Another early start on Saturday as we went back to Adventure BMW to pick up the R Nine T. I followed Bill back home and we headed out. Because Bill had ridden on roads with 45 mph speed limits, he suggested I lead the ride today to prevent him from zooming off. So for the first time, I took point.
It was a cool 65 degrees as we headed out. I found myself shutting my helmet visor, needing to zip up my jacket fully, and wishing I had worn my neck tube. Taking point meant I needed to be even more aware of what traffic was doing as it affected both of us. But I also enjoyed the point as I selected the route and determined our slow speed practice.
Because the day was so cool, I was able to add back the slow speed drills of tight circles, S-turns, full lock drills, and straightening up and stopping drills. It felt good to get back into practice, and I found myself smiling a lot as some of the drills came easily and some challenged me. Before we headed out, Bill had checked the air in my tires which were low. As he told me, “You’ll notice your suspension is going to be stiff.” I particularly noticed this inside the gravel lot. As I led the turns, I felt my tires slipping under me repeatedly. But I wasn’t freaked out by the slips as I feel I can handle the Ducati and I understood why there was such an increase.
The cool air meant almost no butterflies. However, late into our ride, a darkish brown Juvenal’s Duskywing fluttered across my path. We did see a lot of small groups of geese as their migration continues. I did wonder why I haven’t seen any large birds of prey, but then I remembered I was on point and shouldn’t be watching the sky.
Since I did have point, I led us to the school field so I could ride the R Nine T some. I amazed myself with how well I was able to get the motorcycle moving. I had a blast just zooming around in S-turns, really enjoying how well the bike leaned into the little curves and how well it zipped around. I was having so much fun I almost forgot to practice stopping and resuming the ride so I could work the clutch. I had six successful starts with zero stalls, so I’m almost ready to say I have a feel for the dry clutch.
The beautiful ride came to an end with big grins on both of our faces. Autumn is definitely riding season.
It was an early start Saturday. We had a 9:00 appointment for service on the R Nine T, and by heading out early, I got a chance to ride the R Nine T a bit before the appointment.
Because our start was so early, the temps were still in the 60s—an absolutely perfect morning for riding. Bill headed out on the R Nine T while I would follow in the car. As I started driving, I saw a falcon atop a light post who then dived down into the bushes by someone’s front porch, and I took that as good omen on the day.
I arrived a few minutes before Bill at Adventure BMW, so I had the rare opportunity of watching him ride up on the beautiful motorcycle. I quickly geared up and took the bike into the same parking lot where I test rode the R 1250 GSA last week. I had a little trouble finding first gear, but I remembered to work the motorcycle forward and back to help it fall into gear, and that worked. My start was smooth with no jiggering and off I went. My ride was short-lived, however, as the mechanics soon showed up. Still, I managed some U-turns and S-turns and a shift into second before I had to stop my ride.
We checked out the inventory to find they had sold a few more motorcycles without getting any new ones in. In fact when I had arrived at the dealership, there was a gentleman from Maryland with a U-Haul trailer waiting to pick up his recently purchased motorcycle. I hope next week we see some more inventory; I would especially like to see an R 1250 GS in stock.
Once we left the dealership, we returned to the garage where I suited up to take out the Ducati Scrambler. The day was so cool, I was able to ride wearing the Alpinestars shirt under my jacket. I mostly cruised, but I did take some tight turns in the three gravel lots, having headed into the pool parking lot. I didn’t feel the heat much on my legs, so I tried to get the tight turn in the house gravel lot that I had to dab on last week. I was successful happily.
As I rode out from that parking lot, I encountered a bright yellow Canadian Tiger Swallowtail who almost collided with my helmet. Luckily, she flitted upward as I zipped by and we could both continue our day’s journeys. I later saw a Horace’s Duskywing as I headed back to the house. Definitely the butterflies as well as the motorcyclists prefer cooler weather for our fun.
It was a weekend of riding as I had the opportunity to ride four different motorcycles. From these rides I solidified my choice for my next motorcycle.
Bill surprised me Saturday morning by asking me if I wanted to go to Adventure BMW first then ride or vice versa. Our trip to the motorcycle dealership was purposeful; the R Nine T is due for its first service, and Bill wanted to set up an appointment. We also wanted to see the on-site inventory. We’ve been checking their website regularly for new inventory, but the list has been rather sparse. So we figured that maybe bikes were coming in that weren’t getting posted onto the web page. And we were right.
Meeting Clayton again, who now is a sales associate but was a mechanic when we went to buy the G310, we learned that they have had motorcycles come in and sell without making it to the web site. But they did have some inventory including three 1250 GS Adventure bikes. Now I have had my eye on the BMW 1250 GS since before I could ride. It is regarded by some as the best motorcycle out there, allowing for both on and off-road riding. The Adventure version has a higher suspension and a larger gas tank—7.3 vs. 5.3. It also adds about 40 more pounds to the weight of the bike. My preference has always been for the smaller GS, but since the only bikes there were the GSAs, that was what I sat on.
Now Clayton, being fairly new to sales, was eager to make a sale. When we first met him 18 months ago, he was a mechanic at the dealership, but he knows the motorcycles and rides them himself, so he was very helpful. I benefitted greatly from his eagerness. He offered me a test ride, so I took it.
My G310 GS, Ducati Scrambler, and the R Nine T were all test ridden by Bill. The GSA would be my first ever test ride. And it would be on a motorcycle that weighs 591 pounds! But one of the reasons the 1250 GS/GSA is such a popular motorcycle is that it is easy to ride. I was about to find out the truth of this myself.
