycle.

19:37 Yeah, 941 pounds, that is a lot of weight, but realistically, this motorcycle only weighs

19:44 7% more than a comparable motorcycle from an American manufacturer.

19:52 7%.

19:53 Realistically, when you're buying these bikes, these bikes are big, heavy bikes.

19:59 They're not sport bikes.

20:00 Light is not right with these vehicles, so what's another 7%?

20:04 In motion like this, you can't even feel it anyway, so it doesn't even matter.

20:08 You can definitely feel its weight, though, when you are lifting this vehicle off the

20:14 side stand.

20:16 No doubt, this beautifully honed boxer engine definitely weighs a lot.

20:22 It is heavy.

20:23 Thank goodness, though, that most of its weight is carried very low.

20:29 So that makes it a little bit less of a chore to lift off a side stand, but you're still

20:33 going to have to use some muscle.

20:36 But in motion, it is really impressive how maneuverable this motorcycle has.

20:43 Now, the suspension travel on this bike is not as limited as it is on the R18 and R18

20:54 Classic.

20:55 Those two vehicles have more limited rear suspension travel, and I like this full suspension.

21:02 Full suspension is just a good thing.

21:04 It just gives much better comfort and handling performance.

21:11 The shorter suspension, I know it's a styling thing, but it'd be really nice if these companies

21:17 could just give full suspension and just have it styled like a rigid, hard tail motorcycle

21:24 or a more limited suspension travel motorcycle.

21:28 We want full travel all the time.

21:30 There's never an instance where you wouldn't want full suspension travel, unless we were

21:34 like drag racing.

21:35 If we were drag racing, maybe more limited rear suspension travel would be a good thing.

21:43 But if we're not drag racing, just give us the full suspension travel, please.

21:48 So very sweet ride.

21:52 Now, riding this motorcycle at 15 miles per hour in fourth gear, this air-cooled engine

22:01 does throw off some BTUs.

22:04 There is definitely some heat being transferred onto my right and left feet, especially the

22:14 left foot.

22:15 For whatever reason, there is more engine heat emitting onto my left foot than the right

22:21 foot.

22:22 I have vented boots, so my feet aren't totally dying in agony of heat, but this motorcycle

22:30 kicks off some heat.

22:32 There is no way around that.

22:35 Your feet are going to heat up just because of the configuration of the engine.

22:40 Now, the cockpit, I don't feel a lot of heat or any excessive heat from the engine inside

22:47 the cockpit.

22:48 It's simply on my feet from those two honking cylinders sticking out in front of them.

22:58 Another caveat in the comfort segment about this motorcycle and a motorcycle employing

23:06 this engine configuration is we don't have any super spread out floor boards.

23:12 You can't have that because the engine's in the way, which is kind of a bummer.

23:17 I really like putting my feet in the wind when I'm riding these kind of bikes.

23:22 Yeah, you can kind of put them up on this crash bar like I'm doing now, but that's not

23:26 optimum and not ideal.

23:30 You're kind of just stuck with these mid controls, which we have here.

23:36 The floor boards are nice.

23:38 I like the platform they give, and I like that heel-toe shifter, but you're not going

23:43 to be able to really stretch out like you could on an American motorcycle or a metric

23:50 motorcycle with a more conventional V-twin, longitudinally mounted V-twin engine.

23:58 Instrumentation, complementing that huge 10.5-inch color TFT display that is touchscreen sensitive

24:09 away from being perfect.

24:11 BMW, why can't we have touchscreen sensitivity?

24:14 That would make it super sick.

24:17 Please.

24:18 This has this nice, elegant four-gauge cluster.

24:23 We have a fuel gauge, which keeps tabs on the 6.2-gallon fuel cell.

24:30 We have a speedometer, analog speedometer, which keeps track of the vehicle speed.

24:37 We have our tachometer, which keeps track of the engine running speed, and we have this

24:43 power reserve gauge.

24:46 This power reserve gauge is kind of goofy to me.

