Amidst all of the move-related chaos, I managed to convince my wife to brave the cold weather and go try some motorcycles out for me. The one I was the most interested in was the Suzuki V-Strom DL650. Our local Suzuki dealer, Motions, was having an open-house that day, so we could not only get test rides, but get a bite to eat as well. Here is Dallas standing next to the Wee Strom after we tested it, trying her best to look happy even though she was stuck in my motorcycle gear:
We tried 4 bikes on for size within 3 dealers. Here is a quick summary, in order of which one we rode first:
- BMW F800GS: I really hated how tight the clutch was on this bike. It’s got so much power so low down, that I found I had to feather a lot more than usual to avoid lifting the front tire coming from a stop. I had to concentrate on the throttle a lot, which made hitting the turn signal cancellation (on the right hand side) at the end of a turn a chore. Dallas thought the bike felt too much like a hot rod dirt bike. I’d imagine it’s a fantastic off-roader though. The seat was worse than my F650GS.
- BMW 1200GS: I’ve demo’d it before solo, and found it to be a terribly boring vehicle. The engine and gearbox would normally be too smooth for my taste, but with a pillion, this bike really shines. I love how this bike handles. Dallas said it felt like she was sitting on a cloud. The passenger sits higher than on other bikes, which gave her a great view of the dash and scenery in front of me. The 1200GS felt to me like a cross between a limousine and a powerful tractor.
- Suzuki V-Strom DL650: I rode this one solo at first, and I was so excited by it that I hurried back to get Dallas to ride on it. It reminded me a lot of Jeremy’s Ninja 250, but with much better mirrors. The motor on this bike is unreal, and it handles pretty well to boot. Once I had a passenger however, I was underwhelmed by it’s suspension. Dallas said it was a better passenger bike than my Dakar, but didn’t give her the full view the 1200GS did.
- KTM 990 Adventure: Sadly, Pro Moto Sports sold the bike before we could demo it, so we only got to sit on it and make “Vroom! Vroom!” sounds. Dallas said the passenger seat seemed a lot like the Dakar. This isn’t a terrible thing, but not as well suited as the 1200GS or DL650 it would appear.
After several hours of back and forth between dealers, we finally settled on one:
It’s the BMW R1200GS. If I had the kind of wife who detested adventure, I would buy the Suzuki DL650 in a heartbeat. The problem is, my wife loves to travel, see nature, inhale the scenery, and experience adventure (too bad she isn’t enthusiastic about motorcycles!). I hadn’t considered the 1200GS at first, because I considered it a boring old-person bike, and thought the 800GS would be an improved version of it. I’m still not ready to admit that I really liked the 1200GS, and riding my Dakar home just didn’t feel the same after being on it. The 1200GS only bike I know that I would consider riding two-up from Belgium to Egypt on. So long as we buy a well-loved 2004 model, the R1200GS just barely fits within my budget. =)
Sadly, I won’t be able to buy a motorcycle there until February, as it seems to be a small nightmare to do anything in Belgium (get insurance, a license, register a vehicle, breathe) without a certificate of permanent residence somewhere. While we will be arriving in Brussels on New Year’s Eve, and starting work on January 5th, we won’t be able to formally start the orientation or house-hunting process until January 12th. While Brussels seems like an ideal location for everything but commuting to work, I think we may just end up in Mons instead. Only time will tell!
At the moment, we are moving full speed ahead with preparing our house to be rented out while we are away in Belgium. As you can see above, we’ve got small mountains of leaves to deal with in the yard. We’ve got a squirrel living between two floors, 4 decks that need staining, and 5 rooms that need painting. We’ve managed to sell much of our furniture and spare outdoor equipment, but have not put any of our vehicles up for sale just yet. That’s for this next weekend.
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