WebsterMark wrote on 03/11/13 at 05:35:31:Traded in my 2007 white S40 for a 2001 BMW R1100RT. Needless to say, about the only thing they have in common is two wheels and a seat….
Some background; I rode a Yamaha XS650 all through college and logged a lot of interstate miles. Back then, no one knew you needed heated grips, air seats, integrated hard case bags, electric windshields and a host of other bells and whistles. You just got on, strapped on a ¾ helmet and road couple hundred miles.
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Now I’ve bought this BMW. It’s like night and day. It feels like I’m riding around town while sitting on my couch. I think I could read a newspaper there is such little wind with the windshield fully extended while on the highway. I’ve heard of people falling asleep on long interstate rides and I can understand why.
I can tell I’ll miss being able to toss the Savage around any direction I want to go in the blink of an eye. I realize now that I never thought about the actual process of riding while on the Savage, I just did it. Sort of like walking down the street.
With this BMW, you have to plan out parking, slow turns, etc….it’s a big bike with the saddlebags and top case on. However, I can load up enough stuff and take some 1000 mile rides. I want to see if I like that as much as I think I will. If so, this was a great buy. If not, I’ll keep it this summer and then see how the new (Japanese complete waste of money) goes over and maybe switch out over the winter.
I will also say from what I’ve seen of the BMW forums so far, they can’t hold a candle to suzukisavage.com
The technical know-how of the people on here is nothing short of amazing. Forums like this is why some companies now have cut back their technical support groups and simply refer people to forums because they’ve realized that, collectively, the men and women on forums like this have forgotten more about this bike than the manufacturers and engineers knew in the first place!
If (when) the Zombie Apocalypse hits, it’s the people who post those amazing technical pieces on here, discovered and worked out themselves in garages and basements across the globe, who will rule the earth!
Well, well, well, if it isn't somebody I know who's gone the same "day&night" path I tread some years ago !!!
WM, I bought my Savage in 2005 and my BMW R1200ST in 2012.
They ARE like night and day, and it couldn't be otherwise.
One is a carburetted thumper, and if it weren't for the Electronic
Ignition little black box, she'd be just like a BSA from the 1950's.
The other is a highly refined, 8-valve, twin spark alloy fklat twin with so much electronics she IS a veritable spaceship on two wheels.
I have called my two bikes "Barabbas" and "the Trans-Europe express", guess which is which !
Incidentally, my Savage has been spending its winters in a cosy, heated Suzuki dealership workshop for the better part of the last two winters (I am stretching my 2011 insurance all the way into fall 2013!) and have been commuting in hectic Roman downtown traffic with the Beemer...
...no fear, you will have already noticed that, once moving, the Beemer is agile as a horse and will do just about anything you can ask of her...
Incidentally, I will go down through bends (almost) to the point I'm dragging my footpegs, and last year, when I participated in a Motorally in the Austrian Nock Mountains, my "chicken strip" was a mere half inch wide...
...talk about learning to ride !!!
(no, it isn't me, it's a library pic off the Italian BMW Forum, which IS high tech... we like to hack, peek and poke
)
(see "Nockalmstrasse, Austria" on googlemaps)
After a full two and one half years of use, my R1200ST is on its second set of pilot's footpegs and I know of at least ONE rider who's actually scraped the panniers in happy-go-lucky mountain riding !
One word of advice: please do NOT trade in the BMW for a Honda CB1100...
If you had a BMW 7-series sedan, would you trade her in for a Chevrolet ? Really ?