24:49 What is a power reserve gauge?

24:52 The best way I can recommend explaining it is the power reserve gauge is kind of like

24:57 an EGT gauge.

25:00 For those of you who are into high-performance vehicles and flying and that kind of stuff,

25:06 you probably are familiar with an exhaust gas temperature.

25:10 I have one of those gauges fitted in my diesel pickup truck because your exhaust gas temperature

25:18 is a key way to tell if your motorcycle is working hard or not.

25:24 That's what this gauge basically does.

25:26 When I'm off-throttle, I have full power reserve, meaning the engine is not working hard right

25:33 now and has full capability of making max performance.

25:38 When I give it the beans in fourth gear here, you can see that gauge just going down.

25:45 That means that the engine is working.

25:48 The engine is loaded up and it is working.

25:50 It is combusting the air-fuel mixture and putting it into propulsion.

25:56 That goes to the beautifully machined shaft drive and back to the 16-inch rear wheel.

26:06 Kind of quirky, kind of goofy, but you can think of this as an exhaust gas temperature

26:12 gauge.

26:13 BMW, why not just put an exhaust gas temperature gauge right there and call her good?

26:18 That's what I'd like to see.

26:19 I love EGTs and that would have been a cooler thing than this power reserve dial.

26:25 It's still cool that they're trying to do something different and probably just have

26:30 some to fill up the space a little bit better.

26:34 Now, this motorcycle, you couldn't have a touring bike if you didn't have a nice radio.

26:42 We have Cirrus XM set up on this motorcycle.

26:48 Let's listen to some tunes here.

26:51 We can control the volume out of the Marshall powered speaker stereo.

26:57 Isn't that cool?

26:58 It has Marshall speakers.

26:59 It's boss with BMW's multi-wheel control.

27:04 We can also flip through stations.

27:06 Oh yeah, I love hip-hop.

27:08 We'll listen to some Eminem.

27:12 We can listen to our tunes and our sick rap music via this display, the four-speaker Marshall

27:19 stereo system and control our volume through the multi-wheel function device.

27:25 Now, this stereo, I really have to admit, the treble sounds good, the bass is actually

27:31 pretty decent, but the absolute power level, these speakers just don't get loud enough.

27:37 This is max volume.

27:40 This is max volume and it's just not loud enough for me.

27:43 I would need at least 33% louder sound for this to really be a functional stereo, which

27:51 is kind of a bummer.

27:52 It's kind of a bummer.

27:53 The stereo speakers need to be louder, BMW.

27:57 I hope you are listening.

28:01 Ha ha.

28:08 All right, folks.

28:10 Now riding position.

28:12 Now this motorcycle feels eerily similar to Harley Davidson's electric glide and the

28:25 bagger version, the R18B, feels eerily similar to the street glide.

28:32 It is crazy how similar these bikes feel compared to their American counterparts.

28:40 Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and Motorrad definitely was impressed with

28:49 the way Harley Davidson specifically builds their touring bikes.

28:55 These motorcycles feel very, very similar.

28:57 I like the handlebar.

29:00 It has a nice high position, but it's not too high.

29:08 The spacing of the handlebar is nice and wide.

29:13 I have nice control.

29:15 The handlebar maybe could be a little bit more outward.

29:21 I like a little bit less sweep, so a little bit more sweep outward if this handlebar was

29:27 mine, but all in all, this handlebar is very comfortable and it has good vehicle control.

29:35 I like how nice and high it is, so I have a good commanding stance of this motorcycle.

29:42 The seat has a nice deep dish in it.

29:45 It's got a nice deep dish.

29:47 It really holds my posterior very well.

29:53 The space between the seat and the handlebar, it is, I'm not going to say it's cramped and

30:02 it's not too big either.

30:04 It's real neutral.

30:05 I think this space will fit a good range of motorcycle riders, both short and tall.

30:14 I'm six foot tall.

30:15 I am a bigger guy and a little bit more cockpit room wouldn't really be a bad thing for me.

