Style

Back in December I bought a BMW K1200GT. Previously, I had a Vulcan 900 Classic. What was the change? Why?

Firstly, let's look at these two bikes. The Kawasaki Bulcan is a classic touring bike modeled after the cruiser aesthetic of the mid 50's. Big tires, bulbous tank, simple lines, and mostly mechanical engineering. The BMW, in contrast, is a technological marvel, with sports-bike like handling, with amenities to insure comfort for many miles, in many conditions. Aesthetically, these bikes are very different.

Now is as good of a time as any to talk about styles of motorcycles vs. styles of riding. In the most basic terms, the Vulcan is considered a 'cruiser' while the bmw is commonly considered a sport touring bike-essentially, a hybrid of a sports bike and a touring bike. The bike's origins exist due to the collision of two different types of riders-racers and touring. The Vulcan is recognizable due to its 70 year profile. It looks very similar to a Harley or Indian from the 50's, the quintessential 'Americana' motorcycles. The BMW appears as if from the future (even though it is 10 years old.) So how did I come to switch so drastically from cruiser to sport touring?

When I bought the Vulcan I had very little (as in, under 8 hours) of riding experience, no license, and had never purchased a motorcycle before. Riding, and borrowing thousands of dollars, were both fairly new ideas. I grew up in a Harley household. Certainly, my father owned, at one point or another, Hondas, a BMW /5, a Norton,  and at least one Yamaha, but his self-association as a rider was with Harley, the bikes that he owned the most. With Harley riders, in generalmente, there is a disdain for japanese manufactured motorcycles. This is hereditary racism. In the 50's when Harley's really became part of the American patchwork, Japan was responsible for one of the most devastating acts of war on American soil in decades. Naturally, being seen on a motorcycle manufactured in Japan would be unthinkable, ditto for Germany or Italy.

I was, and truly am, enamored by the live free lifestyle that is associated with Harleys. However, the scooter tramps that literally live on their motorcycles are a small percentage of the population. The key to the Harley, and subsequently, in the last 20 years, the cruiser set's success is that they market a community, not necessarily the machine that they are selling. BMW's on the other hand, market adventure, which is rarely done in large groups.

As my riding style developed during my first 30,000 miles, all of which were on the Vulcan, my preferences shifted. My first backroads roadtrip- up to Dallas from Austin via 281 took a couple more hours than if I'd have taken I-35 but was far more enjoyable due to the immersion in little towns with their decreasing speed limits that give the rider a chance to look around, soak up the local flare and possibly grab a bite to eat, or a little gas. More and more, I sought out curvy roads and distant locales as excuses to ride. More and more, the allure of the BMW riders, who told stories of distant rides and far off places, who dressed for practicality. I would spend time, and still do, reading long-distance stories from riders around the world.

My accessories began as stylistic choices, blacked out air-cleaner cover, black baby apes with an 11" rise, which were as much for comfort as for style. When I planned my first 2,000 mile roadtrip,I picked up some soft expandable luggage. On the second trip, around mile 1,020, I bought a windshield and installed it in the parking lot of the dealership with some zipties and my bikes provided tool kit. It did the trick and I pushed 780 miles in one day on my way home. To be fair, it was because tornadoes were approaching every town I rode through on my way back to Texas, and then I wasn't willing to pay 60 bucks for a hotel when I was only 100 miles from a relative's home.

After that ride, and the multiple adaptations I had made to my bike for practicality and comfort I knew I was a tourer, not a cruiser, I spent too much time looking at maps and longing for twisty mountain roads, closing my eyes and visualizing a pine needle cushioned campsite in the piney woods of east Texas. That ride up 281 I took? I didn't wash the bugs off the front of the bike for a week, because I was proud, because it showed I had been somewhere, I had done something. In a city filled with people staring at a screen of one sort or another, I had gotten out into the world and done something. Travel was in the marrow of my bones and would never release.

For at least 12 months I was separated from my bike, I borrowed money from a relative to pay for my last semester of college and used the bike as collateral. In the meantime, I met a girl with a Yamaha YZF-6. Miracles of charity she let me ride it. My first experience with a sport bike was my cousin's ZX-6R Kawasaki, and had a mixed experience. The performance is amazing, tons of acceleration, very responsive handling and suspension, the aesthetics are very aggressive. The comfort, for my 6'7" frame was not ideal. This second experience, on the Yamaha, was much different, the seating position was more upright and comfortable. When I did get my Vulcan back, the wide tires, and moderate acceleration, coupled with the non-integrated bags and windshield didn't fill the niche as they once had.

