Big decisions have been made in the mind of the Kimmie, I mean REAL BIG!!
These haven’t been made lightly either, but those that know me pretty well, know all too well that it takes me a while to come to the final conclusion.
I’m hearing you….what are they???…..get on with it (well that’s Karl saying that…LOL).
Since damaging my wrist 2 years ago, my riding of my beloved motorcycles hasn’t been the same.
Daisy was purchased so I could see how I liked the off road scene and do some camping. Now I LOVE the camping and going away with Karl camping but the off road thing….well, if I’m totally honest, it’s not my thing. So with a lot and I mean “a lot” of deliberation, I decided to sell Daisy.
Gumtree was my friend here and after 2 weeks and a few enquiries, Daisy was sold on Friday. It was a very sad moment but also a happy one as she has gone to an extremely good home. Wasn’t til after the deal was done, that the new owner told me he was the son of a man I have only respect for and am honored to call “Friend”……how small is the world, hey!
Saying my farewells
Daisy loaded ready to go to her new home.
Hope you enjoy her Dave, as much as I have….she is a fabulous bike.
Now, what does one do when one sells a bike………well, you go bike testing!!!! YEAH Baby!
First up was the Triumph Tiger 800 XRX. I really like the look of this bike and on paper it has all and more than I thought. Now the test ride, didn’t go as I thought. The ergonomics of the bike are great for me and the seat was very comfy set in the low position but that was where it ended for me. I found the throttle really snatchy, on – off, on-off. I couldn’t activate the cruise control (which is located on the R-hand control block) without throwing a fist full of throttle and new launching myself off the bike. I had both balls of my feet on the ground but that was it and it seemed a little top heavy. Stopping and lifting off the side stand, now in perfect conditions without luggage, it would be ok. However as you all know, I like to travel and take more than just a pair of undies and parking on the side of the road which was a little uneven and I struggled to lift it back up (and this was without luggage). So back to the dealer.
Tiger 800 XRX
Tiger 800 XRX
Now the dealer asked what I wanted to achieve, so after considerable conversion, I asked what the BMW equivalent is (or thereabouts). He suggests I take the F 700GS for a ride….well why not, I’m there, it’s there…..
Again I really like the look of this bike. The ergonomics are slightly different to the Tiger but felt a little more comfortable and it felt considerably lighter straight off the bat. I took the same route to be fair to both bikes and can honestly say, I felt comfortable, confident and had an absolute ball on the GS. Changing between modes, Comfy, Norm & Sport was really simple (on the fly) and you could notice the difference. The throttle was smooth and the gearbox the same really pleasurable. I did the same stopping on the same uneven ground and the weight distribution and grounding and lifting from the side stand was much easier (I’d almost say effortless). When I returned to the dealer, let’s just say the chicken strips where much better 🙂 I really enjoyed riding this bike. Back to the dealer again.
BMW F 700GS
BMW F 700GS
BMW F 700GS
What will I do……………who knows. You’ll have to watch this space.
