More of a Maturing Rider
21/Nov/06 23:43
I think I'm done with scootering. Gosh, I test rode
that BV500 the other week, and while it was faster
than my BV250, it still wasn't really fast. I
timed the BV500's 0-60mph at 9 seconds. My 250 is
probably 11. That's the acceleration of a Geo Metro.
I'm being hard on my bike and I feel badly, because I
love her - but I want something with more... balls.
The BV500 might be fast enough, but why spend so much
money for a small upgrade? I expressed lament
to my dealer that there weren't Piaggio scooters with
more than 500cc, and she said that would be getting
into motorcycle territory... hmmm. It was always in
the back of my mind, but I think that put me over the
edge.
So when I was back at home, I checked out some motorcycles online. I am vertically-challenged. I can barely touch both feet on the ground with my scooter (but it's a high seat). I was looking for a motorcycle that had a low enough seat for me, and found a gem of a bike in the BMW F800 ST. Granted, it won't even be in America until March 2007, but the Europeans have this bike and the reviews are glowing.
So let me tell you about the F800 ST (Sport Tourer). It's a great bike for commuting or touring, and it's friendly to new riders but offers a thrilling ride for experienced riders as well. It's BMW's new middleweight bike that fills the gap between the single cylinder 650cc Enduro-style and the large 1200cc bikes with Boxers or 4-cylinders. The F800 has a torquey parallel-twin 800cc engine and a maintenance-free belt drive. The engine puts out 85hp @ 8000rpm and 53 lb-ft of torque @ 5300rpm. The ST accepts BMW's side and top cases, and has a pretty upright riding position for comfort mile after mile. Despite this comfort for longer rides, this versatile bike has proven very good in twisties. This bike is not quite as fast as some of the competition from leading middleweight Japanese bikes, but come on folks, the F800 can do 0-62mph in (Mom and Dad - don't read this!) 3.5 seconds. This is high-end Ferrari territory, boys and girls.
That said, I hereby promise to be a responsible rider. Just because a vehicle is capable of high performance does not mean that it will regularly be used at its fullest potential. It is nice to have a motorcycle that you will not outgrow after a year, as I did with my 250. I want to feel like I spent my hard-earned money on a something I will love to ride for years.
At this point, I may be putting the cart before the horse. I still need to learn how to shift gears, and actually test ride the F800. But you know when you just feel like something is going to be just right? Well, I really hope it works out. Read reviews here, here and here.
So when I was back at home, I checked out some motorcycles online. I am vertically-challenged. I can barely touch both feet on the ground with my scooter (but it's a high seat). I was looking for a motorcycle that had a low enough seat for me, and found a gem of a bike in the BMW F800 ST. Granted, it won't even be in America until March 2007, but the Europeans have this bike and the reviews are glowing.
So let me tell you about the F800 ST (Sport Tourer). It's a great bike for commuting or touring, and it's friendly to new riders but offers a thrilling ride for experienced riders as well. It's BMW's new middleweight bike that fills the gap between the single cylinder 650cc Enduro-style and the large 1200cc bikes with Boxers or 4-cylinders. The F800 has a torquey parallel-twin 800cc engine and a maintenance-free belt drive. The engine puts out 85hp @ 8000rpm and 53 lb-ft of torque @ 5300rpm. The ST accepts BMW's side and top cases, and has a pretty upright riding position for comfort mile after mile. Despite this comfort for longer rides, this versatile bike has proven very good in twisties. This bike is not quite as fast as some of the competition from leading middleweight Japanese bikes, but come on folks, the F800 can do 0-62mph in (Mom and Dad - don't read this!) 3.5 seconds. This is high-end Ferrari territory, boys and girls.
That said, I hereby promise to be a responsible rider. Just because a vehicle is capable of high performance does not mean that it will regularly be used at its fullest potential. It is nice to have a motorcycle that you will not outgrow after a year, as I did with my 250. I want to feel like I spent my hard-earned money on a something I will love to ride for years.
At this point, I may be putting the cart before the horse. I still need to learn how to shift gears, and actually test ride the F800. But you know when you just feel like something is going to be just right? Well, I really hope it works out. Read reviews here, here and here.
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