Silver Penguin
Silver Penguin
Next week, it will be six months since my get-off. I'm walking unaided almost all of the time now, and able to play around with riding a dirt bike. It was definitely time to get back onto asphalt.
My BMW F700GS was ordered in December and just came in, late Saturday. I had to wait all this time to get the low frame, in the color I wanted, with the stability control feature. Collecting the bike was a mini-adventure since I didn't get the call until just minutes before the store closed. They agreed to stay open until I got the bike. I wore an old pair of Andy's boots since mine were trashed and I haven't found quite the right new pair yet. I didn't even think about super thin soled boots, plus a Roadcrafter that doesn't bend yet. My tentative reach on the ground was a good half inch less than expected!
It was Saturday night, busy traffic around Disneyland AND it was dark. I have bad vibes about riding in the dark, that need to be worked out. Nevertheless, I got home safely, ready for a fun ride on Sunday.
With a different pair of boots on, and in daylight, it was a much more pleasant experience riding the new bike. The throttle is infinitely more responsive than the one on the 650 was. There's an extra gear, which I kept forgetting to use. That perhaps wasn't a bad thing though since it's only needed at speeds greater than what one really should be doing.
The riding position feels good, and even better after Andy adjusted the shifter for me. He'd heard a couple of missed shifts on the way home from the store. The stock seat is very..... stock like and felt even more so after a couple of hundred miles.
I love the way the bike handles turns. It's very light and easy to lean. The weight is all down low since the gas filler cap is behind the seat rather than a traditional tank set up.
Looking forward to putting a lot of miles on this bike. It's a happy medium between the G650GS which wasn't quite enough bike for me and the FJR which I sadly admit was too tall and heavy for me.
My BMW F700GS was ordered in December and just came in, late Saturday. I had to wait all this time to get the low frame, in the color I wanted, with the stability control feature. Collecting the bike was a mini-adventure since I didn't get the call until just minutes before the store closed. They agreed to stay open until I got the bike. I wore an old pair of Andy's boots since mine were trashed and I haven't found quite the right new pair yet. I didn't even think about super thin soled boots, plus a Roadcrafter that doesn't bend yet. My tentative reach on the ground was a good half inch less than expected!
It was Saturday night, busy traffic around Disneyland AND it was dark. I have bad vibes about riding in the dark, that need to be worked out. Nevertheless, I got home safely, ready for a fun ride on Sunday.
With a different pair of boots on, and in daylight, it was a much more pleasant experience riding the new bike. The throttle is infinitely more responsive than the one on the 650 was. There's an extra gear, which I kept forgetting to use. That perhaps wasn't a bad thing though since it's only needed at speeds greater than what one really should be doing.
The riding position feels good, and even better after Andy adjusted the shifter for me. He'd heard a couple of missed shifts on the way home from the store. The stock seat is very..... stock like and felt even more so after a couple of hundred miles.
I love the way the bike handles turns. It's very light and easy to lean. The weight is all down low since the gas filler cap is behind the seat rather than a traditional tank set up.
Looking forward to putting a lot of miles on this bike. It's a happy medium between the G650GS which wasn't quite enough bike for me and the FJR which I sadly admit was too tall and heavy for me.
