New Motorcycle Time

I did it. After just over a year of daily riding I decided I wanted to upgrade to a more sporty bike but I also was looking for a little more protection from the weather and some more sophistication from the bike. A desire for anti-lock brakes and preferably stock hardbags drove me to a mere handful of prospective choices.

In the end only three bikes seemed to fit my very specific requirements. They were the BMW R1200RT, Honda ST1300 ABS, and Yamaha FJR. As luck would have it I was able to scrounge up the money to make such a purchase around the same time as the motorcycle show came to Seattle this past week.

However one night at the motorcycle show left me more confused than convinced about my possible foray into sport touring. So the next day I made a trip to the local dealerships to get a more comprehensive look at the bikes and get the full sales pitch. A trip to a prominent local Honda/Yamaha/etc dealer yielded a good look at the Honda ST1300 but no FJR's in sight. The dealer said the FJR is in such demand they were always a special order. I wasn't too dissapointed because I had sat on the FJR at the show the night before and the seating position just wasn't for me. It just felt wrong. I did get a good look at the ST1300 however, the ABS variant is hard to come by so they couldn't show me the ABS bike as they didn't have one. I was impressed but the sheer weight of the ST1300 (650 pounds dry I believe) intimidated me. My current bike is 456 pounds dry weight and going up in weight that much indimidated me. However sitting on the ST1300 at the dealer felt good, it was definetly a contender. I left my name and number with the dealer and they said they would look into getting a ST1300ABS for me.

Next stop was the BMW dealer. I chose the one in Fife, just north of Tacoma, because I'd heard it was the largest BMW only dealership in the world and while there's a really good dealership in Seattle I hate shopping in Seattle. I know its crazy since I work there everyday but anyway Fife is only 35 minutes away from home so off I go.

At South Sound BMW in Fife they had a few 2005 R1200RT's on the showroom floor. I engaged the salesman for the full court press, I wanted to hear the whole spiel about the bike and I wanted to find out everything I couldn't get the night before at the motorcycle show. The motorcycle show is not a great place to decide which bike you're going to buy, oddly enough. Especially for a sport tourer which has an extensive dash display, hardbags and other gadgets, at the show they don't have the keys to the bikes. They can't even turn the ignition on and show you the pretty lights.

I got the full tour of a beautiful red R1200RT. A 2005 with a few options but not a ton of them. I was getting pretty convinced but I wasn't sure and the BMW carries a $2-4k price premium over the Honda bike. However the bike itself is an impressive piece of engineering. Weighing in at around 510lbs dry the bike is only about 50 pounds heavier than my current bike. My current bike wet should be around 470lbs while the R1200RT is 571lbs, gaining more weight because it has a 7.7 gallon tank and my current bike has a mere 3.6 gallon tank. The upshot is a 100 pound or less difference which seems more manageable compared to the 650lb dry ST1300.

The fit and finish that was very good on the Honda was absolutely perfect on the BMW. Steel braided brake lines everywhere make an impression and the sophistication of the on-board computer was key as well. Little touches on the BMW make the bike like the ignition key opens the stock hardbags. Unlike the large Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki/etc dealer the BMW salesman knew everything about the bike. However what really closed the deal was something he did that noone else at either the show or the other dealer would do for me, that was adjust the seat height.

Touring bikes all have adjustable seats, they go up and down an inch or two. Doesn't sound like a big deal right? Well to keep from scaring away the short people they always keep them in the lowest position on the sales floor and especially at the motorcycle show. I was liking the R1200RT but when the saleman put the seat in it's highest position and I sat on it, it was a perfect fit. Simply amazing, the ergonomics seem absolutely perfect to me. I was sold.

So I made a deal, such as it was, my wife said I didn't dicker enough but the BMW is a high-end item that is in pretty high demand so I don't think there was much dickering to be had there. The deal ended up being on the very red bike that the salesman had demonstrated to me. I put a $500 deposit down to hold the bike until Tuesday when I show up with my big check. The child in me is indeed pissed that the adult me didn't bother to transfer the funds ahead of time however I happen to have Tuesday off from work so I think this is going to work out very well. All in all I'm pretty excited and intimidated a little as well.

I feel just a little leery about taking on the responsibility of a new bike. Over the past year I've dropped my current bike a few times and had some close calls. The reality is most if not all of my mishaps would have been avoided with anti-lock brakes. Also all my misphaps really came in my first four months or so of riding. Since last February I haven't dropped the bike or had anything really bad happen to me at all. I think my riding skills are there and I can handle the new bike, but still there's some trepidation, especially at the prospect of picking up a new bike and having my first ride be a 40 minute interstate trip home.