Re: New Bike Itch

[Marco S Hyman <marc@xxxxxxxxx>]

Tom (and the group :-)

Great write up on the new bikes.   I just got back from the dealer where
I put about 50 miles, mostly on SF Bay Area twisties, on a R12GS.   That
thing is almost K bike smooth!

 > tour with a new GS.    I can tell you that you'll be instantly impressed with
 > the GS when you ride it.  The handling, chassis, ride and engine response are
 > startlingly good.   A few days with it and you feel like superman.  After
 > 10,000 miles, the bikes just get better.

I hope you're right, because I left a deposit!   I rode to the dealer on
my old R69S.   What a difference 40 years makes.

I love the GS riding position, the low weight, the handling, the brakes
(much less touchy than my RT).   The only thing that didn't compare was
the RID replacement.   A second trip odometer is great, but the screen
was hard to read on some lighting conditions.

 > I got the RT because I live in Chicago and we have long transits to get to the
 > good roads.   We also do at least two really long trips each year, one begins
 > the day after Thanksgiving, so good weather protection is a real plus.

I rarely do long freeway stretches where the RT would be better for me.
I went from the LT to the RT 4 years ago for just that reason.  The curve
of the tank panels and the little screen is probably all the protection
I need, also.   I found that on my RT I tend to put the windshield
*down* in bad weather so air flow blows the rain drop from my helmet.

 > Looking at pricing, my RT cost me in the low 18s out the door

Which is about what the GS will cost me out the door with bags, bag
liners, and heated grips (I'm a wimp).   I've never added aux lighting
to a bike because I don't ride that much at night.   On long trips I
like to start as sun up and run until about 4PM or so, giving me
time to swim or soak in a hot tub before dinner.   If camping stopping
at 4PM or so gives me lots of time to set up camp.

 > incredibly comfortable.   (Hint: Try putting the front part of the seat on the
 > high setting and the rear on the low setting.)   Bill set his like this and

I'll try that.   The saddle was hard, compared to the Sargent I have on
my RT, but better than the RT stock saddle.   We'll see if I decide to
go after-market or not.

 > The RT has 10 more HP than the GS.  There's a real rush of power at 6,000 RPMs

The extra horsepower is nice, but 85% of my riding is in 2nd - 4th gear
on the twisties and back roads.   I suppose that I might go a few MPH
slower on that long stretch in the Panamint valley on the way to Death
Valley.   That's OK.   Because now I'll have the bike that I'll feel
more comfortable with on some of those "almost a road" DV trails.

 > one, just be prepared to upgrade it continually.  The GS catalog from Tourtech
 > is around 200 pages!

Ouch!  Just what I need, a second catalog of goodies.  I already get in
trouble reading the Rider Wearhouse catalog.

// marc

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