Ross has been out on the Big Beemer…
We’ve been out to Germany to ride the new R 18 Roctane. With a cracking couple of days riding planned, taking in Lake Ammersee and the Auberg mountain on the way to the town of Pfronten – I couldn’t wait to see what the newest R18 was made of.
The R18 hasn’t exactly been overhauled for 2023. But there are a few key changes to make it stand out from the other machines in the ever-growing R 18 range, including a bigger 21-inch front wheel (which we’ve been told makes it ‘the best handling R 18 yet’); some ‘Mini-Ape’ handlebars; a redesigned headlight and speedo; and some funky integrated panniers.
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Steady start to the day, with a bit of motorway work to get out and away from Munich… It’s not exactly the best place to put a bike through its paces, but it did highlight how comfortable the R 18 is – and how it’s perfect for munching some serious miles. Smooth and stable with plenty of presence, and enough grunt to nip past fast moving traffic with no trouble.
Turning off and finding some twisties, we got a bit of a chance to see how the newest R 18 handles. It definitely feels better than before. It was always good once banked over, but last time I rode the R 18 Classic it sometimes felt a bit ungainly and unsettled while getting there. The new 21-inch front wheel seems to help and there’s no problem throwing it from side to side through the turns. It is surprisingly agile.
It’s still a big old lump though, weighing in at a whopping 374kg. As soon as you’re rolling it’s all forgotten, but moving it about and dropping it right over on to its side stand and you appreciate what a hefty thing it is.
The 1802cc big boxer motor is a lovely thing. Massive, but lovely to use with plenty of character. Power is a surprisingly meagre (considering the size of the engine) 91hp at 4,750rpm, but with 158Nm of torque available at 3,000rpm you can just wind open the throttle and let it do its thing. It almost doesn’t matter what gear you’re in, it’ll just keep pulling.
The bike is very well set up, and the springs do an excellent job of keeping the bike poised on rough surfaces and composed under hard braking. I’ve been asking a lot of it, but I’ve not managed to unsettle it yet.
The brakes are good, too. They’ve got a hard job on their hands stopping this whopper quickly, and although they’re not exactly pin sharp, there’s plenty of bite to pull it up efficiently. And being honest, you can make full use of the ample engine braking on offer by crashing your way through the slightly agricultural (but reassuringly sturdy) 6-speed gearbox.
The finish is fantastic. BMW knows how to build bikes that’ll stand the test of time, and the R 18 Roctane is no different. You’ll pay for it though, although there’s no doubt you get a lot of bike for your £21,750.
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