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BMW ROCTANE Test Roothy style -
The new Roctane - 1800 cc flat twin and sharing so much old school BMW heritage. It's so much better than the original R18 released in 2020. All u[p, just an amazing motorcycle and one I'm in danger of buying -
There’s been flat twin BM’s in my life since I was 18. As a country boy, they were the ticket to long distance freedom. Two cylinders sticking out in the breeze meant they’d cope with the hottest days, droning on like a harvester in a 3000 acre paddock. And the buggers would idle at the end of it too. Add in shaft drive and you had a bike that’d handle a sand track to the beach or a rocky road to a rally and a thousand K ride home. That and being German built meant there wasn’t much beyond servicing and putting fuel in and another lap of Australia.
Boring as bat shit though. I bought my first, a 1962 R60 that’s still ridden most days, because I rode Nortons, definitely not boring but not exactly reliable either. And I kept it when I bought my first new Harley in 1980, mostly because you couldn’t leave a Harley sitting outside a pub all night. Back then Harleys were so rare people came from overseas to steal them. I could leave the BM with the key in it leaning against a fence and it’d still be there a month later…
So while BMW’s first ‘cruiser’, the R1200 C, had most people thinking the design team was on acid in the late 1990’s, when the first R18 hit Australia three years ago I couldn’t wait for a ride.
Looked like there was still something in the water cooler though because the thing came out with so much chrome it screamed plastic toy. That was a shame, because the motor was awesome and the front end fabulous. But riding it wasn’t great thanks to rear suspension that jumped up and bit you when it ran out of travel. Too soft springs and not enough damping. My fault maybe, I tested it mostly out west where the pot holes breed. Despite that after a fortnight’s riding it was growing on me. Just not enough.
Then Dave fronts my shed with the Roctane. Wow, most of the chrome’s black now, or black chrome in the case of those massive mufflers, and a few days later I’m realising they’ve totally sorted the rear end too. Add in the luggage and I was in love.
So we’ve got excellent brakes, stump pulling torque - you can almost feel those massive pistons punching out together in perfect balance - a lovely gearbox and all wrapped up in what might be the most stable motorcycle ever built. That’s the product of a low centre of gravity, the bigger front wheel and a long wheelbase. Trickling through traffic on the Roctane is simpler than anything on two wheels and the stability stays as you heel the gearbox up a few cogs and blast up the motorway. This is one big bike you could happily commute on. The differences between the Roctane and the original R18 are subtle in design but massive in the real world.
Heel? Yep, there’s not a lot of wiggle room behind those massive cylinders so using both ends of the heel toe shifter is the cleanest way to climb the ladder. Not that you need to change much with a bike that’ll pull top from 20km/h.
Problems? I didn’t have it long enough. The thing about BM’s is they take time to learn. Some bikes you can ride around the block and master, but the Roctane needs owning to understand. It’d be worth it though because the sheer feel of the thing and the incredible build quality - “Berlin Built” is fair dinkum pride - means a Roctane owner could pretty much guarantee he’s getting a bike for life. Cheap as chips too really when you compare it the Triumph 2.5 and Harley’s RoadKing.
The longer I looked at it, the more I liked it and every ride was sheer boxer stomping joy. This is a BMW that’s DEFINITELY NOT BORING!
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