Two horses, one rider
May. 2nd, 2002 06:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tugrikThe problem with having two mounts in the stable is never knowing exactly which one to choose for a ride. While some types of rides will demand the use of one over the other, there's plenty of cross-over space. This is one of those times.
I'll start with a list, as my 'likes to follow logical paths' mind usually employs:
Honda GL1800 GoldWing
Pros:
More comfortable on the posterior
Superior wind protection
Able to ride 500mi in a day with no worries
Already have the comms gear (CB/GMRS)
Already have tunes (XM radio / MP3 / FM)
Already have luggage/storage
Tons of power: on the straights, I'll be able to catch up with anybody if I'm lagging.
Cons:
No place for quick-access camera storage (working on that)
$500 to replace the tires (as shown in an earlier post, and I've still not fixed this)
In the twisties it really can't lean enough to keep up with the Buells
Only 150 miles range per tank
It would "fit in" on this trip like a VW Microbus at a Ferrari car show.
BMW R1150-GS Adventure
Pros:
200 miles range per tank
Very agile in the twisties; much easier to 'keep up' on challenging roads
Honestly... a bit more fun to ride.
Capable of travelling on much less-prime roads with much less worry
On the social side, much more 'in place' around the Buells than the 'Wing would ever be.
Only $300 to replace the tires.
Heated handgrips
Cons:
Much less comfortable -- 300mi/day is about tops due to hand-vibration and seat-fit.
No comms gear
No tunes of any type
No luggage yet
Less wind/temperature protection
The ride is expected to be through good weather... so with luck, the temperature handling of each bike won't be a big issue. Wind handling relates directly to fatigue. The more wind the bike can block, the less fatigued the rider. Each day is between 200-300 miles which isn't too hard a task. Were these miles to be on familiar roads, I'd say this was No Sweat on just about anything with two wheels -- but as I can't tell the condition or challenge of each day's ride, I need to plan as if they were going to be very hard miles. Also, the cumulative effect of riding every day for a week is far different than just doing longer rides on the weekend. Additionally, the first and last day will be very high mileage days, which pushes me towards the wing's comfort.
The plan is like this: Friday midday Dusty and I do the 330 mile trip down Hwy 5 to Frang's house. Sleep there, and then do the last 3 hour ride down to San Diego before noon on Saturday. All afternoon and and night Saturday is a big ol' party for the BRAG fellahs, with their idol Eric Buell. We get up Sunday morning, and start the ride. Each day is 200-300 miles, with breaks for lunch and touristy things throughout the day. Each night is spent in a decent hotel/motel along the route. The last day of the official ride is the following Sunday, as we arrive in Eureka for a big end-of-ride bash, and sleep there. Monday morning I separate from the group, and head another few hundred miles up to my parents' house in Grants Pass, Oregon, where I'll stay for Memorial Day and the day following. My sisters will be meeting me up there. They will arrive the Friday before, intending to stay for a longer parental weekend. Wednesday morning is my longest riding day of all... as I get up early and do the 500+ miles of Interstate 5 as one big ride back home.
Thursday and Friday, thankfully, I've got approval from my boss to telecommute, so I can laze around at home with the laptop and stay off my feet for a while. :)
As far as luggage and things go... I need to take clothes, camera, basic safety gear (first aid kit, maps, etc), and my stupid CPAP (I've got sleep apnea and it helps me get a good night's rest). Luckily I've got a tiny new-tech CPAP that only takes up about as much space as 6 paperback books in a stack. I'll also stash a laptop in there, and have space left over for the collection of touristy things. The tri-bag arrangement of the 'wing is plenty big, with space left over. The Adventure bags, if I buy them in time, will also be more than sufficient.