Next to the BMW dealership is a large parking lot that is not in use on weekends. That’s where I rode the GSA. It rode like a dream. Just starting off, I expected some jiggering as I learned the friction zone, but there was none. Off I went, marveling at how nimble such a large bike was. My ride was mostly large circles where I managed to generate enough speed to shift into second with twice racing up enough to try third gear. Because the motorcycle was new, I didn’t do any tight turns, but I did practice straightening up and coming to a stop.
One aspect of the motorcycle I didn’t like was the seat height. Because this was the Adventure, the seat was 35 inches which resulted in only the balls of my feet reaching the ground. Now there is a lower seat height available, but I already know I can flat foot the GS version. On the GSA I couldn’t stop with my heel reaching out first as I have become habituated to, but my stops went well even on the balls of my feet.
I also practiced sudden stops. The 1250 GS comes with what is known as a telelever suspension. This suspension prevents the front forks from diving when the front brake is squeezed. On most motorcycles a sudden stop will cause the front end to dive as the suspension tries to absorb the energy of the moving motorcycle. I enjoyed testing out the telelever suspension on my stops; it is reassuring to feel the motorcycle staying upright as it comes to a stop. I also enjoyed the feel of a very well-balanced motorcycle. With the almost 600-pound bike, the balance adds another level of reassurance and let me feel confident in my test ride.
I don’t know how long I was out riding, and I could have stayed out longer, but I felt a little bad for Bill and wanted him to have a chance to ride. He refused to test ride the 1250 because, as he pointed out, he test rode two other bikes at Adventure and wound up buying them both. As it was nearing noon, we decided to put off our regular ride to Sunday. However, later that same afternoon, we took out the G310 and rode around in the backyard. That was my second motorcycle of the weekend.
Sunday came with rain forecasted, but we headed out anyway under the looming gray skies. We raced the rain and rode quickly; I didn’t mind as that helped mitigate the heat of the Ducati. We passed a little boy riding in his yard in a toy John Deere tractor with trailer who waved enthusiastically at us as we zoomed by. I gave him a wave and horn honk. And I finally saw my first mums out in someone’s yard, another herald of fall. No butterflies in sight though we were moving along so swiftly it would’ve been hard for me to spot any. I did see what seemed to be a lone goose, but I found out he was on the other side of a hedge from the rest of the gaggle, scoping out the next grazing area.
We were heading back to the garage when a golf cart turned in front of us. In order to let her clear our route, we went up the road and turned into a cul de sac where Bill stopped and dismounted the R Nine T. I was surprised as I knew we were nearing the end of the ride. Happily, Bill wanted us to switch motorcycles, letting me ride the R Nine T the three blocks back and for the first time on the road. Just as I mounted the black and yellow bike, the skies opened up on us. So not only did I get to ride a fourth motorcycle, I had my first ride in the rain. What a wonderful weekend of riding.
BMW 1250 GS Adventure in Triple Black from Adventure BMW
Officially the start of fall is September 22 when the autumnal equinox occurs, but already signs of its approach are evident. Fall and spring are the best seasons for motorcycle riding, though on my hot Ducati, winter is also pretty good. I love the colors of autumn, and saw the first shades on this ride.
The temperatures have not shifted into autumn mode, though our ride was in the low 80s. We kept to cruising mostly to help keep me cool. As I began the ride, I noted some magnolia blooms high up in a nearby tree, marveling at how these trees have flowered all summer. Heading out onto our long road, a Japanese beetle didn’t quite get out of my way and bonked against my right shoulder. I checked my jacket expecting a smear stain of what was left of the bug, but I was pleased to see no marks and assumed he bounced off and continued on his way.
I was concerned about not getting the slow speed practice in for a second week. But Bill led us into the large gravel lot and we did some figure 8s and U-turn practice. I did fine on all but one tight turn where my thoughts were more on my burning thighs than my navigation. For that I had to dab my left foot to complete the turn.
We rode by one of the houses that had been under construction and I noted that it was complete. Someone was hanging a basketball net for kids to play with. I noted among the cherry trees in particular some of the leaves had turned yellow. And as we headed into one court, leaves fell down upon us. I only saw one gaggle of Canadian geese, which surprised me, though perhaps they are migrating further south for winter. And I noticed several yards with sprinklers running to water the fall grass seeds.
A few butterflies are still about. The first one I saw was a bright yellow Canadian tiger swallowtail fluttering among some crape myrtles. Soon after I saw a black swallowtail, and I caught sight of some kind of duskywing, but it and I were moving too fast for me to figure out which one. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lone clematis blossom. But I’m still not seeing any fall mums; maybe next week as people take advantage of the Labor Day sales.
No R Nine T practice this week. School starts Tuesday for the kids, so the parking lot was full of cars as teachers worked to get their classrooms ready. I noticed during the ride how comfortable I’ve gotten with using the rear brake for stops. I’m doing OK with checking the mirrors as I come to a stop, but I am not consistent yet. I worked on turning the wheel at stops in the direction of travel. This week’s ride was almost all right turns; I only got to practice once to the left, but I remembered to dab my feet longer to maintain the turn.
As we returned the motorcycles to the garage, I looked out to see a cabbage white butterfly flitting about. I smiled even as I realized the butterfly sightings will become fewer and far between before stopping for the winter. As an experiment, I touched the seat of my Ducati and then of the R Nine T. Mine felt as warm as a heating pad; Bill’s was cool to the touch. So as the weather turns cooler, I have heated seats to look forward to. And as the seasons change again, the riding doesn’t stop but keeps getting better and better.
See how my seat is right above the engine? Hence my hot rides on the Ducati.
Flutterby Biker 