After an invigorating lunch with my daughters first grade class I took off to Morton's to take a look and ride the RT and "look at" the KGT. This is my first time there and they appear to be all that folks say they are. But enough about Morton's....
The GT in person is simply awesome - I'm not the first to have said this, but - pictures don't do that bike any justice. And the silver - beautiful. I ask if I can throw a leg over and proceed. I jump right off... where's the RT? - that's what I came to see first. The RT demo unit was out so I took the GT out first... big mistake. What a bike!
Coming from a V-Twin cruiser and never having thrown a leg over a BMW I am very happy to say that my expectations were too low. The GT is solid. That's a dumb word, I know, but I fail to find another adjective. The bike has a mass to it but yet it's so light. Everything is tight, the textures are right, nothing feels cheap. I look at the price - nope, nothing cheap here! I go out to my cage and grab my gear while Stephanie, the sales person, grabs the keys to the Graphite Grey demo bike.
I get the lowdown on everything and climb on board and fire it up. This is wierd. The tach is reading 1100 rpm, there is this whirring purr and I can hear what I conclude must be the exhaust - okay, the bike is running and I'm talking to the Stephanie in a normal voice. This is what I've been dreaming about (I'm really over the loud exhaust on my Victory). I hear Stephanie say, "Have a good time" and I pull the clutch lever with the effort I normally need and thought I broke it. Smooth. There is no resistance, this is incredible. I tap it into first and think "they call this clunky?" I mean I feel the tranny engage but the "clang clang goes the trolley" I'm use to.... no. This is a fine piece of machinery. I pull forward expecting to stall the bike or to feel that sport bike neck snapping lung of a useless first gear meeting a stupid amount of horsepower but there is none.
I can feel the bike wanting to be goosed to about 9-grand but it's patient, it's accepting, it can tell I respect it and I need some time here; I'm a Beemer virgin and the GT is a gentle lover... [putting crack pipe down now] I pop it into second and do some slow speed parking lot manuevering trying to get a feel for the bike but the odd thing is, I don't seem to need to, the bike and I seem to be connected. I think "left" and it goes left, I think "slow tight circle" and it does it... I'm not wrestling this bike or negotiating with it to do anything.
"If only the rest of my life was this good..."
So I pull out of the parking lot and fly up through the gears - holy crap this bike has power galore. As I come up to the first light I grab the brakes (again, like I'm use to doing) and damnit if the bike doesn't just stop. Holy crap! The brakes scare the hell out of me and I'm wondering if Crazy Glue is used.
"Note to self - apply pressure G-E-N-T-L-Y when braking."
I turn left onto the recommended test route to see a 35mph sign which my dyslexia turned into a 53mph sign and then the GT decided it was an 85mph sign. I slow down and force myself to stop smiling as I hit the first turn and prepare to wrangle the bike (like I'm use to doing) through the turn only, I'm in through the next couple turns before I realize that the bike is still moving with my thoughts. I'm not forcing it to my will, it just goes there. I'm I this good of a rider? I find myself remembering this kid at the driving range who, after smacking this drive to the far fence remarks "$1200 for a driver makes a difference!"
It's gotta be the bike.
I pull back into the dealer and as i get off the bike the Service Manager comments on the smile. I mention the seat being so low and feeling a little cramped but "holy crap, that bike" and he pulls me back out to the GT asks for the keys, pulls the seats apart, adjusts the seat to the highest position and says "go for another ride." Twist my arm!
Yep. I still love this bike like Shannon Conaway from the fourth grade... there's nothing bad here. Ahhhh. The GT just felt like my bike, like I've known her for so long.
Alright, an already long story short.
I pull back in and when I ask to take out the RT I get some cross eyed looks. No one says it, but "are you on dope?" looks to be on the lips of the folks inside. Stephanie rolls the blue RT out, I fire it up and "Oh!" Okay, so it's not fair. It takes me about 10 minutes to stop comparing the RT to the GT and become unbiased. It's a great bike, and honestly I'm a little more comfortable (physically, not mentally) on the RT. But I stall it not once but 4 times. I almost dump it in the turns. I feel like I'm riding someone elses bike.
The RT is toyishly light. The boxer engine has this endearing side to side wiggle that makes be think of my dog and smile. Definately character. My head knows it has plenty of power but it feels anemic after spending 40 minutes on the GT. It's easier to drive in stop and go (except for the stalling) but I don't feel as natural on it in the turns and "spirited" riding. The GT is an income generator for the state. She's going to be a tempting little bitch always urging me to twist the throttle and making highway speeds feel so slow.
The RT is the practical choice. The demo didn't have ESA. The GT did. It's a must and also one more "unfair" against the RT. I'm confused. I've spent weeks looking at the RT, that was the bike. The RT feels cheap and disposable compared to the GT. I felt like I was on a tractor compared to the GT. I'm confused. The GT is a supermodel, but the RT's the "girl you marry." I want to want the RT but I want the GT. The RT's tranny and shifting is certainly smoother, and yes, less clunky - WTF? Seriously, why is this true? I want to want the RT....
I could go on...
I get home and my wife asks, after hearing about my affair with the GT, "why didn't you by it?"
