From bikes to bikes: part 6
Part 5: the Nighthawk summer
How bicycles taught me to love motorcycles: entering the BMW era
After six months of living with my 1992 Honda Nighthawk two things had become clear. On the positive side, I confirmed that I was as much in love with motorcycles as I had ever been. On the other hand, I quickly discovered that I had not purchased the ideal bike for two-up riding.
The smooth and simple handling of the Nighthawk was perfect for helping me rebuild my skills. Very quickly, I was comfortable on two wheels than I ever had been before. My commutes became easier as I added saddle bags and a windscreen. Semi-long distance trips through the countryside allowed me to explore parts of the region I had never seen before.
Despite this, one crucial problem remained. Lily never felt truly happy on the back. She has ridden with me several times on other motorcycles and is a confident passenger. She enjoys riding, but the footpegs on the Nighthawk were in the wrong spot for her legs and she found the seat extremely uncomfortable.
Because our garage space currently limits us to one motorcycle and the ability to happily ride together is a mission requirement, the Honda’s days were numbered. We started to consider our options and the window shopping began in earnest. The goal was to find something that I found as exciting as she found comfortable.
The search commences
Local dealerships for new motorcycles were Harley-Davidson, Honda, and Yamaha. Suzuki and Kawasaki were available if I was willing to travel a little further afield. In the used category we have two extremely good independent shops that cater to two very different markets: one Harley focused, and the other vintage Japanese.
I sat on a wide variety of motorcycles, ranging from the sport-tourers and standards like the Yamaha FJR and Triumph Bonneville, to cruisers and baggers like the Harley Sportster and the Indian Chief. I even took a friend’s Harley-Davidson Road King on an overnight test ride.
All of these were beautiful motorcycles that fulfilled their particular niche perfectly, but the ultimate winner became clear the moment I put Lily on the back of a 2009 BMW R1200RT. She was immediately comfortable. Without hesitation, she said that this was a bike she could see herself on.
After a test ride, I was as much in love with the Beemer as she was. Here was a motorcycle that allowed me to scratch my high performance itch, carry all the gear that a person would ever need on two wheels, while at the same time allowing my bride happily come along for the ride. The bike was in immaculate shape and the price was right.
They offered me what I wanted for the Nighthawk and we made a deal. After a bit of paperwork we exchanged keys. I said one last goodbye to my faithful Honda and rode off the proud owner of a hex head (as the engine in the 2009 R1200RT is apparently known to the BMW faithful).
Mission Accomplished
It has already been a couple of weeks now and I am absolutely loving life as a BMW owner. The RT is powerful, smooth, and by far the most comfortable long distance motorcycle I have ever ridden. There has been a lot to get used to. Shifting is different. The side to side motion of the opposed cylinders still feels weird at stop lights.
My biggest challenge has been retraining my brain to use the overly-complicated BMW turn signal system. The single button system on the Honda was simply far more intuitive. Besides that particular quirk, I am ecstatic with my purchase.
Lily has ridden with me several times and she says she has never been happier to be on the back of a motorcycle. In the end, that was the very reason that we decided to trade the Nighthawk in the first place. It seems that the BMW has already achieved the result we needed.
