Today’s ride felt a bit like a fight. I had some issues with the motorcycle that I had not experienced in a while. So I wondered if the R Nine T somehow knew that my mind was on riding the R 1250 GS.
The day before I received a phone call from Clayton at Adventure BMW. A new rebate special is launching that offers $2,445 cash back on the purchase of a 2023 R 1250 GS. I suspect this great offer is because the new R 1300 GS is soon to launch, so BMW wants to make it attractive to buy the 1250. And it is a great offer but, as I explained to Clayton, I still have two motorcycles to sell before I can think of buying a new one.
Now there may be a question as to why I don’t wait and buy the 1300. Bill and I have discussed that option, but we determined that while the 1300 is probably a fantastic motorcycle, it doesn’t have the 40-year heritage of the 1250 . With the 1250 all the bugs have been worked out, and it is arguably the best adventure motorcycle there is.
However, none of this really matters as we have to sell the Ducati and the 310. Plus, Bill has some reservations about me on a taller motorcycle. As he has rightly pointed out, I did have some struggles with the Ducati Scrambler. Now the Scrambler has a .5 inch higher seat than the standard 1250 seat height. And we have already decided to purchase the lower seat, which drops the seat another 2 inches making it lower than the R Nine T. I also believe that the boxer engine on the 1250 helps keep the weight low, and I do know that I struggled with the higher center of gravity on the Scrambler.
I have noticed with the boxer engine that I seem to have better balance as well as more of a chance to recover when I feel the bike tip. This balance came in handy during my ride as at one stop I felt enough of a wobble, I had to throw both feet down. I haven’t had to stop with both feet in months having gotten good at stopping with the rear brake (right foot) and placing my left foot down. But on this stop I slipped up and turned the front wheel to the right, over-balancing the bike and necessitating the placement of the right foot as well as the left.
A few stops later, I overshot my stop and had to add the front brake. At this point I began to think the motorcycle was not working with me, and I realized that I wasn’t in harmony with the R Nine T because I was thinking about how much I want the R 1250 GS. I know last week I said I could live with the R Nine T is the 1250 wasn’t possible, and I could; it is a fantastic motorcycle. But I remember my test ride on the 1250 GSA and how it felt like the ideal motorcycle. I loved the riding position, the feel of the clutch, the roll of the throttle.
But what I learned on this blustery March day was I need to focus on the motorcycle I’m riding. The wind may have played a part in some of the struggles; before we even left the driveway, the force of the wind against my motorcycle trying to tip me over. Bill felt it on the Rocket as well. Winter was making a stand and we felt it in the cold wind, but spring dug in its heels refusing to leave. I had on my winter riding pants and jacket, but I didn’t need the balaclava nor the large Rev’It gloves. We even had a chubby bumblebee buzzing around the garage before we left, drawn out by the sun, the bright blossoms, and the warmer weather we had enjoyed last week. Seeing her made me keep an eye out for any early butterflies, but no luck yet. I did see my first tulips of the spring and a fully bloomed cherry tree (bit early). The large azaleas are waiting for their chance to bloom, so I hope the warmer weather will return to stay. Perhaps, with a lot of luck, I’ll be riding my dream bike, the R 1250 GS, by the time summer has arrived.
Flutterby Biker 