2022 BMW R18 Transcontinental First Look
Rennie Scaysbrook | July 30, 2021
BMW has unveiled the second machine to bear the R18 moniker in the R18 Transcontinental.
As the name suggests, this is the full touring version of the R18 cruiser that was released last year and that we tested here.
The 2022 BMW R18 Transcontinental starts at $24,995 MSRP and features the same monstrous air/oil-cooled flat twin that pumps out 90 hp at 4750 rpm and 116 lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm, the same six-speed gearbox, and the same double-loop steel tube chassis, but it’s a substantial upgrade in terms of features compared to the stripped-back R18 we saw last year.
BMW’s unveiled a luxury boxer like never before in the R 18 Transcontinental.
One of those is a massive 10.25″ TFT dash and navigation system matched to an audio package from Marshall Amplification. The audio package has three options in the standard two-speaker package, four-speaker or six-speakers with subs and amplifiers.
You ensconced in luxury on the Transcontinental, with massive leather seats and a combined 102 liters of storage from the two side cases and top box.
The gas tank has gone from 4.2 gallons on the base R18 to 6.3 gallons on the Transcontinental
ABS comes standard for the dual Brembo 300 mm discs/four-piston caliper brakes and there’s going to be adaptive cruise control coming as an optional extra.
This is a big bike, no doubt, but the weight is something else. BMW is claiming a completely massive 941 lb ready to ride. That’s 181 pounds more than the already hefty R18, so the last thing you want to do is drop it because you’ll likely not be able to pick it up!
We’ll be testing the Transcontinental later this month at the national launch and will report back on how BMW’s biggest touring bike yet goes.