Here's the things about the Adventure's bags: they're simply not in the US yet. The bike model is too new, and the accessories haven't started shipping domestically yet (they're coming in from Germany). They're also $1500... but luckily I put that into the purchase price of the bike, and so I've got all that pre-paid with the dealer for when they get here. If I'm to take the GS-ADV... I'll need to give up on the fancy aluminum bags, and get the normal ones (Called 'BMW System Cases'). I'll use the $1500 credit and a little additional cash to get those ($600), some new aux lights ($400), the tires ($300), and the comms gear I want (an autocomm unit, $300). I'll feel a bit grumpy for not getting the bags I truely want... but I do want the other parts and can always 'upgrade' the bags somewhere in the future. This weekend I'm going to chat with my dealer about what options I have. I want to get the luggage thing settled so that taking the Adventure bike is at least an option.
Secondly... the camera. It's too big to actually mount on either bike, being a full sized SLR, so I'll need to stow it and be able to pull it out when needed to take pics. On the wing, my only options are the harness, or the trunk. The trunk isn't optimal, as it requires me getting off the bike to pull out the camera and take pics, which foils many 'pull over for a quick snapshot' options. By the time I've got the camera unpacked the other riders are already back on the road. This has happened to me before... resulting in many fewer pics than I'd have liked. The harness arrangement (shown here over my three-layers-of-jackets worn on a midwinter mountaintop ride) might be a problem on a long trip as well as making me look like a total dork. It's a little awkward to get in and out of without quite a bit of fiddling. On the GS, though... I have a tankbag! The camera nestles right there between my handlebars and midriff, easy to yank out and snap away as needed, with no hassles. If I want to take the 'photojournal' route (see my next LJ post), this is a big point in the GS's favor.
The 'fitting in' part is more Dusty's concern than mine. He's the Buell rider on this Buell sponsored trip, and I can understand him wanting his tag-along friends to be more 'group compliant'. The Beemer definately fits in better with the little sporty bikes; it's got the right attitude. The Wing, even though it could eat the lunch of most all the Buells there, is more like being forced to drag Grandpa along to the X-games. I'm cool with it either way, but I agree with Dusty that I might get a bit better acceptance and 'ooh, nice bike' ego-sharing with the adventure bike. I'm not sure how important this is, but it's enough of a factor to at least mention.
Most of this decision is on hold until I solve the Tires problem on the 'wing and the Luggage problem on the GS. That'll level the playing field. I'm going to try to finish that this coming week, and see what other issues arise. If there's any points I'm not thinking of... please, let me know! :)
I'll start with a list, as my 'likes to follow logical paths' mind usually employs:
Honda GL1800 GoldWing
Pros:
More comfortable on the posterior
Superior wind protection
Able to ride 500mi in a day with no worries
Already have the comms gear (CB/GMRS)
Already have tunes (XM radio / MP3 / FM)
Already have luggage/storage
Tons of power: on the straights, I'll be able to catch up with anybody if I'm lagging.
Cons:
No place for quick-access camera storage (working on that)
$500 to replace the tires (as shown in an earlier post, and I've still not fixed this)
In the twisties it really can't lean enough to keep up with the Buells
Only 150 miles range per tank
It would "fit in" on this trip like a VW Microbus at a Ferrari car show.
BMW R1150-GS Adventure
Pros:
200 miles range per tank
Very agile in the twisties; much easier to 'keep up' on challenging roads
Honestly... a bit more fun to ride.
Capable of travelling on much less-prime roads with much less worry
On the social side, much more 'in place' around the Buells than the 'Wing would ever be.
Only $300 to replace the tires.
Heated handgrips
Cons:
Much less comfortable -- 300mi/day is about tops due to hand-vibration and seat-fit.
No comms gear
No tunes of any type
No luggage yet
Less wind/temperature protection
The ride is expected to be through good weather... so with luck, the temperature handling of each bike won't be a big issue. Wind handling relates directly to fatigue. The more wind the bike can block, the less fatigued the rider. Each day is between 200-300 miles which isn't too hard a task. Were these miles to be on familiar roads, I'd say this was No Sweat on just about anything with two wheels -- but as I can't tell the condition or challenge of each day's ride, I need to plan as if they were going to be very hard miles. Also, the cumulative effect of riding every day for a week is far different than just doing longer rides on the weekend. Additionally, the first and last day will be very high mileage days, which pushes me towards the wing's comfort.
