2011 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure

[Bone Stockman]

So I stopped by Bob's BMW on the way home from work today and took a quick hour-long test ride on an '11 GSA. It's a damn impressive machine.

Some quick thoughts:

- You get some funny looks from both Harley and BMW riders when you're on a GS wearing Doc Martens, jeans, an orange & black Harley windbreaker, and a half helmet.

- Much better wind protection than I would have guessed.

- Very flexible engine. It revs much higher at highway speeds than the Harley, but other than the vibration through the bars & pegs, not really a big deal. I was impressed with how well it squirts around.

- There's something to be said for 8" of suspension travel, and the ESA is freaking amazing. I hit a loop through Elkridge that I'm very familiar with. In Sport mode, I was able to go through the corners 10mph or so quicker on the GSA than I can on my Limited. The bike holds a line like a laser, and just doesn't get upset on bumpy roads. On one particular road that'll get me out of the seat on the Softail, and rattle my teeth on the Limited, the GSA floated over the potholes and frost heaves.

- Excellent brakes. The Brembo-sourced ABS units on the Limited work very well, but the GSA is 400 pounds lighter. Very confidence-inspiring.

- The riding position wasn't bad. I was expecting my legs to cramp up and/or my wrists to hurt, but no worries. The seat was reasonably comfortable, but the vinyl has to go. With a leather seat and a set of highway pegs, I could see riding this thing for hours at a time. I'd have to add cruise control though.

As a solo-only bike, I don't see why I couldn't ride any distance, any where on a GSA. The test will be this weekend when we go back for the "extended test ride", and the Spider Monkey is on the back. Should be entertaining watching a 5'2" woman climb way up there.

The salesman I spoke with was pushing me to test ride the K1600GTL too. I really wanted to take him up on that, but time was short, and I can't imagine the amount of housework and sexual favors I'd have to perform trying to convince the Spider Monkey that we need two new bikes.