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Riding the BMW R18 B & BMW R18 Transcontinental, A Review

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The American dream is alive and well in Berlin right now, as BMW Motorrad has pushed itself into the American touring market with two heritage-based motorcycles for the 2022 model year: the BMW R18 B bagger and the BMW R18 Transcontinental dresser.

Built around an air-cooled boxer-twin platform, these two machines are built for one purpose: to take some marketshare off of Harley-Davidson – the company that defines the category.

Many brands have attempted this exact feat, and few (if any) can lay claim to success, which makes the entire R18 lineup a bold move from the Bavarians, and one that has our focused attention.

Ready to see if the Germans can learn to speak American, we headed to Denver, Colorado to ride both the R18 B and the R18 Transcontinental on the open roads of The Rockies.

After a long day in the saddle, and with nearly 200 miles on the trip computer, the result? A mixed report card. Come read our review, and let me explain.

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Bikes

BMW R18 B – The “B” Stands for Bagger

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As was expected from spy photos and internet rumors, a bagger version of the BMW R18 has finally official broken its cover.

We always knew that BMW Motorrad’s gigantic air-cooled boxer-twin engine would be a platform for multiple models, so it shouldn’t surprise us to see the BMW R18 B debuting for the 2022 model year.

The bagger model launches with marque’s dresser variant, the BMW R18 Transcontinental, also coming to market, with both bikes available in August 2021.

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Rumors

BMW All But Confirms That an R18 Bagger Is Coming Soon

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That BMW Motorrad is working on a bagger version of its R18 cruiser is perhaps not new information. The bike has been spied in a variety of ways by the eager eyes of the two-wheeled press.

Today though is our first teasing of its existence from the German brand though, as the company let slip in its yearly report that BMW Motorrad would soon be showing this new “touring” model to the world.

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Rumors

BMW R18 Tourer Model Spotted in Patent Images

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We knew when the BMW R18 cruiser was first being teased that behemoth air-cooled motor from the Germans would be a platform for multiple motorcycles.

Now with the second BMW R18 model debuting for the 2020 model year, we get word of a third model – this time a bat-faired touring motorcycle.

We have seen spy shots of the bagger before, so today’s patent images, found by the talented Ben Purvis of BikeSocial, come as no surprise to our eyes.

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Podcast

MOTR Podcast #2 – Honda Gold Wing Press Launch

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In Episode 2 of the MOTR Podcast, I sit down with motorcycle journalists Adam Waheed (freelance), Lemmy (RevZilla), and Abhi Eswarappa (Bike-urious) to discuss what it’s like to ride Big Red’s flagship motorcycle, the Honda Gold Wing.

Recoded at the international media launch for the Gold Wing – in Austin, Texas – the four of us gathered around the microphones to discuss the sixth generation of this iconic touring machine.

With no shortage of opinions, the show is an interesting discussion about our first impressions of the Gold Wing and Gold Wing Tour models. We think you will find it quite interesting.

To get our full opinions on the new Honda Gold Wing you can read my review here on Asphalt & Rubber, as well as Adam’s reviews on Rider’s Domain, Lemmy’s review on RevZilla’s Common Tread, and Abhi’s review on Bike-urious.

You can find the latest episodes of the MOTR Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, or via your RSS feed, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.

If you’re not already, you should also listen to our sister podcasts, the Two Enthusiasts Podcast and The Paddock Pass Podcast.

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Bikes

BMW K1600 Grand America – Touring, The American Way

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Determined not to let the new Honda Gold Wing have all the fun in the modern tourer category, BMW Motorrad too wants a piece of the American two-wheeled lifestyle, debuting today at the EICMA show the new 2018 BMW K1600 Grand America.

The production version of the K1600B bagger that we saw last year, the K1600 Grand America has grown a bit in a year’s time, and truthfully looks very similar to the BMW K1600 GTL, which already fills the German brand’s need for a full-on dresser motorcycle.

Still, BMW Motorrad says that the Grand America is built for cruising down the highway, and the German brand hopes that the more sweeping lines found on the BMW K1600 Grand America entice riders away from the offerings of other makers.

To our eye, the changes to the Grand America are incredibly subtle, though we prefer the new model to the others in BMW’s six-cylinder lineup.

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Bikes

Mega Gallery: Honda Gold Wing

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Every time we write a story about the Honda Gold Wing, we end up using the word “iconic” as a descriptor, but why is that? Is it because there are over 250,000 Gold Wings on the road today, putting down miles?

Is it because the model was so important to the American market, that it was the only Honda motorcycle that has been built on US soil? Or is it the legion of loyal fans, that continuously replace their old Gold Wing with a new one, rather than stray to another brand?