30:22 I don't think I could have a little bit more spacing, but even in this setting, it is not

30:30 bad by any means.

30:31 All right, folks, we're going to take a timeout.

30:34 We're doing our photo stop now, so we have some nice images for all of our fans and audience

30:40 and readers to see on MotorcyclistOnline.com, and then we'll check in with you in a little

30:45 bit.

30:46 All right, folks, while we're doing our photo stop, let's talk about the styling of this

30:52 vehicle.

30:53 There is that encapsulated R18 1802CC Boxster twin.

31:01 Look how good that engine looks.

31:04 Look at the awesome fins that are used not only to look cool, but to dissipate heat from

31:13 the engine.

31:14 There also is an oil cooler to make sure that oil doesn't get too hot right there on the

31:23 chin of the motorcycle behind the front fender.

31:26 God, this motorcycle looks awesome.

31:30 Like we said before, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

31:34 This thing looks like a Harley Davidson, and that's not a bad thing because those touring

31:38 bikes look awesome.

31:40 Very aesthetically pleasing motorcycle.

31:43 I like the fit and finish on this motorcycle.

31:48 Everything is put together very well.

31:51 There's that D-style cradle steel frame, a very awesome looking frame.

31:57 I love this drive shaft.

32:01 That drive shaft is exposed so you can see it spinning when the motorcycle's moving.

32:07 Very nice, awesome styling touch.

32:09 Not only does it look cool, but it functions well too.

32:13 My only real gripe with this motorcycle is this.

32:17 I can see the fuse box and the battery cables.

32:22 I can see those right here.

32:23 That is a little bit of a styling faux pas for me.

32:27 But besides that, that is a very nice looking bike.

32:32 Let's look at the trunk in this bike.

32:37 There is the lever to do the trunk, I think.

32:45 Probably have to turn the bike off somehow.

32:47 Let's turn it off.

32:50 And let's open the trunk.

32:56 I think I've locked the trunk, so let's turn the power on.

33:01 Let's hit this button here.

33:07 It is unlocked.

33:12 Here we go.

33:14 Here is the trunk.

33:16 Very nice sized.

33:18 Easily put a full face helmet in this trunk.

33:24 We have, see more storage right here.

33:27 These levers are very easy to operate.

33:31 Very simple.

33:32 I like that.

33:35 Simple is good in my opinion.

33:39 Here is some more storage we have here.

33:43 Right there.

33:45 Very nice.

33:46 There's another styling faux pas.

33:48 That exposed wire, that would annoy me.

33:52 We have floor boards for our passenger.

33:55 And a nice big seat here.

34:00 Very nice.

34:01 Now, I made a mistake.

34:03 This is actually a 6 speaker stereo.

34:06 Two speakers here, two in the fixed side bags, and then two up front.

34:12 Six speaker system.

34:14 How awesome is that?

34:17 We also have an area to fuel our phone and to put our iPhone or any other gadget which

34:27 we can put right here.

34:29 Very nice BMW.

34:31 We are very appreciative that you are paying attention to the details.

34:38 Yes.

34:39 Yes, that's one of my colleagues right there.

34:42 He was probably coming over to talk to me.

34:44 His mother's feline just passed away and he's a big feline lover and I think I'm going to

34:54 adopt a cat here in the next couple of weeks.

34:57 So stay tuned for that guys.

35:00 Alright, quick wrap up of the styling of this vehicle.

35:04 Let's get back on it and talk about it some more.

35:08 Alright folks, we are entering Big Thompson Canyon here in Colorado.

35:14 And what a way to soak up the scenery of mother nature's power and force and just beauty than

35:23 on this classically styled air cooled boxer twin cruiser.

35:30 Now this particular vehicle is priced at $25,000.

35:35 $25,000 for this bike which realistically is one heck of a deal for a motorcycle that

35:46 has this level of refinement and creature comforts and usability.

35:56 This motorcycle is designed for making long hauls and touring the country.