I continued to daydream about sport-touring bikes. The Kawasaki Concours seemed a natural progression. It was the same manufacturer as the Vulcan and had some really awesome features, like a 1400 cc shaft drive motor adapted from their superbike, the ZX-14.
 
In October I began chatting with a guy at Woods Funcenter in north austin about test-riding a concours. However, the dealership only preps a bike for riding when someone shows interest, then a test ride is scheduled, and the customer is taken out on an escorted ride that lasts about ten miles. Due to conflicting schedules, meaning, I was never interested in driving through traffic at rush hour, and they weren't open on Sunday, I had a hell of a time actually riding a concours. i did have an opportunity to ride a ZX-14 however. Fantastic acceleration and handling. I was hooked. my Vulcan felt like I was driving a souped-up roto-tiller on the way home, loud, unsophisticated and slow.

A few months later, I was in Dallas and my girlfriend, who had been on a bit of a BMW kick since meeting and riding with some Beemer riders suggested we check out the BMW dealership, I agreed, and on my suggestion, we put the local Harley dealership on the agenda as well. Upon arriving at European Motorcycles of North Dallas, we found Urals, Triumphs, BMW's, MV Agusta's, and Ducati's.

Out front there was a K1200GT with miniscule body damage (a little scrape here and there and a mismatched cover for the right hand saddle bag) with a price tag indicating it was under blue-book. Priced right around 6,000 and having only about 50,000 miles on it, I was intrigued. Upon my girlfriends urging I sat on it, and many other bikes. The astounding thing about this bike was how comfortable it was. The seat angle and handlebars allowed my body to assume a very comfortable riding position, on the test ride I encountered traffic and was able to manuever the bike for quite a long time without having to put my feet down, due to the extremely well balanced nature of the bike. The acceleration, which I was able to experience only moderately due to traffic, was strong and consistent.

I had made out my perfect deal before going into the dealership. I wanted a jacket, gloves, and a helmet, with smoke shield, and the bike, for under blue book. The salesmen talked to his boss, and they went with it. I left with a Shoei X-12, first gear kilamanjaro, and a great set of all weather gloves.

The ride home was four hours, due to holiday traffic, and when I got off the bike I was very grateful for the windshield, heated grips, and ergonomics. I had very little road-fatigue nor saddle-soreness. Over the last six months I have gotten to know the bike, and been to some events. Everywhere I go, people admire and comment on the bike, even Harley riders. That has been one of the more remarkable experiences since riding the Beemer, is that the animosity that exists between the Japanese and American cruiser groups doesn't exist between the American cruiser and the sport tourer. The animosity many riders express towards sport-bike riders is also absent. It's nice. General acceptance and at times admiration from the community that I hold as one of my most important social groups in addition to the bliss that comes from riding a motorcycle that has capabilities well beyond any thing experienced before.

In my opinion, for the style of riding I enjoy, and the riders I enjoy riding with, a sports touring bike from BMW is the absolute best option. So is this the bike that will last me for the next 6 decades? Maybe, but BMW did release a K1600GT this year with some pretty amazing features and styling, so in ten years or so, around christmas, maybe there will be a 2013 sitting in my garage and a new Shoei helmet to go along with it.

Ride on.

Selling the Vulcan

I watched someone ride away on the bike I called my own for the last few years. I don't believe there is a way to prepare oneself for that experience. The process can be examined in stages, Purchasing the bike would be stage one, sharing experiences, Stage Two, Marketing the bike-stage three, the sale of the bike, stage four, and finally, reflection on the life shared-man and machine.

Stage one is covered fairly well in my previous blog http://texasontwowheels.blogspot.com/. Although, I will be adding stories from different trips as the days and weeks progress, which will help complete stage two.

Stage three is making the decision to sell and marketing the bike. I've actually sold the bike twice now. The first time was to drum up some money for a college internship. I posted to craigslist and my aunt, of all people, called and offered to buy the bike from me, with the offer to buy it back after I had recovered from the financial hit of an unpaid, 3 month full-time internship. This deal worked very well, and I graduated 12/15/2012.  

