BMW R18B: Denver To Los Angeles Tour – The Long Way

Despite the best efforts of the Coronavirus Delta Variant, things are slowly starting to return to normal. Naturally, for those of us in the moto-biz, that means the manufacturers are starting to invite us to ride their newest machinery, rather than settling for a videoconference unveiling. Receiving the invitation from BMW to the R18B and R18 Transcontinental launch was enough to get my juices flowing because it’s been more than a decade since the last time I enjoyed Colorado on two wheels. When BMW sent a second email asking if I’d like to ride a bike home, I was stoked to have the opportunity to more fully test the BMW’s long-haul capability. No more work got done that day as I began to construct my route. If everything goes as planned, I’ve got 1,300 miles to build a close relationship with my borrowed steed.

My choice for the ride is the BMW R18B, because I prefer baggers to dressers, and since I’d be flying solo, I don’t need the additional storage capacity. For my color, I requested Galaxy Dust, because, well, who can resist that name? My route would be three days from Denver to Los Angeles. The first two days would be play days, consisting of roughly 500 miles in both Colorado and Utah. Day three will likely be an interstate slog from St. George, UT to LA, CA to get me back for work on Monday. Still, I’m feeling the familiar gravitational pull to extend my ride via a more scenic route on the final day, so who knows what will happen.

The proposed route for day one looks like lots of fun in the Rockies. Will I be able to maintain my schedule? Or will my trip suffer the same fate as my unfortunate Honda Gold Wing Ride? Only time will tell.

Since I’m bound by an embargo agreement that prevents me from commenting on the R18B’s performance until next week, you’ll have to sate your desire for information with daily reports from the road about…scenery, I guess. If you want to follow along with my ride, click the link below, and you should get a map showing my location, thanks to my Spot Tracker.

Track Evans’ BMW R18B tour from Denver to Los Angeles

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