36:02 And $25,000 to have a motorcycle that's built in Berlin, Germany.

36:08 Yes, this motorcycle is literally built in Germany.

36:12 Berlin, Germany.

36:14 And to have it have all the bells and whistles and the superior ride and craftsmanship that

36:21 this vehicle has for $25,000, I think it is a very good deal.

36:27 It's also worth noting that BMW Motorrad supports its vehicles with a three year 36,000 mile

36:36 warranty.

36:38 That's right, these motorcycles come with a three year 36,000 mile warranty with roadside

36:44 assistance.

36:46 That is a very good warranty.

36:48 It's neat that BMW stands behind its products.

36:53 Of course you can purchase additional warranty to extend that duration out.

37:01 But from the factory, three year 36,000 mile warranty.

37:05 Pretty neat.

37:06 This time we're not going to be able to talk about maintenance.

37:10 We didn't have a chance to investigate the maintenance on this vehicle so we'll have

37:16 to do that on another episode which we'll be doing very soon.

37:21 And we also were not able to ride this motorcycle after dark because we are at a press event

37:28 and we are held to whatever our hosts want to do.

37:35 So hopefully we can ride this motorcycle after dark and report on the function of the LED

37:43 headlamps.

37:44 Alright folks, I'm going to get back to riding and taking in this enjoyable scenery.

37:50 We will check in with you guys in a little bit.

37:54 Alright folks, one thing we forgot to talk about is the adaptive cruise control.

38:00 That is right.

38:01 This 2022 R18 Transcontinental has adaptive cruise control via this radar device.

38:10 This is included in the ZPP package which is another $3,200 on top of the $24,995 MSRP.

38:22 So adaptive cruise control so this motorcycle will keep tabs on the vehicle in front of

38:30 it and be able to match its speed.

38:35 Alright folks, we just left our photo stop, yet another photo stop to bring everyone the

38:42 nice visual content.

38:45 We are going to activate cruise control.

38:49 Cruise control is manipulated via this switch gear on the left hand side of the handle bar.

38:56 BMW always uses this setup and I like it a lot.

39:00 It's really easy to use.

39:02 You slide it to turn it on, push it to set it, pull it towards you to slow down, go,

39:08 pull it, push it away for you to speed up.

39:10 We have it tracked on the vehicle in front of us.

39:14 This green light has illuminated which shows us that we are tracking that vehicle.

39:21 I just manually disabled it but now we're back.

39:24 So now we are following that motorcycle adaptively.

39:29 How neat is that boys and girls.

39:33 Very awesome technology.

39:36 Kudos obviously to the Orgo Panigale factory at being the first to market with that but

39:44 it's also cool that Motorrad crew has rolled it out on its, whoa, on its R18 Transcontinental.

39:57 Now one complaint some folks might have with this bike, especially old timers, will be

40:05 the navigation solution.

40:08 So as we said before you have to have the BMW Motorrad connected app downloaded on your

40:14 smart phone, paired to the motorcycle, the app on for it to navigate.

40:20 There is no other GPS navigation system like there is on let's say the Goldwing which is

40:28 integrated into the bike.

40:29 There's no GPS integrated into the bike.

40:32 You have to run it off the BMW Motorrad connected app.

40:39 This isn't a big deal for me.

40:40 I'm a big fan of the Motorrad connected app so for me it's absolutely fine to do it that

40:46 way and the app is super easy to pair.

40:48 It's super fluid.

40:49 It works great.

40:50 Some of the old timers out there, they will probably have a conniption because there is

40:57 no traditional GPS maps on this motorcycle.

41:02 But like I said, something that I could easily live with.

41:08 Now this R18 Transcontinental rolls on a 19 inch front wheel and a 16 inch rear wheel.

41:18 The same wheel size as the R18 Cruiser.

41:27 This particular vehicle is shod with Bridgestone's Battle Cruise H50 tire.

41:35 This is a good Japanese made tire that has good long life and good grip over the duration

41:44 of its lifespan.

