visian
look out!!!
Sunday was a dream day. "Sure" said Woolie, owner of BMW Motorcycles of Atlanta, "Sunday's good for me." More importantly, Bob's son Bobby Wooldridge, owner of the danged-near new (only ridden on Main St. during Biketoberfest) R1200GS HP2, said "yes, you can ride my bike up in the North Georgia mountains."
Now... am I dreaming, or what? This whole thing started with my idea to do a comparo between my 86 R80G/SPD+ and Bobby's '06 HP2. (of course my secret plan was to possibly ride a few miles on the HP2...)
We met for breakfast north of town. The two bikes looked really cool parked side-by-side... kinda like "bad-boy new bike meets the grizzled veteran..." with each scoping the other out.
After some carb and cholesterol loading, Bobby backed his KTM 620 out of his pickup... no sense shredding the knobbies just getting to the trails. Suiting up, he took a novel approach to getting his BMW pants to fit over his Alpinestars.
Don't you know that BMW pants only fit over BMW boots? Sheesh! Leatherman tool to the rescue.
Off we head from the Big Canoe area... back-roading it to the Nimblewill Church Road via GA53, 183, Bailey-Waters Road, County225... and then onto Nimblewill Gap Road (FS 28-2), where the road begins to get interesting.
I'm on the HP2, Woolie on my G/S (he plans to build one kinda like how I've done mine...) and Bobby on the Katoom. Let me tell you. I haven't done an inch of dirt yet and already have had a ton of fun. This motorcycle has serious, *serious* power even in stock trim and with a set of supermoto wheels on it, I would definitely lose my license. As it is, I judge it to be poor form to do wheelstands on my friend's brand new motorcycle.
Hitting the gravel, the road winds its way up hill. It's been a few years since I've ridden this road and the erosion has taken its toll. The south side of the hill is the easy side and yet the rocks and ledges are starting to get serious.
The HP2's suspension takes it in stride... the forks are impressive and the rear shock superb. The one challenge I am having is that the throttle is light-switch quick and one false turn will send me shooting off the side of a very steep hill. This makes me grip the right handle very tightly... and what's this... arm pump? Dang, what I wouldn't give for a friction screw right now.
Knowing that the rough part of the road is over the top of this hill, I press on with a fair amount of caution. I am bound and determined *not* to drop my buddie's brand new bike, especially since he hasn't even ridden it off-road yet. Did I mention how grateful I am for his generosity? And trust?
At the top, we take a short break.
This parking spot is where the jeeps congregate... it looks easy but the trails heading off in all directions are every bit as rough as the passes in Colorado. Fun!
Heading down the north side of the hill, the hard part starts. 2-3 foot drop-offs, huge boulders masquerading as trail, eroded culverts with bike-swallowing holes. I pick my way down in 1st and 2nd gear... the higher gear helps with the light throttle. The bike is very standable... better than my G/S... the bars fall quickly to hand. I forgot to try the little flip-down rear brake thingy... but was able to apply the brakes with ease.
It occurs to me that the right way to ride down this is twice as fast... and just smack the crap out of the rocks instead of picking your way over them. (Just like they do in the Six-Day Trials). But my skills aren't that good, these rocks are B-I-G... and there is no way I am going to risk trashing the bike.
The brakes on this motorcycle are just plain excellent. No need for whizzy brakes... plenty of power, very easy to modulate. They make the careful ride over very rough stuff seem easy. I only had 2 or 3 "oh...sh**" moments on the way down because I had picked up too much speed. The combination of good brakes and my discipline to "look where you want to go" saved the day.
Down at the bottom, I just had to give Bobby a turn on his bike (mighty decent of me, no?). I hopped on the KTM, Woolie caught up with us on my G/S and off we headed down Old Bucktown and Tickanetly Church roads, Doublehead Gap road to FS42 and back into the hills.
I had forgotten how much I like a big-bore 4 stroke single... the KTM 620 is an excellent motorcycle. Compared to FS28-2, FS42 is a freeway, and Bobby and I rode much of it at 50mph. There was fresh gravel, very marble-y, and a few leaf-peepers to pass or dodge.
About halfway to TWO, we swapped back and the transition between the KTM and the HP2 was dramatic... like going from an old pickup truck to a Cadillac Escalade. The HP2 is an impressively refined motorcycle... very smooth (although vibes crept in noticeably at higher revs) and very easy to control at speed. Power slides at will, warp-factor 9 at the twist of the wrist... danged near a point and shoot bike for the dirt.
