If you believe in luxury touring, the BMW R 18 Transcontinental/18 B should get a place in your garage
When it comes to luxury touring, several motorcycles from various manufacturers have set lofty standards in the world. For example, the planet already has the Honda Gold Wing, Indian Motorcycle Roadmaster, Harley-Davidson CVO Limited and a few more. Now, in 2021, BMW has added two new luxurious tourers to that list. The first one is the BMW R 18 Transcontinental whereas the second one is the BMW R 18 B.
The two models are more or less identical but the 18 B looks different and is made for the American population because it looks like a “Bagger” which is a popular genre of motorcycle in the United States of America. The Transcontinental features a large windscreen whereas the “Bagger” losses the screen. Not to forget, the B also misses out on the top case which makes the Transcontinental better for long hauls.
Moving on to the engines of the models, both the BMWs are powered by a two-cylinder, flat-twin, 1,802cc powertrain. On both the iterations, the powertrain makes the same 91hp of power at 4,750rpm and a torque figure of 150Nm between 2,000 and 4,000rpm. The skeleton of the motorcyclesare made ofdouble-loop steel frames which offer supreme stability and rigidity to the two variants.
Being an expensive tourer, there is no dearth of features and electronic aids on the two models. Both the BMWs are equipped with side cases for the riders to carry massive luggage. Between the handlebars, four circular analogue gauges offer information such as speed, rpm reading, fuel gauge and we are not sure what the fourth one displays. Below those four analogue gauges sit a 10.25-inch TFT screen that offers a host of information. More features, both the motorcycles are equipped with heated seats, wind deflectors, engine guard and two 25-watt speakers from renowned music system producer Marshall.
Talking about electronic aids, both the BMWs are equipped with BMW Motorrad Full Integral ABS, Dynamic Cruise Control, Active Cruise Control, Automatic Stability Control, Hill Start Control, reserving aid along with three riding modes such as rain, rock and roll.
As of now, BMW has not shared an official word on the two models’ availability and possible price tags in India. However, in the United States of America, R18 B retails at 22,000 dollars whereas Transcontinental has a price tag of around 25,000 dollars.