It is probably a combination of all these things, and now for the 2018 model year another chapter of the Gold Wing story is about to be told.

Big Red has made considerable changes for the 2018 Honda Gold Wing, most notably putting the giant tourer on a diet (roughly 90 lbs). Now a more compact machine, Honda has made space savings by switching to double-wishbone front suspension.

In person, the Gold Wing (bagger) and Gold Wing Tour (tourer) retain the obvious lines of the previous Gold Wing motorcycles. We think Honda has walked a fine line too in making the 2018 edition look more edgy and modern, while still being true to its classic shape.

The fit and finish on the new Honda Gold Wing is impressive as well, with there being strong attention to the details. When you consider how many miles, and how many years, a typical Gold Wing must endure with a single owner, Honda has to build the Gold Wing to a standard beyond the typical motorcycle.

For next year, Honda hopes to sell upwards of 14,000 Gold Wing motorcycles worldwide, most of which will be here in the United States. Nearly a doubling of the current sales volume, this goal is a tall order. But, the new Gold Wing seems up to the challenge.

Don’t worry, we’ll swing a leg over one in January and see for ourselves. Until then, we have got about 120 high-resolution photos for you to peruse of this iconic motorcycle. Enjoy!

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Bikes

The Sixth Generation Honda Gold Wing Is Finally Here

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Enthusiasts of the Honda Gold Wing motorcycle have waited a long time for this day, and now it is finally here, as Honda has finally brought a new Gold Wing to market – the sixth generation of this iconic motorcycle.

The 2018 model comes in two flavors, a bagger version which Big Red is calling the Honda Gold Wing, and a touring version, which is aptly named the Honda Gold Wing Tour.

Both of the 2018 models are all-new motorcycle designs, with virtually no part of the machines being shared with the previous generation bike, and both built around a brand new six-cylinder engine.

Focused around a more compact design, the 2018 Honda Gold Wing is staggeringly lighter than before, with roughly 90 lbs of bulk removed from its mass.

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Bikes

Mega Gallery: Yamaha Star Eluder

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With massive motorcycles comes massive photo galleries. As such, we thought we would share with you over 100 high-resolution photos of the new Yamaha Star Eluder, the bagger variant and cousin to the Yamaha Star Venture tourer, in this A&R “mega gallery”.

Fat jokes aside, the Eluder and Venture are interesting bikes, as they straddle features and attributes somewhere between Harley-Davidson’s touring lineup (the Yamaha’s feature a 113ci air-cooled v-twin engine) and the well-selling Honda Gold Wing line (both bikes are rolling living rooms on two wheels).

This positions Yamaha’s to siphon-off riders from two of the best selling lines of motorcycle in the United States, which is surely no accident.

The Yamaha Star Eluder is not exactly our cup of tea, that much is for sure. But, while you can hate the player, you’ve gotta respect that game. Yamaha just upped the ante in the touring space with the Star Venture and Star Eluder.

Take a closer look at the 2018 Yamaha Star Eluder in the photos after the jump.

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Bikes

2018 Yamaha Star Eluder – Big Blue’s Behemoth Bagger

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If the Yamaha Star Venture wasn’t enough motorcycle for you, then you will be happy to hear that Yamaha is doubling down on its massive touring lineup, with the 2018 Yamaha Star Eluder.

The concept behind the Yamaha Star Eluder is pretty simple. It takes the massive Star Venture, does away with the big touring seats, and leaves a bagger in its place.

If this kind of transformation sounds familiar, it should, as it is a page taken straight out of Honda’s playbook, which lead to the creation of the Honda Gold Wing F6B and CTX1300 bagger models.

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Bikes

Yamaha Just Put the Honda Gold Wing on Notice

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Attention Honda…Yamaha is coming for you. The 2018 Yamaha Star Venture just debuted, and it is looking to take piece of the touring pie from the likes of Harley-Davidson and the Honda Gold Wing. And if looks are any indication, then this couch on wheels looks the business…and feature-packed.

At the core of the new Yamaha Star Venture is an air-cooled, 1,854cc, eight-valve, v-twin engine, which puts out a stout 126 lbs•ft of torque through a six-speed gearbox.

The Yamaha Star Venture tips the scales at 957 lbs (base model), which is close to the weight of a small car – so Yamaha has included the “Sure Park” system – a small electric motor that powers forward and reverse drive for tight maneuvers in the parking lot.

Other clever systems include dual-audio zones, ride-by-wire driving modes, surface-to-air missile launcher, traction control, cruise control, an adjustable backrest, heated grips, seats, and backrests, and an 7″ LCD infotainment system.

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