4 Bikes in One Weekend

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 motorcycle — BMW 1250 GS Adventure in Triple Black from Adventure BMW

Butterflies, Bikes, and a Beautiful Day

Today’s ride was a gift. The day’s high temperature hit 82 with 10 mph winds out of the north, gentle sunshine, and low humidity. I can’t remember such a beautiful day in August. We didn’t even have to get out early for our ride. And we didn’t have too long to wait for the first butterfly to make an appearance; a small cabbage white fluttered high across the road as we headed out, blessing our ride.

Our first practice was setting up our lines for curves. The usual line for a curve is outside-inside-outside. What we were working on is ensuring an escape route while in the curve. That meant not going too far to the center lane as that cuts off half of the escape. Now we have the luxury of riding on familiar curves, but there has been a lot of road construction in the neighborhoods, so we have to stay aware.

Halfway through our curve practice, we rode into our first gravel lot. Two of the gravel parking lots are at historic houses—a plantation house and a family home that is considered the best example of Virginia vernacular architecture. And just as these are two distinct houses, their gravel lots are distinct. The plantation house gravel is less packed down making it more slippery, I felt my tires slipping under me as we practiced S-turns in this gravel lot, but I didn’t have to dab and kept going.

As we rode along, we came to a street with a blind curve. We parked our bikes as Bill explained how on this particular curve, I needed to be aware of my avenues of escape as cars driving from the opposite side of the curve might easily cross the center line. Just as he was pointing out the potential need to ride into people’s yards to avoid an oncoming car, a gold-colored sedan came around the curve and crossed over into the opposite lane. It was as if the driver was part of the lesson.

While we sat parked, I noticed a red-spotted purple admiral butterfly dancing among the leaves of a thin tree. As I watched, I thought I spotted a second one fluttering among the leaves as well.

Our skill at tight turns has improved greatly. We are now completing S-turns (or figure 8s) in courts and lots where before we were only completing one circle. This tight turn practice helps me get a better feel for my motorcycle and for handling it. In the other gravel lot, I found myself turning tightly enough to completely avoid the wooden parking curbs.

Leaving this parking lot, I spotted another admiral butterfly across the road and realized that both motorcyclists and butterflies love beautiful, temperate days. Yet even with the moderate temperatures and cool breeze, our slow speed drills got the better of me. The Scrambler engine got painfully hot against my left thigh as we were practicing a new drill. This exercise involved putting the handlebars in full lock (where they won’t turn past) and turning while looking in the opposite direction. This drill really allows me to feel how the bike pulls and wants to lean into the turn. Since this was our first try at this exercise, we kept our feet down and dabbed along as we turned. But by having my legs down, my thighs hit right up against my hot engine.

I rode over to some shade to take a break and get off the Ducati. As Bill rode up to me to see what was going on, a monarch butterfly fluttered over our heads making me smile. I told Bill that I did want to switch to the BMW G310 GS for riding on these warmer days. The Scrambler is a much better cool/cold weather ride where that engine heat will keep me warm. But that engine heat for now is making my practice extremely uncomfortable.

Because of my overheating, Bill questioned me about riding the R Nine T. But I was eager to implement my discovery from last week (August Ride). I focused on feeling the motorcycle move as I let up but did not release the clutch. It worked! I started off fine even though the ground was a bit squishy. I briefly thought about just continuing to circle about, but the challenge for me is to stop and start off again. So I came to a stop with some trepidation but determined to learn how to ride this bike. I did the same roll on the throttle as the clutch was almost let out, and I was off again. I came to a stop 6 times and was able to take off again with no stalls each time, though I did have a near stall on one. I finished my practice with a big smile for my success, for the butterflies, and for the beautiful day.

Next week I’ll be back on my BMW keeping much cooler for our slow speed drills. And we have another day forecasted in the low 80s, but the humidity is back. Since I’ll be on the smaller motorcycle, I wonder if I’ll be as successful keeping up with Bill as I was on this ride.

motorcycle rider — Photo by Yura Forrat on Pexels.com

New Bike, Same Training

Gray skies hung over us as we made our way to Virginia Beach for my first official ride on the Ducati Scrambler Fasthouse, but that didn’t darken my mood any. I couldn’t wait for my practice, though I was nervous because the crash bars aren’t yet added. Seven months riding and still no drop—knock on wood.

When we got to my parents’ garage, my boyfriend set to the seemingly simple task of adding a battery charger for the Ducati. The motorcycle comes with a battery tender port; however, it does not connect to the SAE connectors, and Revzilla no longer carries the converter. So the tender had to be connected to the battery itself which simply means removing the seat, undoing a few screws, connecting, and tightening everything back down.

Luck was not our friend. First, the seat would not come off. It was snagged at the front and required Bill to use brute strength to get it off. It was snagged on some kind of bracket that was not seated properly down in the cavity. The next error was the battery cord plate was also not seated correctly over the terminal, keeping the cover from resting flat once Bill had wrangled the battery tender leads onto the battery. The last, and worst because it is a very difficult fix, error is the receptor for the retaining screw for the cover was stripped not allowing the screw to tighten. But the bike was rideable which is what matters the most. Though after seeing this shoddy work, we definitely won’t head back to Bayside for any more motorcycles.

Of course, since the Scrambler had sat for a week battery untended, it was difficult to start. Bill solved the problem by plugging the bike into the tender in the garage to start it up, and the engine roared beautifully to life. We left the bike running while he suited up, and we headed over to my practice street.

Once I was suited up, it was my turn to ride. My first challenge was tilting the bike upright off the kickstand on the canted street. Heavier than the 310 by almost 100 pounds wet, I felt every bit of those extra pounds as I struggled to straighten her out. But I managed it and I started off paddling down the road. Paddling means I was using the friction zone of the clutch to ease the bike forward while my feet walked along the ground. But on the Ducati, it is hard to keep the pace slow, and soon my feet were up on the pegs and I was cruising in first gear. I successfully executed my first U-turn to the left, something I was too nervous to do last weekend, rode up the street and repeated my success turning to the right.

I settled in to practice U-turns and shifting from first to second. I noticed quickly that the Ducati gears are higher than the BMW’s meaning that I could go higher speeds in lower gears—and by higher speeds I mean 15 mph. As I was practicing up my street, a bicyclist turned next to me, interfering with my ability to execute my U-turn. So I rode to the stop sign, turned, and went up the street for a bit, getting to third gear before turning back around. Emboldened by the thrill of the slightly higher speed, I went for a circuit over half the neighborhood, loving every bit of the horsepower and torque in the 803cc motorcycle.

Returning to my practice street, I wanted a short break as my hands were getting sore. The trouble is I can’t find neutral; in fact I can’t even move the shifter when I’m stopped and have to use my hand to lift the shifter into neutral. I am frustrated by this, but Bill says it’s actually normal on motorcycles to have this problem. He of course can find neutral after just his second ride, but he tells me I’ll get there. And I don’t doubt I will.

Just as I finished my break, Bill noted some small rain drops on my front fender. Sure enough, the rain was arriving early. I looped through two more sets of U-turns before calling it quits. As we set back for my parents’ house, the rain seemed to taper and I thought maybe I could’ve squeezed out a bit more practice. But after we had the bike garaged, the rain started coming down harder, so I had made the right decision after all. We’ll be back over on Wednesday to install the crash bars, so I don’t have to wait a whole week to play with my new motorcycle.