Page 34 - Riding On Spring

BMW’S HEAVY

HITTER, THE R18

eing fond of heavy cruisers it was like Christmas when Shop for lunch. As I was enjoying one of their very good pies,
I took the call to test ride the R18. I recalled the hype I worked out my route home. I took the R18 along Marshall
BZKHQ LW ZDV ¿UVW UHOHDVHG DERXW D \HDU DJR DW WKH WLPH , Mount Road and immediately found the achilles heel of this
made a point of watching the videos on YouTube, such a good bike, its rear suspension. On asphalt the bike rode very well,
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the test bike to the City Coast dealership in Wollongong to make were rippled and boy, did the ike tell me it wasn’t happy. I was
it easier for me to pick it up. bouncing along as if there was no preload on the suspension,
the bike behaved badly. Dropping my speed made it a little
Along came pickup day and after a thorough walk through from better but it lessened the enjoyment on that road section. The
Tim, I threw my leg over the 27 inch high seat and spent a plan was to go up Macquarie Pass and along Pearsons Lane to
few minutes feeling the controls, I couldn’t get over how low get to Kangaroo Valley, I was having second thoughts.
this bike was and tipping it from side to side it was so stable.
It was time to start her up and being prewarned on what Luckily that’s all they were, in no time I was at the bottom of
would happen, by Tim, the pistons in the horizontally opposed WKH 3DVV GURSSHG WKH ELNH LQWR WKH ¿UVW OHIW KDQGHU SLFNHG KHU
1802cc boxer twin pushed the bike right and left before settling up and started my climb. What a ride! I was joyfully dropping
down into a nicely balanced rhythm. Two 900cc cylinders; my her left and right, engine braking worked well so I hardly used
previous test ride the Yamaha XSR900 had half the capacity of any braking on the ascent, accelerating out of corners was
WKLV 5 7KH VPLOH JUHZ ODUJHU LW ZDV WLPH WR WDNH R໤ above average for a bike in this class. The rear suspension
coped with the Pass and the quiet ride through Robertson, I
I rode away from the dealership with a 345kg bike underneath didn’t stop at the iconic pie shop as I was pied out. Dropping
me, thinking that it felt closer to 300kg, the bike was so the bike into the left turn onto Pearsons Lane, on this section
EDODQFHG , VZXQJ KHU LQWR P\ ¿UVW PLQL URXQGDERXW ZLWK RQH back came the bounce from the rear suspension, same on parts
eye on the engine cylinders getting closer to the road, they of Myra Vale Road and Moss Vale Road, but dropping down
are so wide, they seem to be gravity defying. The acceleration Barrengarry Mountain all was well. The bike certainly objects to
ZDV VPRRWK DQG ZKHQ , ZDV LQ KHDYLHU WUD໥F RQ 6SULQJKLOO poor road surfaces.
Road it dominated its space in the lanes. Turning onto Masters
Road to get onto the Princes Motorway, the bike did exactly My bike shed has a short step up from the drive. As I rode up to
DV , ZDQWHG LW WR DFFHOHUDWHG VPRRWKO\ SDVW WKH VORZHU WUD໥F the shed I turned the bike around, swung the lever to engage
eased nicely onto the entry ramp and instinctively matched the reverse gear and then reversed 345kg up a small step as if
WKH VSHHG RI WKH )UHHZD\ WUD໥F ,W ZDV DV LI , KDG EHHQ ULGLQJ it wasn’t there. When I had parked her and walked out of the
it for weeks, very easy to get used to. As I was in the area, shed, I did that look over the shoulder and chuckled.
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RIDING ON 34