2024 Rocket 3 v BMW R18

Jagster said:

......blimey!.......you're right. They indeed are both black, but which one is the apple and which one is the watermelon?

Just asking for a friend

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One is for motor riding connoisseurs the other is for those riders that enjoy things in a slower mode so they can be recognized as being cool!

When I see one of those black R18's I can't help thinking they look like a two-wheeled equivalent of a Nazi staff car. Just needs a little swastika flag on the front fender and an iron cross taillight.
Of course, it was styled on the 1930's R5 and the '30's vibe is pretty authentic, but when I see one parked up I half expect the owner to be wearing knee-length boots, bat-wing trouser and a monocle and issuing Sieg Heils.

The new Rocket really looks sharp. The original looks like something out of Roger Rabbit.

I'll be honest, I haven't really taken much notice about the R1800 since it's launch.
I'm a fan of the Rocket 3 and despite having many different bikes prior to my Rocket, where I am today means i've not got much interest in any other bike, period.
Not like I used to.
The Rocket has changed me somehow....in a good way, I think.

So.... having stumbled across the video at the start of this thread, and reading comments from other folk, i've been trying to look a bit closer at the R1800.
I came across this review, so thought I would add it here.....

Jagster said:

I'll be honest, I haven't really taken much notice about the R1800 since it's launch.
I'm a fan of the Rocket 3 and despite having many different bikes prior to my Rocket, where I am today means i've not got much interest in any other bike, period.
Not like I used to.
The Rocket has changed me somehow....in a good way, I think.

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I think I've arrived at that point as well. TBH, I pretty much got there with my Harley. I kind of lost interest in my other bikes and felt I could live with the Harley as my only bike. If it hadn't crippled my back I'd have kept it. As it was, it was a stepping-stone bike that brought me to the Rocket, which turned out to be the bike I should have bought in the first place.

It will be interesting to see how I feel when I get the Ducati and the KTM back on the road in the spring.

Gimlet said:

I think I've arrived at that point as well. TBH, I pretty much got there with my Harley. I kind of lost interest in my other bikes and felt I could live with the Harley as my only bike. If it hadn't crippled my back I'd have kept it. As it was, it was a stepping-stone bike that brought me to the Rocket, which turned out to be the bike I should have bought in the first place.

It will be interesting to see how I feel when I get the Ducati and the KTM back on the road in the spring.

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Funny you say that...regarding your relationship with your Harley and becoming a Rocketeer.
Similar story for me, by the fact that the Harley was the bike I evolved into my 'only bike', up until I was forced to take a break from riding due to health issues.
When I finally came back to bikes, the Rocket took over from what my Harley was doing for me four years earlier.

My conclusion as to why I liked these two 'only one bike' machines is:
1- Torque ( The older I get, the more I value low down torque over horse power)
2- Character (mechanically and visually)
3- They can be tweaked and honed over time.......(to keep the stimulation going in the two wheeled love affair).
4- They stand out in the crowd and despite not being the slickest, fastest, exotic or sexiest bikes out there, they are just plain cool for not being so. They are what they are and they ain't shy.

I think, however, that the Triumph has a clear edge over the Harley, because it is a more refined and comfortable ride....yet still has all of the above.

Jagster said:

My conclusion as to why I liked these two 'only one bike' machines is:
1- Torque ( The older I get, the more I value low down torque over horse power)
2- Character (mechanically and visually)
3- They can be tweaked and honed over time.......(to keep the stimulation going in the two wheeled love affair).
4- They stand out in the crowd and despite not being the slickest, fastest, exotic or sexiest bikes out there, they are just plain cool for not being so. They are what they are and they ain't shy.

I think, however, that the Triumph has a clear edge over the Harley, because it is a more refined and comfortable ride....yet still has all of the above.

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I'd agree with that. And I'd add pride of ownership. Harleys have that in spades and it's an aspect that people who've never had one often don't understand. Every ride is an event, an occasion. And there's the feeling of owning a piece of hewn-from-solid engineering that makes so many other bikes seem plastic and throwaway.
The Rocket has that too though I think the finish quality on my Low Rider S had the edge on it, certainly the paintwork, which was exquisite. But I get the same sense of a forever-bike when I ride the Rocket that I had with the Harley.
If I could afford it I'd have a Harley as well, but a tourer rather than a cruiser because nothing's going to compete with a Rocket in that department. Probably a Road King Special or a Heritage.

Gimlet said:

I'd agree with that. And I'd add pride of ownership. Harleys have that in spades and it's an aspect that people who've never had one often don't understand. Every ride is an event, an occasion. And there's the feeling of owning a piece of hewn-from-solid engineering that makes so many other bikes seem plastic and throwaway.
The Rocket has that too though I think the finish quality on my Low Rider S had the edge on it, certainly the paintwork, which was exquisite. But I get the same sense of a forever-bike when I ride the Rocket that I had with the Harley.
If I could afford it I'd have a Harley as well, but a tourer rather than a cruiser because nothing's going to compete with a Rocket in that department. Probably a Road King Special or a Heritage.

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Agreed.
Seeing a nicely presented Harley is always a temptation for me, also.
However, I have to tell myself no.....Just have one bike.
...I wonder if I will refrain from temptation..

Jagster said:

Agreed.
Seeing a nicely presented Harley is always a temptation for me, also.
However, I have to tell myself no.....Just have one bike.
...I wonder if I will refrain from temptation..

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I'd have one of these in a heartbeat.
Just for touring. I don't like the full dress baggers. I tour fairly light and this would be more than enough for my needs. I'd stage 3 it and that would do. I miss the big twin feel. I love the Rocket's triple character but the whump, whump, whump of a big Harley is equally satisfying in it's different way.

Gimlet said:

When I see one of those black R18's I can't help thinking they look like a two-wheeled equivalent of a Nazi staff car. Just needs a little swastika flag on the front fender and an iron cross taillight.
Of course, it was styled on the 1930's R5 and the '30's vibe is pretty authentic, but when I see one parked up I half expect the owner to be wearing knee-length boots, bat-wing trouser and a monocle and issuing Sieg Heils.

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DR. D!!!