First Ride: 2022 BMW R18 Bagger and Transcontinental

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DENVER, Colorado – The conflicting messages I receive while riding the 2022 BMW R18 Transcontinental leave me dumbfounded. Looking straight ahead I can clearly see the blue and white BMW roundel embedded into the instrument panel. If that wasn’t enough to convince me I’m riding a bona fide German motorcycle, a bold statement at the bottom of the speedometer face loudly proclaims, in capital letters, that this machine is “BERLIN BUILT.”

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All of the BMW motorcycles I’ve ridden in recent years have exhibited an exemplary level of refinement, and the latest in technological advances. The R1250GS, for example, has an engine so smooth and electronically adjustable suspension so plush that it feels like you’re gliding on air — and that’s an adventure bike. But not the R18.

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For starters, blip the throttle and this touring cruiser lurches sideways to the left, almost in anger that you’re not already in gear and rolling. This is a characteristic of boxer twins from a decade ago or older, and is something engineers have counter-balanced out of modern boxers like the GS, to make them more palatable to a newer generation of riders. But not on the R18. And visible atop each massive 902 cc jug are pushrod tubes, containing valve-actuating devices that are mostly of a bygone era.

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Ride the Transcontinental at highway speeds and the engine emits a deep, reverberating vibration that asserts itself as a massive chunk of metal on two wheels. This imperfection is deliberate. It’s meant to stir emotions. And it works for me.

The feedback is visceral, it’s engaging, and if you like being connected to a motorcycle that has character, the R18 oozes it in spades. But it doesn’t just boast this engineered-in character; the R18 Transcontinental and its pared down sibling, the R18 Bagger, are very competent long-distance machines — if rather hefty ones, but more on that later.

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These two touring cruisers are offshoots of the 2020 R18 cruiser, a bike that borrowed styling cues — and spirit — from the 1936 BMW R5. The Transcontinental (starts at $29,500) comes with auxiliary lights, a tall windscreen, engine guards, a 48-litre top case, a heated seat for rider and passenger, and silver engine cases. The Bagger ($26,945) is stripped of the extra lighting, engine guards, top case and seat heat, has a shorter screen and lower seat, and has matte-black engine cases. Both bikes come with a powerful Marshall sound system, 27-litre side cases, and keyless ignition.

Throbbing within the twin-downtube steel frame is a horizontally opposed twin displacing 1,802 cc, or 110 cubic inches, as per American standards. It claims 91 horsepower, and 116 lb-ft of torque that peaks at just 3,000 rpm. If you’re into performing your own maintenance, the R18 has old-fashioned locknut-and-screw valve adjusters.

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The Transcontinental and Bagger are improved variations of the original R18. The frame has been strengthened with gusseting around the steering neck area to handle added weight, and the chassis geometry is less cruiser-ish, with a steeper fork angle and a shorter wheelbase. But this is still a long motorcycle, with a 1,694-mm wheelbase. Another change is an increase in rear suspension travel, from 90 to 120 mm, which makes the suspension much more compliant. The rear suspension is also self-levelling, compensating automatically for load, though that’s the limit of the suspension’s adjustability.

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The cockpit is a mix of classic and modern instrumentation, with four analogue gauges displayed above a 10.25-inch TFT colour screen. Among the gauges is a gadgetty item called a power reserve meter. Borrowed from BMW subsidiary, Rolls Royce, it reads the percentage of power available based on engine load, and is quite pointless.

The TFT screen can be used via handlebar switches to control your Bluetooth-enabled media device; it can be used for navigation (through a phone, using the free BMW Motorrad Connected app); and, unfortunately, for selecting handgrip heat level — a single handlebar-mounted button would have been a better setup. You can also select ride modes, cleverly named Rain, Rock, and Roll, each mode adjusting engine braking, traction control and throttle response, with Rock providing the most aggressive settings. There’s an enclosed phone pocket atop the gas tank that includes a USB-C port, and it has a fan to cool your phone if you use it for navigation while plugged in.

