R 18 Transcontinental (MY2021)

The Transcontinental takes BMW's 1802 cc air/oil-cooled boxer and wraps it in a full touring shell. Peak output is 91 hp at 4,750 rpm, but the figure that actually shapes the bike is 117 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm, fed through a six-speed box and a shaft. Everything built around it serves distance: a fixed fairing, a factory luggage system, a large TFT screen with full map navigation, keyless operation, heated grips and cruise control, all standard. This is BMW doing the full-dress bagger on its own hardware, with its own idea of finish and its own electronics.

On the road it behaves the way the numbers promise. A 66.7 in wheelbase and 944 lb wet settle the bike into a lane and hold it there, and the low 29.1 in seat gets most riders both boots down at a stop. It is made for people who measure a good day in states crossed rather than corners strung together. The honest caveat is mass. Below walking pace you feel every one of those pounds, and parking on a camber takes a plan. The telescopic fork carries no adjustment at all, and the rear shock's preload is automatic — an electro-hydraulic load-compensation system, not a knob you turn yourself.