Damnit if she's not the best woman in the world but I just look at her and blink... Duh...
We're going back tomorrow. What's a guy to do?
The GT in person is simply awesome - I'm not the first to have said this, but - pictures don't do that bike any justice. And the silver - beautiful. I ask if I can throw a leg over and proceed. I jump right off... where's the RT? - that's what I came to see first. The RT demo unit was out so I took the GT out first... big mistake. What a bike!
Coming from a V-Twin cruiser and never having thrown a leg over a BMW I am very happy to say that my expectations were too low. The GT is solid. That's a dumb word, I know, but I fail to find another adjective. The bike has a mass to it but yet it's so light. Everything is tight, the textures are right, nothing feels cheap. I look at the price - nope, nothing cheap here! I go out to my cage and grab my gear while Stephanie, the sales person, grabs the keys to the Graphite Grey demo bike.
I get the lowdown on everything and climb on board and fire it up. This is wierd. The tach is reading 1100 rpm, there is this whirring purr and I can hear what I conclude must be the exhaust - okay, the bike is running and I'm talking to the Stephanie in a normal voice. This is what I've been dreaming about (I'm really over the loud exhaust on my Victory). I hear Stephanie say, "Have a good time" and I pull the clutch lever with the effort I normally need and thought I broke it. Smooth. There is no resistance, this is incredible. I tap it into first and think "they call this clunky?" I mean I feel the tranny engage but the "clang clang goes the trolley" I'm use to.... no. This is a fine piece of machinery. I pull forward expecting to stall the bike or to feel that sport bike neck snapping lung of a useless first gear meeting a stupid amount of horsepower but there is none.
I can feel the bike wanting to be goosed to about 9-grand but it's patient, it's accepting, it can tell I respect it and I need some time here; I'm a Beemer virgin and the GT is a gentle lover... [putting crack pipe down now] I pop it into second and do some slow speed parking lot manuevering trying to get a feel for the bike but the odd thing is, I don't seem to need to, the bike and I seem to be connected. I think "left" and it goes left, I think "slow tight circle" and it does it... I'm not wrestling this bike or negotiating with it to do anything.
"If only the rest of my life was this good..."
So I pull out of the parking lot and fly up through the gears - holy crap this bike has power galore. As I come up to the first light I grab the brakes (again, like I'm use to doing) and damnit if the bike doesn't just stop. Holy crap! The brakes scare the hell out of me and I'm wondering if Crazy Glue is used.
"Note to self - apply pressure G-E-N-T-L-Y when braking."
I turn left onto the recommended test route to see a 35mph sign which my dyslexia turned into a 53mph sign and then the GT decided it was an 85mph sign. I slow down and force myself to stop smiling as I hit the first turn and prepare to wrangle the bike (like I'm use to doing) through the turn only, I'm in through the next couple turns before I realize that the bike is still moving with my thoughts. I'm not forcing it to my will, it just goes there. I'm I this good of a rider? I find myself remembering this kid at the driving range who, after smacking this drive to the far fence remarks "$1200 for a driver makes a difference!"
It's gotta be the bike.
I pull back into the dealer and as i get off the bike the Service Manager comments on the smile. I mention the seat being so low and feeling a little cramped but "holy crap, that bike" and he pulls me back out to the GT asks for the keys, pulls the seats apart, adjusts the seat to the highest position and says "go for another ride." Twist my arm!
Yep. I still love this bike like Shannon Conaway from the fourth grade... there's nothing bad here. Ahhhh. The GT just felt like my bike, like I've known her for so long.
Alright, an already long story short.
I pull back in and when I ask to take out the RT I get some cross eyed looks. No one says it, but "are you on dope?" looks to be on the lips of the folks inside. Stephanie rolls the blue RT out, I fire it up and "Oh!" Okay, so it's not fair. It takes me about 10 minutes to stop comparing the RT to the GT and become unbiased. It's a great bike, and honestly I'm a little more comfortable (physically, not mentally) on the RT. But I stall it not once but 4 times. I almost dump it in the turns. I feel like I'm riding someone elses bike.
The RT is toyishly light. The boxer engine has this endearing side to side wiggle that makes be think of my dog and smile. Definately character. My head knows it has plenty of power but it feels anemic after spending 40 minutes on the GT. It's easier to drive in stop and go (except for the stalling) but I don't feel as natural on it in the turns and "spirited" riding. The GT is an income generator for the state. She's going to be a tempting little bitch always urging me to twist the throttle and making highway speeds feel so slow.
The RT is the practical choice. The demo didn't have ESA. The GT did. It's a must and also one more "unfair" against the RT. I'm confused. I've spent weeks looking at the RT, that was the bike. The RT feels cheap and disposable compared to the GT. I felt like I was on a tractor compared to the GT. I'm confused. The GT is a supermodel, but the RT's the "girl you marry." I want to want the RT but I want the GT. The RT's tranny and shifting is certainly smoother, and yes, less clunky - WTF? Seriously, why is this true? I want to want the RT....
I could go on...
I get home and my wife asks, after hearing about my affair with the GT, "why didn't you by it?"
Damnit if she's not the best woman in the world but I just look at her and blink... Duh...
We're going back tomorrow. What's a guy to do?