Being without a motorcycle hit me harder than I'd expected, and so did my internship. Spring of 2013 I was in a bind, broke financially, mentally exhausted from 4 years of University, and scrambling to make my income match my expenditures. I landed an extra job as a social worker and began building up my finances again, however, I was working 67 hours per week. The pay was right but there was no extra time to enjoy my time on this planet. In August, I landed a professional job teaching social studies. 

My income was up, my time off was up, and so was my stress. Teaching is absolutely madness, but that is the topic of a different blog. After two weeks of stress, I called my aunt to see if I could buy back the bike in installments. She agreed and I was back on two wheels. 

Even though I had the bike, I never stop looking at bikes. My girlfriend and I went up to Dallas over Christmas and decided to check out some of the dealerships in the area. We haven't been by Strokers of Dallas yet but it's on the list. Short and long of it is that I found a great bike at the BMW dealership- 2003 K1200GT, picked it up, with helmet, gloves, and jacket for around 6k. Rode it back to Austin and I was suddenly a two bike household.

I struggled for a few months as to whether I would keep the Kawasaki and continue to customize it. I had looked at a limited edition Harley Softail with pinstripes, chrome front end, whitewall tires, and a studded solo seat. My idea was to develop the Vulcan into a nice custom cruiser. Lose the bags and extra weight and use the Beemer for touring and commuting, and the Vulcan for short distance cruising and show-boating. However, what I found happening was I would ride the BMW, which has superior cornering, acceleration, storage capacity, and manuverability, and the Vulcan was collecting dust. I'd take her out every couple weeks and polish up the chrome. It wasn't what the bike was made for though, and I knew it. The bike was made to ride. 

In the last few weeks, my loans from school came a-calling, to the tune of about 700 per month, beginning very soon. I knew it was time to move the Vulcan. I had put it up for sale at 4200 and didn't get any real interest in it around January. This time, in May, I did some research. I priced the bike in a comfort zone where I would get enough money that I felt it was fair, and allow me to pay a sizable portion of my rotating, unsecured debt, meanwhile being the absolute best value for the dollar on Craigslist.

To determine value I addressed three main areas, brand, style, displacement, age, features, mileage, appearance, maintenance,  and Kelley blue book value. 

Being a vulcan, I first searched Vulcan prices to see what value was being put on this specific bike. Being a cruiser, I researched cruiser prices. The bike is a 2008, so it falls in with the later model bikes, which is a good selling point. However, to highlight that key difference, I identified modern features that allow the bike to stand out.  Cheif among these would be the fuel injection, smooth rubber mounted engine and water-cooled motor. The displacement sits at a healthy 900 cc's which, were it 20 years ago, would be a fairly large bike, pushing, as it is, towards the liter-class. However, due to the bigger is better mentality, there are bikes as large as 2.3 liters at this point, giving the impression that the bike is in the middle of the pack concerning performance. Unfortunately, that puts the bike in first-time rider territory. First-time riders are great, because they are enthusiastic purchasers, however they also tend to be under-informed, and naturally, have not discovered their motorcycling identity and preferences. Being as my bike has higher mileage than many found for sale, it was important to stress the low maintenance cost, dependability, and the presence of records concerning the work done to the vehicle in the past. The appearance of the bike, overall, is very good. Even though I had a professional photo-shoot done with the bike, I chose to use a rough pic from my phone on the craigslist ad. Finally, the blue book value. kbb valued the bike at around 4200 in great condition. 

On craigslist, in the 4200 category, there were many competitors. I did my finances and realized that the lowest I could comfortably go was 3000. To check to see if I would be able to reasonably expect that price, I scoured craigslist everyday for a couple of weeks. At 3000, my bike had the newest year, highest displacement, fewest mechanical issues, and in my opinion, was easily the best looking. Nervously, I posted the ad. I had a hit the next day and a man came to look at the bike. First time rider, he wanted to push the price down. I didn't allow it and he wandered off to look at some other bikes. Specifically, he was enamored with a 650 yamaha without current tags that had flames painted on the tank and fenders. I didn't have the heart to tell the guy how painfully aware of those missing 250cc's between the two bikes he is going to be the first time he has any sort of real hill, such as the one on 2222 leading up to 620. That is a lesson you have to experience to understand. 

