All week I had been looking forward to my ride. The weather was forecasted as sunny and 64 degrees—perfect motorcycle riding conditions. The rain would arrive on Thursday and, hopefully, leave by Friday. And while there was some late rain on Friday, the wind picked up, the temperatures rose, and the roads were dry. As promised, the sun was brightly shiny, there were no clouds the sea of blue, and some gusty wind was the only less than ideal condition. But since I don’t ride on the interstate, the wind was not a factor other than keeping me cool.
The day was so lovely, I opted to wear my Klim summer jacket for the ride and a short sleeve t-shirt underneath. The jacket was fine, but I was a little too optimistic with the short sleeves. My arms were a little chilled, so I turned on my heated grips on the low setting, and that was enough to keep the ride pleasant.
I spent some time focusing on how my legs can steer the motorcycle, marveling at how well the R Nine T leans into corners. It occurred to me during this ride that the R Nine T is my favorite motorcycle to ride. Now this is in comparison to the BMW G310 GS and the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled. I don’t think I can fairly compare the R Nine T to the 1250 GS as I only did a test ride on the latter bike. I think the 1250 GS will ultimately prove to be my favorite motorcycle, but right now I am totally loving the performance on the R Nine T. I can’t believe how nervous the dry clutch made me because I realized on today’s ride that the dry clutch, at least for me, is much easier to work with. Perhaps this ease of use is because I grew up driving manual transmission cars, and I have a better feel for that kind of clutch. I find myself not stalling at stops anywhere near as much as I did on the 310 or the Scrambler.
Now some of the improvement is due to my growth as a rider and development of skills. The 310 was my first motorcycle, so I spent much of the time on that bike getting used to riding and perhaps not as much time as getting a feel for the motorcycle. With the Ducati I was riding a more powerful engine on a taller bike, and I still only had six months experience riding motorcycles. But with the R Nine T, I started riding this bike with 18 months’ experience, and I developed my feel for the dry clutch on the grassy field. There I stalled usually more often than not, but Bill would always tell me afterward that a large part of the problem was being on dirt and grass, that it would be easier on the pavement. And yet again, he was right.
I love my comfort level on the R Nine T. It is allowing me to really focus on my skills. When I started her up, I didn’t fully pull in the clutch, so I knew I wouldn’t shift out of neutral. I released the clutch, then pulled it in slowly and fully, and I felt the motorcycle drop into first gear. I love the way the motorcycle leans into the curves and corners something I noticed on the other two motorcycles but didn’t fully appreciate. I love the balance on the R Nine T; it is so well-balanced that even when I feel the first bauble during tight turn practice, I am confident in correcting. I like too that on this motorcycle, I can easily pre-load the front brake, something I struggled with on the Ducati and was too inexperienced a rider to attempt on the 310.
On this beautiful ride, I found myself wondering if I did want the BMW R 1250 GS, or did I just want to continue riding the R Nine T. I gave this quite a lot of thought as I looked out at the bright sunshine on the blooming trees, camellias, daffodils, and even a few dwarf azaleas. I realized that if I had to keep the R Nine T because circumstances didn’t allow for the purchase of a new motorcycle (for one thing, we have to sell the other two), I would be fine. I would even be happy because it is such a wonderful motorcycle. But I would always wonder and wish I had the chance to ride the 1250 GS and make it my own. So ultimately, I do one day want to own the adventure motorcycle. Until that day, however, I will quite happily continue riding my R Nine T, happier still when I am given such wondrously gorgeous days for riding.
Flutterby Biker 