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Despite its reasonable 739 mm seat height (718 mm for the Bagger), lifting the Transcontinental off the side stand for the morning ride takes a herculean effort. At first, I thought I’d gotten soft after not having ridden a big touring bike in more than a year, but a look at the spec sheet confirmed that I was still somewhat fit. The TC weighs an astounding 426 kg wet. It took me awhile to find a bike that weighs more, and there is only one: The Yamaha Star Venture TC, at 437 kg. The boxer engine alone weighs 111 kg, which is as much as a ready-to-ride Honda CRF450R motocrosser. To help counter the mass when parking, an electric reverse gear is optional.

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Launching the bike takes a fair amount of clutch slippage, as first gear is tall. My test bike is equipped with a hill-hold feature, which is activated after applying either brake with force and releasing it. I disabled it since it required even more clutch slippage to overcome. The six-speed gearbox requires only a light touch at the heel-toe shifter.

The bike’s mass doesn’t melt away with speed, and despite exhibiting neutral steering, it takes a fair amount of manhandling to manoeuvre the TC along winding roads. And its cornering clearance is about what’s expected on a touring cruiser: sparks fly relatively early in the lean. Adding a passenger and luggage will only exacerbate this.

But on the open road the TC is impeccably stable, it has a very comfortable riding position, very good suspension compliance, and it offers excellent head-to-toe wind protection that’s free of buffeting. The handlebar-mounted fairing has adjustable wind deflectors that effectively direct a cooling blast of air to provide relief in Denver’s 30-degree heat. The TC also has partial fairing lowers that cut windblast to the legs, while the jutting cylinders take care of the wind below the lowers. The only caveat is that the top edge of the non-adjustable windscreen was right in my line of sight, forcing me to either squat down to look through it, or sit bolt upright to look above it. This wasn’t a problem on the Bagger with its lower screen, but it did produce a fair amount of buffeting at highway speeds. A 24-litre fuel tank should be good for about 400 kilometres, as both bikes claim 5.8 L/100 km.

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Active cruise control makes long, mundane stretches of highway easier, since it maintains a preset distance from vehicles ahead. It works fine if you’re following a car or truck, however the system’s radar won’t detect a motorcycle if it’s off to one side of the lane; it has to be directly in front of you.

Switching to the Bagger for the afternoon ride revealed that despite being nearly identical in spec, it feels like a completely different motorcycle. The Bagger is almost 30 kilos lighter, and most of that weight left with the top case, which on the TC incorporates lighting, speakers, and mounting brackets, all placed high and rearward. The Bagger feels nimbler and much more responsive than the TC, but its lower seat isn’t as comfortable, and it doesn’t offer the superb wind protection, since it lacks the lowers and the wind deflectors.

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My one big gripe with either bike was with the brake pedal; using it wedged my boot under the right cylinder, so much so that I often resorted to using only the front brake lever. The good news is that the bike has fully integrated ABS, so using either the brake lever or brake pedal individually will apply both brakes. Squeeze hard enough at the softish lever, though, and it brakes quite hard.

The first batch of BMW R18 touring cruisers will be in dealers in September, and will be dubbed “First Edition” models. They will come with special badging, chrome trim, and a “welcome box” that includes copper coloured tank emblems and screws, work gloves, a screwdriver, “First Edition” cap and belt buckle, and a book about BMW’s 100-year history. The ideal setup for me would be the R18 Bagger with the taller windscreen and seat (both options), and the fairing lowers and deflectors. It would be a nimbler, lighter version of the TC, while offering the TC’s level of long-distance comfort.

So far, BMW has done exceptionally well in every segment in which it offers a motorcycle. It now has its sights on the North American touring-cruiser market, a category dominated by Harley-Davidson and Indian. I don’t think either American bike maker should be worried that their sales will take a hit from this German-made touring cruiser. But the 2022 R18 Bagger and Transcontinental offer a unique blend of touring capability, individuality, and character that require a look.