12-09-2021, 09:47 AM
Oof. Those are at least good natured things. In their mind they're helping you. Try this one:
I took a test ride on the vaunted BMW R18 not too long ago. It was a nice slow ride down country roads in Alabama. After the test the guy singled me out and asked me to talk to him about what I thought about the bike. Probably because I was far and away the youngest guy there and I had a passenger. I said it was like something from another universe.
"What universe is that?" He asked.
"One without turns." He laughed and asked what im talking about.
I told him point blank that I'm sure it's for somebody. But its not for me. Not at all. I'm used to feeling response and feedback from my bike. I'm used to being able to lean more than 3 degrees without sparks coming off hard parts. And the worst part of all I told him the thing was literally rattling the fillings out of my head. There are vibrational bikes and then there's this. A 1.8 liter boxer feels like a literal jackhammer anywhere above 3000 rpms.
He gets a bit of a sour look and goes "if you're feeling that it means shift up."
Really? You're going to defend your bike by implying I don't understand manual transmissions? I said, "The bike is a 6 speed...I was getting serious vibrations at around 3k rpms. This means if I get anywhere north of 60mph in 6th gear I'm in full vibration mode. If I'm intended to 'shift up' before 3k rpms that means I run out of gears before reaching highway speeds. So you're telling me your 1.8 liter transcontinental touring bike can't handle the highway? "
He was quiet and then said something about how it's meant to take in the scenery...yea ok.
Don't tell me when to shift man
I took a test ride on the vaunted BMW R18 not too long ago. It was a nice slow ride down country roads in Alabama. After the test the guy singled me out and asked me to talk to him about what I thought about the bike. Probably because I was far and away the youngest guy there and I had a passenger. I said it was like something from another universe.
"What universe is that?" He asked.
"One without turns." He laughed and asked what im talking about.
I told him point blank that I'm sure it's for somebody. But its not for me. Not at all. I'm used to feeling response and feedback from my bike. I'm used to being able to lean more than 3 degrees without sparks coming off hard parts. And the worst part of all I told him the thing was literally rattling the fillings out of my head. There are vibrational bikes and then there's this. A 1.8 liter boxer feels like a literal jackhammer anywhere above 3000 rpms.
He gets a bit of a sour look and goes "if you're feeling that it means shift up."
Really? You're going to defend your bike by implying I don't understand manual transmissions? I said, "The bike is a 6 speed...I was getting serious vibrations at around 3k rpms. This means if I get anywhere north of 60mph in 6th gear I'm in full vibration mode. If I'm intended to 'shift up' before 3k rpms that means I run out of gears before reaching highway speeds. So you're telling me your 1.8 liter transcontinental touring bike can't handle the highway? "
He was quiet and then said something about how it's meant to take in the scenery...yea ok.
Don't tell me when to shift man