RIDE REVIEW I 2022 BMW R18 TRANSCONTINENTAL & R18 B
P100
BMW's been obsessed with this market sector
since 2015, when I remember a former BMW Motor-
rad USA staff member telling me about the project.
Five years later, the R18 Classic landed, and BMW
was off to the American cruiser market races.
The Classic is now joined by the R18 Transconti-
nental and R18 B, using the same 1802cc flat-twin
that weighs a hefty 244 pounds alone, and pumps
out 90 horsepower and a stout 116 lb-ft of torque.
That monster level of torque happens between
2500-3000 rpm, which is about half the engine's
available rev range—more on that later.
Although the motors are the same, the chassis
for the Trans and the B are slightly different, with a
shorter rake and forks mounted behind the steering
head, helping slow-speed maneuvering as well as
high speed stability. The thing is, you've got a lot of
motorcycle underneath you in either Trans or B form.
The Trans weighs, wait for it, 944 pounds ready to
ride with a 6.34-gallon tank of gas. The B, on the
other hand, weighs a relatively svelte 877 pounds
ready to ride.
This being the case, BMW needed to do every-
thing in its power to make either machine as unintim-
idating as possible to ride at any speed, and I'll admit
to being pleasantly surprised at the maneuverability
of the Trans when I missed a turn-off and had to do
a rather tight double-lane U-turn to catch back up to
the group. A U-turn, boohoo, I hear you say. Wait till
you ride a bike that weighs half a car and then we'll
talk.
The motor alone
weighs 244 pounds,
but it would be nice
if there were a few
more ponies lurking
around in there.
The lower-set screen and less weight make
the R18 B the pick of the two for us.
