Tag: BMW motorcycle

Featured

Rain, Wind, and Riding

            The forecasted rain arrived Friday evening and stayed past noon on Saturday.  I was bummed even though I was sure we’d be able to ride on Sunday.  So in order to mitigate the wait time from Saturday to Sunday, I decided to go check out the 2024 BMW R1300 GS.  As luck would have it, by the time we headed over to the BMW dealership, the roads had mostly dried out.  But I had set my sights on seeing the new motorcycle, so we headed over.

            When we arrived at Adventure, they had over 15 motorcycles outside on display including the 1300 in the GS Trophy edition.  This edition is in a red, white, and royal blue color pattern that looked good on Youtube, but for me the colors didn’t quite fit on the motorcycle that well.  Because they had a large inventory of bikes, I was able to sit on the 1300 and then sit on a 1250 to compare.  On both bikes I was on my toes, but when we went inside, I was able to sit on a Triple Black edition that featured the adjustable seat height.  I was happy to see I could flat foot the bike and have a bend in my knees, close to my position on the R Nine T.  The adjustable seat height is a feature that automatically lowers the motorcycle’s suspension as the rider slows down to stop.  Harley-Davidson introduced this feature with their adventure bike, the Pan America, and it is a very smart feature that, should it gain increasing popularity, will make motorcycling open to more riders.

            When I expressed disappointment at not seeing the 1300 in the Aurelius green metallic, Rick, the sales manager, told us he had one in the back and led us back there to see it.  I’m glad he did because between the Trophy colors and the green, I much prefer the green.  The lines on the tank are smoother and Bill likes that the frame is black not white.

            Because of the recent rain, and because Rick was helping us not Clayton, there was no offer of a test ride.  I would like to go back and test ride the green one, but I have to come to grips with reality.  The green bike, known as the Option 719, is an upspec motorcycle with a ton of features and would cost, before dealer fees and taxes, $28, 545, so over $30,000 once the additional fees are added.  It is amazing how much the motorcycle has increased in price.  The 1250 GS would have run around $23,000 with added features.  I may have to wait for some used 1300s to show up on CycleTrader to make it a reasonable dream.

            Of course I really can’t complain.  I have the beautiful R Nine T to ride, and ride I did on another windy Sunday.  I remembered to check the wind chill, so I was dressed appropriately in my full leather jacket with the liner, warmest shirt, and Rev’It Factor 4 pants with the liner.  Because of the chill, I wasn’t expecting to see any butterflies never mind as many as I saw last week.  But I was surprised; there was one cabbage white fluttering around before we left, and I did spot one brave little guy as we rode.

            As we turned around on at the end of the curvy road, I was watching a pair of Canadian geese in someone’s yard when my eye was caught by movement in the sky.  High aloft the bald eagle was cruising on the strong winds.  I stopped to watch, but Bill, who hadn’t seen the eagle, had ridden ahead.  It was one of the few times I’ve wished we had a communication system.

            Leaving the curvy road, I continued looking up in hopes of seeing the eagle again, but half a mile away and he was gone.  Shortly after, though, Bill and I spied two osprey fighting over a fish in the sky.  I was happy Bill got in on these raptors, and I began to have a hope of maybe seeing the golden eagle again.  I didn’t, but I did see lots of crows.

            I also saw more azaleas beginning to bloom and more tulips flowering.  The cherry trees had reached full bloom but, due to the heavy rain and strong winds, their blossoms were not as full as they could have been.  But the cherry blossoms in their transience remind me of my rides; the rides are wonderful while they last, but they are over all too soon.  Of course, like the cherry blossoms, they return.

Avoiding the Rut

I’m nearing 400 miles on my motorcycle.  400 miles from cruising around neighborhoods.  My first service is at 600 miles plus my second bike may come at 600.

            Now originally, we had thought the BMW R NineT Urban GS would be my second bike with Bill riding it until I was ready.  But the R NineT has a dry clutch whereas my G 310 GS has a wet clutch.  The difference between wet and dry for a rider is that the wet clutch allows you a friction zone.  This friction zone allows for a slow release of the clutch with a gradual twist of the throttle.  With a dry clutch, there is no friction zone, so when you release the clutch, you have to power on the throttle.  The difference in the ride is that Bill takes off whereas I slowly launch.

            So the more Bill has ridden his bike, the more he believes it is too much for me.  Part of the problem is we don’t have a field to practice in.  A field would allow me to have a soft drop of the bike should the takeoff cause me to fly off the bike.  The more I ride, though, the more curious I am to ride the other motorcycle.

            I’m not sure if this means I’m bored on my bike.  I think it’s more that I am lacking challenges.  Even as I write this, I am aware that I do not want to get overconfident about my riding.  Today I was marveling that I have been riding 7 months and still no drop.  And I love riding my bike.  In terms of my training, though, I don’t know what else my bike can teach me, at least riding on my neighborhood roads.  If we ever get to ride off-road, I am sure I will learn a lot.  Right now, I ride slowly in the gravel pool lot, feeling the slip of the tires.  But I know there is so much more.

            I suppose next week I need to take out the camel cones and set up my own off-set slalom.  Bill has left me alone to practice, so I guess I should realize that it is up to me to create my own training challenges.  I noticed on today’s ride, Bill works his fast stop to end at a fire hydrant whereas I use a parked car as my landmark to start my stops.  So I can mix up my stopping drills next week too.

            The positives from today’s ride far outweigh my feelings of being in a rut.  It was a beautiful, sunny 55 degrees day, and the wind from yesterday had died down considerably.  I had great stops and no stalls even with Bill setting me up at the beginning with an up-camber start.  I saw a late Atlantis Fritallary butterfly and a hardy cabbage white butterfly enjoying the sunny day.  I spotted one of the falcons zooming from one tree to the next.  I also got to see the marsh hawk circling over the under-construction house.  I even got hit by a falling leaf and laughed.  I practiced my U-turns, sudden stops, stops and starts, and lane changes.  I was very smooth on my takeoffs from stops, no stalls, and a few odd shifts into neutral.  When I mentioned my shifts into neutral to Bill, he suggested it might be something I’m doing with the clutch.  I didn’t have any more odd shifts after our little chat, so I’LL have to wait and see.

BMW R NineT Urban GS alongside my BMW G310 GS