captainmarko
Member
...and I have to say it again: I LOVE THIS BIKE!!!!!
I took delivery of it in March, fully loaded, after selling my 2014 Wing that was barely 6 months old. With the exception of one trip from Vegas to San Francisco and back, which was really just 11 hours each way of slogging it out on the freeway, all I've had time to do was commute to work. That's been great, but I've been looking forward to being able to REALLY ride this bike.
Well, this past weekend, I had the chance to do just that.
Left Vegas Friday night and rode South down the 95 to old Route 66. Amboy South to 62 around 29 Palms to 247, then on to 18 and up the backside of the mountain to Big Bear Lake, CA where we holed up for the night.
Saturday morning it was time to play.
Took 18 down to Running Springs, then 330 down to San Bernadino. Skirted the edge of the city and worked our way down to the start of 243 which we then took South all the way until it meets 74. Followed 74 down to Burnt Vally at the Northernmost tip of the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, then turned West/Southwest on 371 until we met up with route 79. Then 79 to Cr-S2 up in to the mountains and back down in to Borrego Springs. Coming down the mountains in to Borrego Springs, we encountered CHP, who had stopped a few cars by blocking the lane, but as we pulled up behind them, he started up and led all of us down the mountain. When we got to Borrego Springs, he just turned in to a parking lot and we went on our merry way. It seemed odd. We thought perhaps he was looking to hand deliver a couple performance awards, but fortunately not.
Which was nice.
We then headed South out of town on Cr-S3 to route 78 to Julian where we picked up 79 and headed South and rode the Sunrise Highway down to Old Highway 80 which took us down to route 94 which we followed West. 94 took us West all the way to Honey Springs where we took Honey Springs Road North to Lyons Valley Road, which we followed North until it turned into 79 again, which we continued to follow North to 78 and into Escondido for the night.
364 miles, give or take, and about 9 hours on the bike not counting fuel/bathroom/clif bar breaks. Simply spectacular riding.
Left Escondido the next morning and rode up to the Ortega Highway and rode that. We were headed North to the Angeles Crest (sp?) but my buddy who was leading that leg missed an exit, and we found ourselves headed North on the 15, and we were both so tired, and knowing we still had 4 hour freeway grind through the desert, we just said "fine" and stayed the course.
This was some of the best riding I've ever done, and it was a testament to the RT. Freeway blasting? Comfortable and quiet. SENA SMH-20 connected to my GPS for directions and my iPhone for music/phone calls/SIRI and intercom with my buddy on his Concours made the slab more than tolerable. Mountain twisties? I still can't believe how this bike handles. Back and forth, up and down, pick your line, throttle out of each corner... it was just sublime. So little input is required to change anything, be it speed or direction, if you're a reasonably competent rider, the bike rewards you by letting you do whatever you want. After a while, I just wasn't thinking about the bike at all. I was just flying along, lost in the music, focused completely on the road ahead, as the machine disappeared beneath me and flew me along at ground level along these amazing roads.
This was also the first time I had the chance to really utilize my touring setup. NAV 5 worked like a champ. Learned a few valuable lessons that will make using Basecamp a little easier next time. I'm using RKA saddlebag liners and the 19.5 liter expandable Super Sport 3 point tank bag. Not much to say about the saddlebag liners. They fit great and make excellent use of some of the quirky BMW space and if you pack carefully, you can get a lot in there. I hardly tested the capacity, but got what I wanted for a weekend with temps varying from 40 to 100 degrees, a full bottle of the Macallan with two Neat traveling tumblers, spare shoes, etc., and still had plenty of room. The tank bag got a good work out. I keep a 1.5 liter Camelbak resevoir, Clif bars, and my iPhone in the bottom section, with power from the bike going into the bag to a dual USB port, with one cable for the phone, and one cable for my SENA available if I need it. Not really necessary when you're in a hotel every night, but when you're camping in the middle of nowhere for a few nights, the day's ride keeps everything that needs power fully operational. Top section never got expanded and held sunscreen, lib balm, wallet, and a few miscellaneous items that just got chucked in there during traveling.
I like the tank bag alot. Fueling up is simple. Just undo the top two clasps at the top and slide the bag back to reveal the fuel cap, and then reverse the process once you're finished. It's securely mounted and doesn't slide around, and it doesn't get in my way while riding in performance mode. You'll touch the bag on full lock slow speed turns, but there's enough give so it isn't a problem. Also kept a map on hand in the top map case. It's not really big enough to hold the map like the map would LIKE to be folded. You have to get creative to get it in there. But...they make a larger map case if it bothers you enough.
I've never taken a trip like this where I didn't come back with laundry list of things that needed to be fixed or changed on the bike.
Except for now.
Simply flawless. Maybe the seat? I don't know. The jury's still out on that one. With 4,000 miles on the clock, it seems to be breaking in a little.
Other than that, there isn't anything I would change. I just love it. There's really no point to my rambling here, I just had to share with the like minded.
Here are a few shots of the adventure.
At the Lookout near the start of the Ortega Highway.
On the Sunrise Highway with my buddy and his Concours in the background. He refused to move the bike.
