MotoTrex
09-25-2004, 09:27 PM
I have written some comments on riding in Ivan last week-end in the MOA GEAR section and some comments on riding my new 1100 S, so far, in the RIDES section, too. Here, let me address some general concerns.
The Grey and Orange 1100 S was bought from Main Line BMW Thursday a week ago and now I have 577 miles on it. Oh, put the whistles and horns down, please. I 've had BMW motorcycles since the early 70's and I know (and you know) that 577 miles or even 5,777 miles on a BMW Motorrad doesn't mean a thing. My idea for posting here and on the other two sites is to record thoughts and ideas and to encourage others to log their impressions.
From the other sites you can see I rode through Ivan last week-end. I gotta tell you it was a challenge for me, but not for the 1100 S. The bike performed flawlessly. You know how in the rain slight little "inaccuracies" can occur? You know how you are on edge and you really expect, at any time, slippage from the front end or from the back end accelerrating out of a corner? The 1100 S never, ever, shook its head or its tail. It never scolded me. The grip of the Metzler tires is nothing short of fantastic.
Today I got to rack up some miles as I head toward the 600 mile check-up. I am told that anywhere between 600 and 1000 miles is when the initial maintenance is to be done. It seems that the 4,000 RPM limit may be a bit soft, too. What is to be avoided is heading from Boston to Miami at 95 mph for hours on end. And, as always, those first 100 miles are the right time to properly seat the brake pads in.
I am having a lot of fun with the bike. I have written before about raising the handlebars. For solo riding I am setting the front and rear shocks at their lowest setting and the re-bound on the rear shock is a half turn counter-clock-wise from the "standard" setting as described in the instruction manual. I am running (f/r) 39/41 psi and the gas I have been using is 89 octane. Why the high tire psi? It's a left over from last week-end where I thought I might have to ride two-up in the bicycle race (taking a photographer). Give me time and I'll play with tire pressure a bit, but for now I like the bite that the tires have at those settings. Tomorrow I'll set it down to a 36/39 and see how that feels.
October 5th I take the bike in for the first scheduled maintenance. Rear bags will be added, Run-N-Lights will be hooked up and a second horn added (from an RT). I have added new (upgraded) H1 and H7 bulbs. I need to buy a (male) adaptor for my old trusty Wetter Electric Vest to plug into the aux. outlet. Fall is here although this bright and glorious day saw temperatures in the low 80s. What a treat to ride the bike in dry weather!
A quick word in favor of Main Line BMW (West of Philadelphia) not just for the great handling of the initial transaction, but for putting up with my endless questions and odd-ball comments (why can't Midas just cobble up a small pipe to replace the Cat. Converter? I mean, that would be, maybe, $25 and 15 minutes. Right?)
Bugs are on the front screen and bugs are on my helmet. If I didn't have a fullface helmet and shield, bugs would be all over my teeth from grinning so much.
The Grey and Orange 1100 S was bought from Main Line BMW Thursday a week ago and now I have 577 miles on it. Oh, put the whistles and horns down, please. I 've had BMW motorcycles since the early 70's and I know (and you know) that 577 miles or even 5,777 miles on a BMW Motorrad doesn't mean a thing. My idea for posting here and on the other two sites is to record thoughts and ideas and to encourage others to log their impressions.
From the other sites you can see I rode through Ivan last week-end. I gotta tell you it was a challenge for me, but not for the 1100 S. The bike performed flawlessly. You know how in the rain slight little "inaccuracies" can occur? You know how you are on edge and you really expect, at any time, slippage from the front end or from the back end accelerrating out of a corner? The 1100 S never, ever, shook its head or its tail. It never scolded me. The grip of the Metzler tires is nothing short of fantastic.
Today I got to rack up some miles as I head toward the 600 mile check-up. I am told that anywhere between 600 and 1000 miles is when the initial maintenance is to be done. It seems that the 4,000 RPM limit may be a bit soft, too. What is to be avoided is heading from Boston to Miami at 95 mph for hours on end. And, as always, those first 100 miles are the right time to properly seat the brake pads in.
I am having a lot of fun with the bike. I have written before about raising the handlebars. For solo riding I am setting the front and rear shocks at their lowest setting and the re-bound on the rear shock is a half turn counter-clock-wise from the "standard" setting as described in the instruction manual. I am running (f/r) 39/41 psi and the gas I have been using is 89 octane. Why the high tire psi? It's a left over from last week-end where I thought I might have to ride two-up in the bicycle race (taking a photographer). Give me time and I'll play with tire pressure a bit, but for now I like the bite that the tires have at those settings. Tomorrow I'll set it down to a 36/39 and see how that feels.
October 5th I take the bike in for the first scheduled maintenance. Rear bags will be added, Run-N-Lights will be hooked up and a second horn added (from an RT). I have added new (upgraded) H1 and H7 bulbs. I need to buy a (male) adaptor for my old trusty Wetter Electric Vest to plug into the aux. outlet. Fall is here although this bright and glorious day saw temperatures in the low 80s. What a treat to ride the bike in dry weather!
A quick word in favor of Main Line BMW (West of Philadelphia) not just for the great handling of the initial transaction, but for putting up with my endless questions and odd-ball comments (why can't Midas just cobble up a small pipe to replace the Cat. Converter? I mean, that would be, maybe, $25 and 15 minutes. Right?)
Bugs are on the front screen and bugs are on my helmet. If I didn't have a fullface helmet and shield, bugs would be all over my teeth from grinning so much.