Once you've owned and ridden a motorcycle, it's in your blood. For me, it started with I was 13 riding a friends Honda Step-through 50. It could take a beating. After owning 2 bikes beginning at age 15 1/2, I took a sabbatical, got married, had kids and always wanted that feeling again.
In 1999, that all changed when I bought a Honda 750 ACE Classic. You can see this bike, as well as the others at this link. The Honda was a pretty bike, and one that eased me back into riding - but I quickly realized that it was too small for the road. I then bought what I felt was my dream bike - a 2001 Harley ElectraGlide (FLHT). It was only 11 months old and had only 3500 miles on it. It was owned by a Harley Davidson employee - an engineer in fact. I put 42,000 miles on.
Several months ago, I sold that bike, which did hold it's value very well, but I wanted something a bit more suited for long runs. When riding that girl on long trips, the motor noises were those of tappets making sounds louder than they should have been. It wasn't smooth sounding, but then again, long time Harley riders say it's normal and to get use to it. Well, I didn't buy it and felt that the motor itself, by it's design, was prone to excessive vibration, which causes wear over time. That said, I wanted to experience something different, so I put the bike up for sale.
The Harley sold in 10 days. I got good money and she looked great.
Well, if you ride a Harley, and then sell it, you're suppose to get another Harley. I, on the other hand, went over to the dark side. With the proceeds of the sale of the Harley, I traded it buck for buck for the 2004 BMW R1150RT. Not a 2003, or 2005 or newer, but specfically, a 2004. This is in my judgement, the best motor BMW ever made, and many in the Beemer world, consider this the finest touring bike they made. It had a mere 9800 miles on her - still in the break-in period. Purchased new in March, 2005, the bike still had a full year remaining on the factory 3 year warrantee. Click here to view pictures of the bike, and under the skins.
I outfitted the bike with those things that fit the new owner. Riding pegs, a better windshield, an accessories deck for instruments, a GPS, a Corbin leather seat (used, but in great condition), a radio and a mount for the iPod. You can't ride without a good tunes.
After outfitting the bike, I wanted to see how she would perform. I rode it up to the Smokey Mountains. Wow. You can ride that thing all day at 90 mph if you wanted. The engine is smooth, and powerful. Though the motor is 1150 cc's, compared to the Harley's 1450 cc's, the BMW is considerably more powerful and way more nimble. The suspension is amazing, but the brakes are what really grab you :-). The bike has 3 massive rotors and the brakes are power-assisted, ABS power-assisted disk brakes. When you brake, both wheels are always braked - and neither will skid with ABS activated.
During that week, I put more than 2600 miles on the bike. It was a delight. Would I sell the BMW? Do I have regrets about selling my Harley? The answer to both is a resounding NO.
Candice drove up with friends and I picked her up at their home. We rode for days in and around Maggie Valley, and after several days, I took her to see her parents in West Union, S.C., and then from there, we took her to the airport, while I rode the bike home. Here are pictures of that trip.
I thought I'd leave you with a video clip of Candice and I riding on the famous "Tail of the Dragon" with it's 318 curves in 11 miles in June, 2008.
Enjoy.