The plan is like this: Friday midday Dusty and I do the 330 mile trip down Hwy 5 to Frang's house. Sleep there, and then do the last 3 hour ride down to San Diego before noon on Saturday. All afternoon and and night Saturday is a big ol' party for the BRAG fellahs, with their idol Eric Buell. We get up Sunday morning, and start the ride. Each day is 200-300 miles, with breaks for lunch and touristy things throughout the day. Each night is spent in a decent hotel/motel along the route. The last day of the official ride is the following Sunday, as we arrive in Eureka for a big end-of-ride bash, and sleep there. Monday morning I separate from the group, and head another few hundred miles up to my parents' house in Grants Pass, Oregon, where I'll stay for Memorial Day and the day following. My sisters will be meeting me up there. They will arrive the Friday before, intending to stay for a longer parental weekend. Wednesday morning is my longest riding day of all... as I get up early and do the 500+ miles of Interstate 5 as one big ride back home.
Thursday and Friday, thankfully, I've got approval from my boss to telecommute, so I can laze around at home with the laptop and stay off my feet for a while. :)
As far as luggage and things go... I need to take clothes, camera, basic safety gear (first aid kit, maps, etc), and my stupid CPAP (I've got sleep apnea and it helps me get a good night's rest). Luckily I've got a tiny new-tech CPAP that only takes up about as much space as 6 paperback books in a stack. I'll also stash a laptop in there, and have space left over for the collection of touristy things. The tri-bag arrangement of the 'wing is plenty big, with space left over. The Adventure bags, if I buy them in time, will also be more than sufficient.
Here's the things about the Adventure's bags: they're simply not in the US yet. The bike model is too new, and the accessories haven't started shipping domestically yet (they're coming in from Germany). They're also $1500... but luckily I put that into the purchase price of the bike, and so I've got all that pre-paid with the dealer for when they get here. If I'm to take the GS-ADV... I'll need to give up on the fancy aluminum bags, and get the normal ones (Called 'BMW System Cases'). I'll use the $1500 credit and a little additional cash to get those ($600), some new aux lights ($400), the tires ($300), and the comms gear I want (an autocomm unit, $300). I'll feel a bit grumpy for not getting the bags I truely want... but I do want the other parts and can always 'upgrade' the bags somewhere in the future. This weekend I'm going to chat with my dealer about what options I have. I want to get the luggage thing settled so that taking the Adventure bike is at least an option.
Secondly... the camera. It's too big to actually mount on either bike, being a full sized SLR, so I'll need to stow it and be able to pull it out when needed to take pics. On the wing, my only options are the harness, or the trunk. The trunk isn't optimal, as it requires me getting off the bike to pull out the camera and take pics, which foils many 'pull over for a quick snapshot' options. By the time I've got the camera unpacked the other riders are already back on the road. This has happened to me before... resulting in many fewer pics than I'd have liked. The harness arrangement (shown here over my three-layers-of-jackets worn on a midwinter mountaintop ride) might be a problem on a long trip as well as making me look like a total dork. It's a little awkward to get in and out of without quite a bit of fiddling. On the GS, though... I have a tankbag! The camera nestles right there between my handlebars and midriff, easy to yank out and snap away as needed, with no hassles. If I want to take the 'photojournal' route (see my next LJ post), this is a big point in the GS's favor.
The 'fitting in' part is more Dusty's concern than mine. He's the Buell rider on this Buell sponsored trip, and I can understand him wanting his tag-along friends to be more 'group compliant'. The Beemer definately fits in better with the little sporty bikes; it's got the right attitude. The Wing, even though it could eat the lunch of most all the Buells there, is more like being forced to drag Grandpa along to the X-games. I'm cool with it either way, but I agree with Dusty that I might get a bit better acceptance and 'ooh, nice bike' ego-sharing with the adventure bike. I'm not sure how important this is, but it's enough of a factor to at least mention.
Most of this decision is on hold until I solve the Tires problem on the 'wing and the Luggage problem on the GS. That'll level the playing field. I'm going to try to finish that this coming week, and see what other issues arise. If there's any points I'm not thinking of... please, let me know! :)
