It didn’t take long for Kim Atienza to break out his shiny-new BMW R18 First Edition. In his latest motovlog, ‘Kuya Kim’ rode the 1,802cc cruiser to visit his friend, motivational speaker Chinkee Tan, in Cainta, Rizal.
On the way, Atienza shared his first ride impressions of the BMW R18: “Pagka-slow speed, medyo sa liko kinakailangan mag-ingat tayo because the bike is heavy. Kailangan konting ingat, konting rebolusyon, at tapak sa rear brake—it’s called the friction zone.
“Pero pagka-mabilis, parang ang gaan-gaan ng bike. So, sa diretso okay lang. And the riding position is also perfect because my legs are not cramped. Quite comfortable; I can ride on this bike for a long time.”
According to Atienza, the front twin and rear single disc brakes work well despite the bike’s 345kg curb weight. He can maintain second gear in the middle of traffic and still go fast or slow.
“The bike also has a certain vibration that is very raw. It feels so old. Ganito rin yung feeling ko dun sa lumang BMW,” he added. “Whenever I rev it up, pumapaling ito pakaliwa. It’s because of the boxer engine. And I actually like that—it’s the character of the bike. It doesn’t affect the performance of the bike."
He recently partnered with Petron and BMW Motorrad Philippines for an online campaign. Atienza reportedly partly paid for his BMW R18 First Edition, whose discounted cost is almost P2 million, so no wonder he was thrilled to get on it.
“It’s so beautiful, pagkaganda-ganda talaga. Unashamedly retro, but modern. So, you get the best of both worlds: retro yet modern, all in one bike. I can’t wait till I ride this bike, the R18, all the way to maybe Baguio, Ilocos, or La Union. Mas mahaba-haba,” he said.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopBikes.ph. Minor edits have been made.