The weight is there, though... quite noticeable when transitioning off the KTM, but also quite manageable. I must say that those pics of Jimmy Lewis et al pretty much sum up the skill level required to ride this bike *really* fast off-road. Top-drawer credentials required.
We smoked cigars at TWO while many in the crowd ogled the HP2.
My G/S was parked alongside, stealing nary a glance.
The HP2 did need gas... that small tank is a bummer to me... and we headed east up 180. We got a clear shot all the way over Wolf Pen Gap, Bobby and I were smoking the turns... it never ceases to amaze me how well the Metz tires work on pavement. There is a little sticker on the handlebar that says "100kph max" because BMW thinks that's the fastest you should go on these tires. Yeah... right. Maybe they meant in the turns?
Catching up to a car train we patiently awaited our turn off about a mile past the top of Wolf Pen... onto Wolf Creek Road.
It was getting late in the day, and Daylight Savings Time was over. Dang it... I had taken hardly *any* pictures! I made Woolie stop (he didn't want to) and pose:
Oh man, what a beautiful bike.
At the bottom, I resisted the temptation to ford Wolf Creek... knowing that Bob and Bobby might not know the crossing and take the "deep" side by mistake. More than a few friends of mine have made this mistake.
At the Choestoe Store, we headed south on US129, up to near the top of Blood Mountain, and took a left on Helton Creek Road.
Woolie did the honors for the creek crossing shot:
... and then took a pic of me doing the crossing on my G/S.
Back on the HP2 again (Bob seriously liked my G/S) we headed south on the Richard B. Russell Scenic Raceway... blowing past more than a few cruisers (politely, mind you...). Again, BMW should offer the option of supermoto wheels and tires on the HP2, this motorcycle shreds some serious butt in the twisties. Serious. I mean, we're talking wheelstands under power out of the tight corners (sorry Bobby...)
Down at the bottom of the hill, time for a pose in front of the Smithgall Woods Preserve....
What a day. What a ride. What a bike!!!
Thank you so much, Bob and especially Bobby for letting me ride your bike and do this comparo.
Oh, speaking of which... getting back on the G/SPD+ wasn't as big of a letdown as I had imagined. Yes, down about 30 horsepower and far less sophisticated suspension. But I still love my little bike. It's lower (the HP2 is **tall**) and clearly less refined, but the most exciting thing I learned today is that, with the HP2, BMW has briliantly re-captured the concept they created 25 years ago with the G/S.
I may just have to find the money for an HP2.... *please* don't tell my wife.
Ian
Now... am I dreaming, or what? This whole thing started with my idea to do a comparo between my 86 R80G/SPD+ and Bobby's '06 HP2. (of course my secret plan was to possibly ride a few miles on the HP2...)
We met for breakfast north of town. The two bikes looked really cool parked side-by-side... kinda like "bad-boy new bike meets the grizzled veteran..." with each scoping the other out.
After some carb and cholesterol loading, Bobby backed his KTM 620 out of his pickup... no sense shredding the knobbies just getting to the trails. Suiting up, he took a novel approach to getting his BMW pants to fit over his Alpinestars.
Don't you know that BMW pants only fit over BMW boots? Sheesh! Leatherman tool to the rescue.
Off we head from the Big Canoe area... back-roading it to the Nimblewill Church Road via GA53, 183, Bailey-Waters Road, County225... and then onto Nimblewill Gap Road (FS 28-2), where the road begins to get interesting.
I'm on the HP2, Woolie on my G/S (he plans to build one kinda like how I've done mine...) and Bobby on the Katoom. Let me tell you. I haven't done an inch of dirt yet and already have had a ton of fun. This motorcycle has serious, *serious* power even in stock trim and with a set of supermoto wheels on it, I would definitely lose my license. As it is, I judge it to be poor form to do wheelstands on my friend's brand new motorcycle.
Hitting the gravel, the road winds its way up hill. It's been a few years since I've ridden this road and the erosion has taken its toll. The south side of the hill is the easy side and yet the rocks and ledges are starting to get serious.
The HP2's suspension takes it in stride... the forks are impressive and the rear shock superb. The one challenge I am having is that the throttle is light-switch quick and one false turn will send me shooting off the side of a very steep hill. This makes me grip the right handle very tightly... and what's this... arm pump? Dang, what I wouldn't give for a friction screw right now.
Knowing that the rough part of the road is over the top of this hill, I press on with a fair amount of caution. I am bound and determined *not* to drop my buddie's brand new bike, especially since he hasn't even ridden it off-road yet. Did I mention how grateful I am for his generosity? And trust?
At the top, we take a short break.
This parking spot is where the jeeps congregate... it looks easy but the trails heading off in all directions are every bit as rough as the passes in Colorado. Fun!
