10-10-2017, 06:03 AM
In late August, I spent three days at a dual-sport rally in Hood River, OR. I rode my F800GS. It has a Rekluse clutch.
There were over 100 riders in attendance and fifteen, or so, GPS-tracked dual-sport rides to choose from. When we go to these events, there are four or five of us that ride together. We hardly ever allow unknown riders to join. The group becomes too large, variables increase, and the idea of strangers "showing off" in our midst is less than appealing. We also have the right combination of medics, mechanics, tools, first-aid and communications. Everyone in the group, except me, is an excellent rider. A 911 dispatcher(old desert racer), a gentleman that owns two Honda stores and a very large, but secret, trophy room, an MSF instructor instructor (he teaches instructors and also teaches U.S. Army spcial forces). And the others are equally talented. I have to beg each time to be included.
Each one of them now rides an Africa Twin DCT. Not a "mannie" in the group. Each one came off a BMW GS. You can't wipe the smiles off their faces! Finger-shifting in "sport" mode is wonderful. Your feet stay on the pegs, you're not fumbling with your left foot to locate the shifter, and the engine compression is right there. Same thing exiting corners. And not a single complaint about slow-speed maneuvering. None. It's a very steep learning curve to acclimate to the throttle. As someone else mentioned, rear-braking simultaneously is beneficial sometimes. Rear braking is a lost art, if ever acquired, by quite a few riders, IMHO.
So why don't "I" have an AT-DCT? I asked the sales mgr to give me a quote. Knocking $1,000 off the MSRP, I would get $3,800 for my mint 2013 CB1100, $4,000 for my 2005 ST-ABS with only 30,000 miles and nary a scratch, I'd have to give them all the $4,750 I just got for selling my Volvo XC70, and come up with another $2,000 cash.
Uh...that ain't gonna happen!!! Two motorcycles, a Volvo, and $2,000 cash for a bike that doesn't have any of the necessary farkles (starting with tires) to be ridden off-road!?
I'm not depressed knowing I'll be on the BMW for a long time. Familiarity breeds familiarity. Which is a wonderful thing off-road. But I really like the DCT!! My favorite dual-sport bike ever.
There were over 100 riders in attendance and fifteen, or so, GPS-tracked dual-sport rides to choose from. When we go to these events, there are four or five of us that ride together. We hardly ever allow unknown riders to join. The group becomes too large, variables increase, and the idea of strangers "showing off" in our midst is less than appealing. We also have the right combination of medics, mechanics, tools, first-aid and communications. Everyone in the group, except me, is an excellent rider. A 911 dispatcher(old desert racer), a gentleman that owns two Honda stores and a very large, but secret, trophy room, an MSF instructor instructor (he teaches instructors and also teaches U.S. Army spcial forces). And the others are equally talented. I have to beg each time to be included.
Each one of them now rides an Africa Twin DCT. Not a "mannie" in the group. Each one came off a BMW GS. You can't wipe the smiles off their faces! Finger-shifting in "sport" mode is wonderful. Your feet stay on the pegs, you're not fumbling with your left foot to locate the shifter, and the engine compression is right there. Same thing exiting corners. And not a single complaint about slow-speed maneuvering. None. It's a very steep learning curve to acclimate to the throttle. As someone else mentioned, rear-braking simultaneously is beneficial sometimes. Rear braking is a lost art, if ever acquired, by quite a few riders, IMHO.
So why don't "I" have an AT-DCT? I asked the sales mgr to give me a quote. Knocking $1,000 off the MSRP, I would get $3,800 for my mint 2013 CB1100, $4,000 for my 2005 ST-ABS with only 30,000 miles and nary a scratch, I'd have to give them all the $4,750 I just got for selling my Volvo XC70, and come up with another $2,000 cash.
Uh...that ain't gonna happen!!! Two motorcycles, a Volvo, and $2,000 cash for a bike that doesn't have any of the necessary farkles (starting with tires) to be ridden off-road!?
I'm not depressed knowing I'll be on the BMW for a long time. Familiarity breeds familiarity. Which is a wonderful thing off-road. But I really like the DCT!! My favorite dual-sport bike ever.