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incredibly tight and twisty really<br />
highlighting how firm the suspension<br />
is on the big Beemer. Although<br />
beautiful, I found the ride to be<br />
more of a chore than a joy through<br />
here and slowed right down to a<br />
crawl to enjoy the scenery, especially<br />
after we stopped where<br />
a car had gone over the edge a<br />
few weeks earlier and dropped 80<br />
metres to the ravine floor...<br />
Miraculously all three occupants<br />
survived according to a report I<br />
read up later on the internet. Into<br />
Ceres town we had some long<br />
winding open roads where we<br />
could really test the limits of the<br />
1800cc boxer, hooking feet over the<br />
pillion footpegs, tucking down over<br />
the tank behind those wide bars<br />
and hanging on the gas gets you<br />
up around 195km’s ph.<br />
The limiter is quite interesting. It<br />
doesn’t cut out or sound like a<br />
valve bounce like most limiters. It<br />
just reaches max revs and stays<br />
there …amazingly smoothly.<br />
HONDA CRF1100 D<br />
<strong>2020</strong><br />
0 KM’S<br />
R240 300<br />
HONDA CRF1100 D4<br />
<strong>2020</strong><br />
2 900 KM’S<br />
R269 900<br />
HONDA CRF1000<br />
2019<br />
12 000 KM’S<br />
R159 900<br />
HONDA ELITE 125<br />
<strong>2020</strong><br />
0 KM’S<br />
R25 900<br />
CUSTOM<br />
HONDA CRF1000<br />
2018<br />
7 900 KM’S<br />
R129 900<br />
HONDA NC750x<br />
2019<br />
3 800 KM’S<br />
R95 000<br />
HONDA CBR215R<br />
2013<br />
8 400 KM’S<br />
R26 900<br />
BMW F850 GS<br />
2019<br />
5 800 KM’S<br />
R169 900<br />
KAWASAKI ER6N<br />
2016<br />
3 400 KM’S<br />
R64 900<br />
In my final analysis of the R18;<br />
Is it I bike I would own?<br />
Well … yes, but not from new I’d<br />
wait for a tidy used one to come<br />
onto the market.<br />
Would I ride it every day? … probably<br />
not, but it would be ridden often<br />
and hard.<br />
Would I ride it long distance?<br />
NO! it would be for a Friday<br />
evening trot down to the local Boho<br />
Chic bistro serving frilly pink drinks<br />
in frilly pink glasses so I can just<br />
sit and stare at it in all its beauty<br />
shimmering under the pretty purple<br />
lights emanating said establishment<br />
while I sip on my frilly pink drink<br />
and watch people crowd around it<br />
before finding an interesting route<br />
home to destroy the foot pegs.<br />
With some serious individualisation<br />
to suit my chassis it could be that<br />
Soul Fuel bike that I have been<br />
yearning for.<br />
In its current set up it would be my<br />
“Charlie Watts” bike. The Rolling<br />
Stones drummer can’t drive, but is<br />
an avid car collector and he collects<br />
cars just to have them so he can<br />
have custom suits tailor made and<br />
just sit in the cars on his sprawling<br />
estate.<br />
I would buy all the fancy kit, get<br />
dressed up and just go out for a<br />
pose to stroke my ego a bit.<br />
Get down to your local Motorrad<br />
dealer and ride one for yourself …<br />
and for all the tech boffs out there<br />
here are the spec’s:<br />
BMW R18<br />
Engine Four Stroke, two cylinder horizontally opposed<br />
boxer, push rod-actuated OHV w/ camshafts<br />
Capacity 1802cc<br />
Max Power 91hp / 67kw @ 47500 rpm<br />
Max Torque 158Nm / 116 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm<br />
Transmission Constant-Mesh 6 Speed<br />
Final Drive Shaft Drive<br />
Frame Construction type Double tube frame<br />
Seat Hight 690mm<br />
Wet Weight 345kg<br />
Fuel Capacity 16 Litres
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