41:45 I've ridden on these H50's for many years now and even though they're a little bit more

41:51 of an obscure model within the Cruiser tire segment, they are a good tire at a good price.

42:00 We are now in the city through a little bit of stop and go traffic and I really like how

42:11 the synchronization of the throttle, the clutch, this motorcycle has above average low speed

42:21 manners.

42:22 And it's a very easy motorcycle to get underway.

42:28 The clutch, even though it does have hydraulic assist, you still need to have a little bit

42:34 of muscle to use the clutch.

42:36 Now it's not quite as stiff as the American variants but it's not just a wimpy clutch

42:46 either.

42:47 I'd say it's pretty good because it's just 95% what an American clutch would be.

42:53 Just a little bit softer which is nice.

42:59 And the clutch also has good feel, like you can feel those plates when you're launching.

43:06 You can feel that meshing sensation.

43:09 The clutch has much more feel than some of the American bikes.

43:15 The American bikes have real vague engagement points.

43:18 You don't really know where the clutch is until it's all the way out.

43:21 This bike has greater clutch feel.

43:25 Now one drawback, we talked about the engine and the horizontally opposed cylinders and

43:33 this bike does pump out some heat into the cockpit when you're riding in stop and go

43:39 conditions.

43:41 We are riding at 83 degrees out right now on the thermometer so not the hottest day

43:48 but not the coolest either.

43:51 But through this stop and go traffic I definitely feel some heat not only on my feet but on

43:57 my legs and it makes this a little bit less comfortable than a motorcycle that had a little

44:07 bit better heat management.

44:09 But to be fair, these V-twin and boxer twin type of cruisers, they throw off heat.

44:16 They don't have water cooling.

44:18 They have the engine literally right underneath you and exposed and that is just a signature

44:28 trait almost of these kind of bikes.

44:33 An electronically adjustable windshield would also be nice.

44:39 Right now riding in the city I would like a little bit more air flow on me.

44:43 It would be nice if we could lower this down so I could have a little bit more air inside

44:47 the cockpit.

44:49 Conversely when we're on the freeway just logging miles it would be nice to be able

44:54 to raise that thing up.

44:57 Electronic windshield would be a nice addition to this vehicle.

45:02 Alright folks there it is.

45:05 BMW's 2022 R18 Transcontinental.

45:12 It was a fun afternoon getting to experience the Motorrad Cruise take on cruiser luxury

45:21 touring.

45:25 Now would I pony up $31,000?

45:30 That's right.

45:31 Although the base price for this vehicle is $24,995.

45:38 When you add all the option packages this particular bike has the MSRP is over $31,000.

45:47 I wouldn't spend $31,000 on this bike.

45:51 Not that it's a nice bike it's just these air cooled luxury touring cruisers aren't

45:59 really my jam.

46:00 I gravitate toward maybe a gold wing because that maybe that suits my riding style a little

46:08 bit more.

46:09 But if I was in the market for a big heavyweight luxury touring bike I absolutely would consider

46:19 this motorcycle.

46:22 It has a great power train, tons of charisma, tons of engine sound, good handling, excellent

46:31 craftsmanship and fit and finish.

46:34 I like all the bells and whistles this bike has and I like that it comes with a three

46:41 year 36,000 mile warranty with roadside assistance.

46:47 So I absolutely would consider purchasing this motorcycle if I was looking for a heavyweight

46:54 air cooled touring bike the likes of a Harley Davidson, the likes of an Indian motorcycle.

47:00 So folks that's a wrap from the official press introduction of the 2022 R18 Transcontinental

47:09 Cruiser.

47:10 Make sure to surf on over to Motorcyclist Online that is where all of my written content

47:17 lives.

47:18 Give this video a thumbs up if you liked it, thumbs it down if you didn't and we will see

47:24 you on a following episode.

47:27 Thank you for taking a moment to tune in to this 4K premium content.

47:32 See ya.

47:32 [end of transcript]

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2022 BMW R 18 Transcontinental Review | MC Commute

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