I went shopping for a new tour motorcycle today and ended up buying one! I got a great deal on a 2006 BMW R 1200 RT. It was previously owned by the guy who owns the dealer, who rode it for only 2,000 miles. It's fully loaded with options, including a built-in GPS system, CD Player, 3 luggage cases, heated grips, cruise control, and a fully-automatic windshield. It was a dream to ride on - the riding posture is comfortable, the grips are in the exact right position; in fact the only thing that might be uncomfortable on long rides is the peg position.
It's a sport / tour model, which means it has a racing-style look to it, but it's not a racing engine. It doesn't perform like my Gixxer does, but that's not what it's for - it'll eat up highway comfortably and reliably, which is the whole reason I got it. I got up to 65 on the highway when I test rode it in 4th gear, and it had plenty of gears (and horses) left after that. I won't be able to accelerate from 80 to 100 in a few scant seconds like I can on the Suzuki, but again, that's not what this bike is for, that's why I still have my GSX-R.
I did trade in the Honda Shadow for it, which makes me a little bit sad - that was my first bike and I have some great memories on it. It got me all the way you to Niagara Falls and back, even through a rain / sleet storm. I just outgrew it quickly, and it's time to move on to a bike that will allow me to make trips like that faster and smoother.
I'm already starting to think of some good trips to take this summer - I can go visit my boy B in Florida, head up to Montreal, even go out to Columbus to see my brother. I should be able to ride for at least 8 hours a day easily on this bad boy, so I figure 500 miles a day will be no problem.
I pick it up on Wednesday!