Heading down the north side of the hill, the hard part starts. 2-3 foot drop-offs, huge boulders masquerading as trail, eroded culverts with bike-swallowing holes. I pick my way down in 1st and 2nd gear... the higher gear helps with the light throttle. The bike is very standable... better than my G/S... the bars fall quickly to hand. I forgot to try the little flip-down rear brake thingy... but was able to apply the brakes with ease.
It occurs to me that the right way to ride down this is twice as fast... and just smack the crap out of the rocks instead of picking your way over them. (Just like they do in the Six-Day Trials). But my skills aren't that good, these rocks are B-I-G... and there is no way I am going to risk trashing the bike.
The brakes on this motorcycle are just plain excellent. No need for whizzy brakes... plenty of power, very easy to modulate. They make the careful ride over very rough stuff seem easy. I only had 2 or 3 "oh...sh**" moments on the way down because I had picked up too much speed. The combination of good brakes and my discipline to "look where you want to go" saved the day.
Down at the bottom, I just had to give Bobby a turn on his bike (mighty decent of me, no?). I hopped on the KTM, Woolie caught up with us on my G/S and off we headed down Old Bucktown and Tickanetly Church roads, Doublehead Gap road to FS42 and back into the hills.
I had forgotten how much I like a big-bore 4 stroke single... the KTM 620 is an excellent motorcycle. Compared to FS28-2, FS42 is a freeway, and Bobby and I rode much of it at 50mph. There was fresh gravel, very marble-y, and a few leaf-peepers to pass or dodge.
About halfway to TWO, we swapped back and the transition between the KTM and the HP2 was dramatic... like going from an old pickup truck to a Cadillac Escalade. The HP2 is an impressively refined motorcycle... very smooth (although vibes crept in noticeably at higher revs) and very easy to control at speed. Power slides at will, warp-factor 9 at the twist of the wrist... danged near a point and shoot bike for the dirt.
The weight is there, though... quite noticeable when transitioning off the KTM, but also quite manageable. I must say that those pics of Jimmy Lewis et al pretty much sum up the skill level required to ride this bike *really* fast off-road. Top-drawer credentials required.
We smoked cigars at TWO while many in the crowd ogled the HP2.
My G/S was parked alongside, stealing nary a glance.
The HP2 did need gas... that small tank is a bummer to me... and we headed east up 180. We got a clear shot all the way over Wolf Pen Gap, Bobby and I were smoking the turns... it never ceases to amaze me how well the Metz tires work on pavement. There is a little sticker on the handlebar that says "100kph max" because BMW thinks that's the fastest you should go on these tires. Yeah... right. Maybe they meant in the turns?
Catching up to a car train we patiently awaited our turn off about a mile past the top of Wolf Pen... onto Wolf Creek Road.
It was getting late in the day, and Daylight Savings Time was over. Dang it... I had taken hardly *any* pictures! I made Woolie stop (he didn't want to) and pose:
Oh man, what a beautiful bike.
At the bottom, I resisted the temptation to ford Wolf Creek... knowing that Bob and Bobby might not know the crossing and take the "deep" side by mistake. More than a few friends of mine have made this mistake.
At the Choestoe Store, we headed south on US129, up to near the top of Blood Mountain, and took a left on Helton Creek Road.
Woolie did the honors for the creek crossing shot:
... and then took a pic of me doing the crossing on my G/S.
Back on the HP2 again (Bob seriously liked my G/S) we headed south on the Richard B. Russell Scenic Raceway... blowing past more than a few cruisers (politely, mind you...). Again, BMW should offer the option of supermoto wheels and tires on the HP2, this motorcycle shreds some serious butt in the twisties. Serious. I mean, we're talking wheelstands under power out of the tight corners (sorry Bobby...)
Down at the bottom of the hill, time for a pose in front of the Smithgall Woods Preserve....
What a day. What a ride. What a bike!!!
Thank you so much, Bob and especially Bobby for letting me ride your bike and do this comparo.
Oh, speaking of which... getting back on the G/SPD+ wasn't as big of a letdown as I had imagined. Yes, down about 30 horsepower and far less sophisticated suspension. But I still love my little bike. It's lower (the HP2 is **tall**) and clearly less refined, but the most exciting thing I learned today is that, with the HP2, BMW has briliantly re-captured the concept they created 25 years ago with the G/S.
I may just have to find the money for an HP2.... *please* don't tell my wife.
Ian
Whats the guy on the right standing on?
Only a very evil man would post this after I had expunged the HP2 from my daydreams!
