TEUTONIC TORQUE
I seek out roads that restrict my speed with their corners. Getting the pace right, exploring the cornering clearance available, feeling the lean angle under your wheels is, to many riders, what motorcycling is all about.
Many cruisers aren’t built for this, however; they have inadequate suspension – both travel and control – limited clearance, pathetic brakes and a riding position not suited to enthusiastic riding. Which made my introduction to the new BMW R 18, a new cruiser at a time when the cruiser market is on the wane, all the more interesting. BMW has a reputation for fine-handling machines and wouldn’t want to tarnish that reputation. So I took the Old Road rather than the freeway. Lots of twists and turns, a low speed limit but a good surface and little traffic on a Thursday morning.
The R 18 didn’t disappoint. Sure, it’s no sportsbike like the S 1000 RR or even as sharp in the handling as one of the heritage R nineT range, but it performs admirably in both engine performance and handling. At manoeuvring speed, the very low centre of the bike, thanks to the Boxer engine, makes for easy handling, while the
