Bummed by a test ride

[co6aka_imp]

Ok I had another test ride, this time on a different bike, but this is still staying on the subject. A beautiful RNineT... Oh yeah, I loved her at the first look, too. Who wouldn't. Dealers were not allowing you to even sit on the bike in the showroom, much less take one out. And of course they were all sold out for many months...

But today I had a chance to put quite a few honest miles on my buddy's brand new bimmer on some beautiful country roads. Gorgeous bike... even the gold fork is looking good now that the exhaust pipes are getting tinted with gold patina from the heat... who would have thought. Fantastic sound, great street presence, but she ain't the bike for me: too vibey, too harsh, too assertive... she needs to be ridden hard, and flogged a bit, to be enjoyed. The CB1100 is a sweetheart in comparison: light, nimble, smooth, easy to ride fast or slow. Bimmer is more raw, more brutish. At the end of the ride I was glad to get off. I don't know why these folks over @motorcycle.com are going so gaga over the bimmer: yes, she's got the character, but that ain't everythin' .. I have a feeling they're just sucking it up too much to the BMW badge. Oh well, to each his own.

And while my buddy adores his new toy, I'm sure as heck glad that I didn't have to part with 15 large (or large portion of it) to find out she ain't a bike for me. Altho she surely makes for great postcards from the countryside.