One thousand, two hundred and ninety-nine days ago I rode my first ever motorcycle. One thousand, two hundred and ninety-two days ago, we bought my first ever motorcycle, the 2021 BMW G310 GS in Polar Ice (white and gray). It was a wonderful little bike, absolutely perfect for getting a feel for riding a motorcycle and gaining confidence as a rider. I’m bittersweet about letting it go, but today we sold it, and I had my final ride on my first ever motorcycle.
It’s been an interesting selling experience with the 310. I had 53 interested buyers in it, but it took more than three months to sell it. Some of the selling issues may have been due to our methods—cash or cashier’s check from one bank, not much negotiation on the price, and the expectation that the buyer would arrange for any shipping. But I also think the bike was waiting for the right buyer. We sold it to a gentleman from North Carolina who wanted a beginner bike for his teenage daughter and wife, and he is familiar enough with BMW motorcycles and the 310 to know it was the perfect bike for learning.
Knowing we had a buyer has led me to reminisce about my experiences on the 310. I’ve written about those rides, so right now I’m going to focus on how different my beginner bike feels now that I’ve ridden the Ducati Scrambler, the BMW R1250 GSA, and the BMW R Nine T. For one thing there is no pickup on the 310. It accelerates so slow-smoothly that it wasn’t until I was on the Ducati that I experienced the sensation of being “thrown from the bike.” This feeling is when as you roll on the throttle, the acceleration is forceful enough that you feel yourself moved back on the seat as though to fly off the back. It’s a neat sensation—as long as you don’t actually fly off the bike!
I rode onto the curvy road and noted that the 310 doesn’t handle the curves anywhere near as effectively as the R Nine T. I did, however, have a super tight U-turn in the court without really trying. The poor 310 is so short in gears that just accelerating up to 25 mph necessitated shifting into fourth gear. Often with the R Nine T, I can ride along smoothly in second gear.
My one concern on this final ride was stalling the motorcycle. As I was learning, I often stalled the 310 trying to learn the friction zone. But despite my trepidation, I handled every acceleration from a stop smoothly. I came to recognize that I have truly outgrown the 310, my beginner motorcycle. And this realization made parting with the motorcycle a bit easier.
As Bill and the new owner were loading the 310 into the trailer, I noticed a bald eagle soaring overhead. I took this as a good omen on the sale. I chased after the eagle attempting to get a photo (my phone is too old to take a good picture), I saw a red-tailed hawk being harassed by a crow crossing paths with the eagle. The eagle coasted on the thermals farther and farther away much like the BMW G310 GS was leaving. It was a beautiful autumn day to let go of my beginner biker status and hope that it serves its new owners as good if not better than it served me.
Flutterby Biker 