Looking down from the Lookout.
I took delivery of it in March, fully loaded, after selling my 2014 Wing that was barely 6 months old. With the exception of one trip from Vegas to San Francisco and back, which was really just 11 hours each way of slogging it out on the freeway, all I've had time to do was commute to work. That's been great, but I've been looking forward to being able to REALLY ride this bike.
Well, this past weekend, I had the chance to do just that.
Left Vegas Friday night and rode South down the 95 to old Route 66. Amboy South to 62 around 29 Palms to 247, then on to 18 and up the backside of the mountain to Big Bear Lake, CA where we holed up for the night.
Saturday morning it was time to play.
Took 18 down to Running Springs, then 330 down to San Bernadino. Skirted the edge of the city and worked our way down to the start of 243 which we then took South all the way until it meets 74. Followed 74 down to Burnt Vally at the Northernmost tip of the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, then turned West/Southwest on 371 until we met up with route 79. Then 79 to Cr-S2 up in to the mountains and back down in to Borrego Springs. Coming down the mountains in to Borrego Springs, we encountered CHP, who had stopped a few cars by blocking the lane, but as we pulled up behind them, he started up and led all of us down the mountain. When we got to Borrego Springs, he just turned in to a parking lot and we went on our merry way. It seemed odd. We thought perhaps he was looking to hand deliver a couple performance awards, but fortunately not.
Which was nice.
We then headed South out of town on Cr-S3 to route 78 to Julian where we picked up 79 and headed South and rode the Sunrise Highway down to Old Highway 80 which took us down to route 94 which we followed West. 94 took us West all the way to Honey Springs where we took Honey Springs Road North to Lyons Valley Road, which we followed North until it turned into 79 again, which we continued to follow North to 78 and into Escondido for the night.
364 miles, give or take, and about 9 hours on the bike not counting fuel/bathroom/clif bar breaks. Simply spectacular riding.
Left Escondido the next morning and rode up to the Ortega Highway and rode that. We were headed North to the Angeles Crest (sp?) but my buddy who was leading that leg missed an exit, and we found ourselves headed North on the 15, and we were both so tired, and knowing we still had 4 hour freeway grind through the desert, we just said "fine" and stayed the course.
This was some of the best riding I've ever done, and it was a testament to the RT. Freeway blasting? Comfortable and quiet. SENA SMH-20 connected to my GPS for directions and my iPhone for music/phone calls/SIRI and intercom with my buddy on his Concours made the slab more than tolerable. Mountain twisties? I still can't believe how this bike handles. Back and forth, up and down, pick your line, throttle out of each corner... it was just sublime. So little input is required to change anything, be it speed or direction, if you're a reasonably competent rider, the bike rewards you by letting you do whatever you want. After a while, I just wasn't thinking about the bike at all. I was just flying along, lost in the music, focused completely on the road ahead, as the machine disappeared beneath me and flew me along at ground level along these amazing roads.
This was also the first time I had the chance to really utilize my touring setup. NAV 5 worked like a champ. Learned a few valuable lessons that will make using Basecamp a little easier next time. I'm using RKA saddlebag liners and the 19.5 liter expandable Super Sport 3 point tank bag. Not much to say about the saddlebag liners. They fit great and make excellent use of some of the quirky BMW space and if you pack carefully, you can get a lot in there. I hardly tested the capacity, but got what I wanted for a weekend with temps varying from 40 to 100 degrees, a full bottle of the Macallan with two Neat traveling tumblers, spare shoes, etc., and still had plenty of room. The tank bag got a good work out. I keep a 1.5 liter Camelbak resevoir, Clif bars, and my iPhone in the bottom section, with power from the bike going into the bag to a dual USB port, with one cable for the phone, and one cable for my SENA available if I need it. Not really necessary when you're in a hotel every night, but when you're camping in the middle of nowhere for a few nights, the day's ride keeps everything that needs power fully operational. Top section never got expanded and held sunscreen, lib balm, wallet, and a few miscellaneous items that just got chucked in there during traveling.
I like the tank bag alot. Fueling up is simple. Just undo the top two clasps at the top and slide the bag back to reveal the fuel cap, and then reverse the process once you're finished. It's securely mounted and doesn't slide around, and it doesn't get in my way while riding in performance mode. You'll touch the bag on full lock slow speed turns, but there's enough give so it isn't a problem. Also kept a map on hand in the top map case. It's not really big enough to hold the map like the map would LIKE to be folded. You have to get creative to get it in there. But...they make a larger map case if it bothers you enough.
I've never taken a trip like this where I didn't come back with laundry list of things that needed to be fixed or changed on the bike.
Except for now.
Simply flawless. Maybe the seat? I don't know. The jury's still out on that one. With 4,000 miles on the clock, it seems to be breaking in a little.
Other than that, there isn't anything I would change. I just love it. There's really no point to my rambling here, I just had to share with the like minded.
Here are a few shots of the adventure.
At the Lookout near the start of the Ortega Highway.
On the Sunrise Highway with my buddy and his Concours in the background. He refused to move the bike.
Looking down from the Lookout.
