O.K. so I had an affair, but it did not last long and its over now. It was only just over a week ago, but it seems longer, when I heard of a K1600GTLE for sale at the local BMW dealership. Did all the usual things, read the reviews, watched the videos and fell in love.
I rang up the same day and arranged a test ride and within no time I was on the bike and riding. Within 200 yards I was amazed at the smoothness, the fly be wire throttle is really good after the jerky pick up of the ST and there is zero vibration. First two miles through city traffic and I immediately felt comfortable, low seat height was really good for me and the bike did not feel anywhere near as heavy as it should.
Out of the city and the more I turned on the bike the more it turned me on. Lovely noise, great response, beautiful handling this bike is so easy to ride you could easily get yourself in trouble because you would never see it coming.
Ok so the bike is great, now I need some justification for spending ?18,000.00 out of my pension pot. Not a problem, I am sixty years old and running out of time to enjoy things, simple as that. I was ready to go.
I rang the dealer the following day to move things on but he was busy with another customer and was going to call me back in ten minutes, he didn't. I waited (a long) two days, one of them being a Sunday, and they don't open Mondays and then I rang up again, their sincere apologies given. O.K. so mistakes happen and I still want this bike. I asked them to email me the full spec of the bike for insurance quote and to confirm extras fitted, still waiting three days later.
Thinking back, the gear shift up was silky smooth, back down again it was really clunky ( BMW say it is positive), that back seat does not really suite the bike, it looks a bit like an armchair and is very Goldwingesque, and I have had two of those. The engine bars are an optional extra which seem in very short supply, a tip over on this bike could be heartbreakingly expensive. Those to die for electronics could be just that if you were tempted to concentrate on adjustments at speed and I have never used a sound system on a bike yet. Despite BMW's reputation, being a brand new model with so much complex equipment on do you have to wonder about reliability, and it does not look easy to clean.
I am over it, I love my ST and I feel guilty at having my head turned so easily, I am going to buy a set of mirror and fairing extenders to reaffirm my love and then get back to normal life.
As with most things in life you don't know what you've got till its gone and the ST is going nowhere (yet). - Steve.
I rang up the same day and arranged a test ride and within no time I was on the bike and riding. Within 200 yards I was amazed at the smoothness, the fly be wire throttle is really good after the jerky pick up of the ST and there is zero vibration. First two miles through city traffic and I immediately felt comfortable, low seat height was really good for me and the bike did not feel anywhere near as heavy as it should.
Out of the city and the more I turned on the bike the more it turned me on. Lovely noise, great response, beautiful handling this bike is so easy to ride you could easily get yourself in trouble because you would never see it coming.
Ok so the bike is great, now I need some justification for spending ?18,000.00 out of my pension pot. Not a problem, I am sixty years old and running out of time to enjoy things, simple as that. I was ready to go.
I rang the dealer the following day to move things on but he was busy with another customer and was going to call me back in ten minutes, he didn't. I waited (a long) two days, one of them being a Sunday, and they don't open Mondays and then I rang up again, their sincere apologies given. O.K. so mistakes happen and I still want this bike. I asked them to email me the full spec of the bike for insurance quote and to confirm extras fitted, still waiting three days later.
Thinking back, the gear shift up was silky smooth, back down again it was really clunky ( BMW say it is positive), that back seat does not really suite the bike, it looks a bit like an armchair and is very Goldwingesque, and I have had two of those. The engine bars are an optional extra which seem in very short supply, a tip over on this bike could be heartbreakingly expensive. Those to die for electronics could be just that if you were tempted to concentrate on adjustments at speed and I have never used a sound system on a bike yet. Despite BMW's reputation, being a brand new model with so much complex equipment on do you have to wonder about reliability, and it does not look easy to clean.
I am over it, I love my ST and I feel guilty at having my head turned so easily, I am going to buy a set of mirror and fairing extenders to reaffirm my love and then get back to normal life.
As with most things in life you don't know what you've got till its gone and the ST is going nowhere (yet). - Steve.
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