Motorcycle News…

I did something over the last few days that I haven’t done for over eight years. I bought a motorcycle! The last motorcycle I owned was a 2012 Ducati Multistrada S that I ended up selling over five years ago.

It was a nice bike but I found the riding position a bit cramped and it locked me into one position. I also really never connected with the bike. It seemed more like I was always fighting it.

For instance, the tach, which was a bar gauge, was hard to read while watching the road. It made it tough to judge shifts at times. Also, the clutch engagement wasn’t all that smooth or maybe I just wasn’t smooth enough to use it. Finally, even though it handled well (based on reviews of the bike), I never really felt comfortable pushing its capabilities as I never really trusted it.

Since there wasn’t a connection, it ended up sitting in the garage, gathering dust. Never a good thing. So, I sold it. I know Ducati’s are great bikes and supposed to be very emotional bikes. For me, the emotions just weren’t good emotions. Don’t get me wrong, I had a number of great rides on the bike as did my wife and I. We just ended up not liking the bike much.

Because of that, we moved back to convertibles for the past few years. We love them for the extra space and weather protection but there is a lack of freedom and connection with the journey that only seems to happen on a motorcycle.

We were half heartedly looking at motorcycle ads the other day and found what looked like a nice bike for a good price. It was an older BMW R1100. It was a two hour drive to look at this bike so I figured let’s see if there was anything closer. There was! So, since we had nothing else to do that afternoon, off to the motorcycle dealer we went.

Being a cold rainy day (which was good as we need moisture in the worst way), I knew I wouldn’t test ride the bike but we could at least look at it. When we arrived, the bike was outside so I asked if they could bring it inside so we could get a good look at it while not getting rained on. They did and I was able to hear the engine when they drove it inside. It sounded good, real good!

I liked the look of the bike too! It was red and black, much like the Ducati we had had before. In this case though, I liked the styling a bit better, as did my wife. Well, after a lot of back and forth and looking at a lot of gear, as we and sold our old gear when we sold the Ducati, we had a new, used BMW S1000 XR!

We left it at the dealership since the weather was bad and I decided to get new tires as I wanted something a bit more all weather vs. what was on the bike. One of the cool things we learned through the process was the bike’s previous owner was the Service Manager there so everyone we talked to at the dealership knew the bike.

We went to get the bike yesterday. The day was sunny and mid-sixties. Perfect bike weather! We met the Service Manager and had a great conversation about the bike and his years of experience with it. Then it was time to leave. This took a few minutes as I had to put on all my new gear, do some final adjustments and remember that the side stand needs to be up before putting the bike in gear or the engine dies!

With all of that done and my wife following in the car, we were off for the 50 mile ride home on one of the great motorcycle roads! This is the same road I did one of my first rides on the Ducati on so I had a good comparison to judge the new bike against.

Well, there wasn’t a comparison. The BMW was comfortable, and handled like an extension of me. I thought and it went. Amazing! Great engine, great power. Good wind protection and crosswind stability. Complaints? The bars are a little buzzy around 4500 rpm but that’s about it. Well that and I have a bit to learn on all the functions the bike contains but that’s my issue. All in all, nothing but good news!

I need to get a few more miles under my belt before my wife joins me on a ride as it has been a few years since I’ve ridden a motorcycle. This gives me a chance to get to know the bike which makes it safer when moving to two up riding.

Now, we can start new journeys and discover new places and old places! We can escape and let our souls be filled with the beauty nature offers and the road provides! May your roads provide the same!