The second caller was very excited. He and his wife drove in from the valley, 137 miles to look at the bike. As it turns out, the guy, we'll call him Jesse, had owned a Vulcan before and had traded it in on a Harley. Now he is working in the oil fields and really wanted to pick up another Vulcan. It was a great meeting. In a lot of ways he already knew the bike because he was familiar with the model. The customization I had completed, with black pipes, mirrors, covers, and handlebars was right in line with what he was looking for. In fact, his ideas for customization were ideas that either I'd had, or ideas that I loved. Having a buyer that is there for all the right reasons made the sale much smoother. He knew he was getting a good deal and I knew that the bike was going to an individual that would continue the tradition that had been started by the very first owner, and upheld by myself-ride, ride, ride. He told me a few things that made me really comfortable with the sale: 1. He plans on getting the bike over 100k miles. 2: He doesn't trailer bikes. 3. He already has a Harley so he was buying the bike Because it is a Kawasaki Vulcan, not 'in spite of.' 

When he showed up with the money, I was away from the house, so my roommate was able to handle the deal. When I rolled up on the Beemer, he was just backing out of the driveway. It was great, he had a smile on his face that is indescribable. If you've felt it, then you know it. He had that feeling you get when you have achieved a goal, but more than that, when you feel you are your best self. I'm happy to say the Kawasaki is still out there, eating up pavement, chasing down that 100k milestone. And me? I'm chasing 100k personal miles and excited to be on a BMW K1200GT, planning trips, getting to know the bike, and generally riding, riding, riding. 

When I asked the Service Counter rep at Lonestar BMW for advice on keeping my bike in good shape he gave me the same advice I gave Jesse- Ride it. 

Previous Blog

This is actually the second installment of my motorcycle blog. For posts going back to 2010, please visit:
http://texasontwowheels.blogspot.com/

MotoGP Marquez wins again in Argentina

Under heavy fire

Springtime is more than pretty flowers and warmer weather. Last week the insects came back. The first wave is the small ones. Initially, you may think you've entered a rainstorm, little ticky tacks on your helmet in rapid succesion. In reality, you are flying through a compulating insect swarm, decimating their population with your body and machine. The junebugs are swarming now, so it's a real good idea to park your bike somewhere with less light if you'll be there in the evening. Finding out that you can't leave your destination till you remove all of the bugs from your bike is not a pleasing chore.

Later in the season will be the butterfly migration as they head back north out of Mexico. You'll arrive at your destination with monarch wings, and soft yellow wings, jutting out from your road armor, pieces of these beautiful creatures will be splattered all over the bike.

I experienced a first this past friday- hail. I saw the stormclouds gathering as I drove up north and then the first raindrop hit. It was a big one, but I've been in rainstorms before. Then cars started pulling off the road as the first bits of hail started coming down. The tiny balls of ice exploded off my windshield and gained size. More and more cars abandoned the highway for the safety of the overpasses. I came up over a hill as I'm being pelted with ice at 50 mph. Every once in a while I'd take a direct hit in the hand, forearm or bicep. Unprotected, it was fairly painful. As I crested the hill I saw a sea of cars on the medians and a row of cars stopped in the middle of their lanes. I was worried about floodwaters but saw one brave soul drive his toyota through the low lands and back up without trouble. I manuevered through the cars and kept riding as people who had gotten out to document the event with their cell phones filmed me ride through the barrage of ice and cruise on. I saw a few of our brothers, both without protective gear, responsibly hanging out under a piece of concrete overpass, giving me the thumbs up.

It was a win. The storm cleared up, and the highway was all mine for a few miles.

Car folk don't have the kind of relationship with their climate like motorcyclists do. We experience the weather in all its tempetuous glory. We share the experiences of the land in that we stand bare before the elements, no metal cages, or wooden coffins to hide us.

It ain't glamourous, but there's no way I'd rather travel through space and time than with my trusted machine. Ride on.

Spring has sprung

The bluebonnets have begun blooming along the roadways here in Central Texas. Springtime is here which means wildflower season has begun. One of the many joys of riding motorcycles in Central Texas is the abundance of wildflowers. For a good day trip - check out willow city loop and the wildflower farms of Fredericksburg. Thanks to Lady Bird Johnson, a trip down any of Texas' highways is sure to have a great view of some beautiful Texas wildflowers.

Motorcycle Safety

I had lunch with some coworkers a few days ago and the question of motorcycle safety was raised at the table. One of my coworkers, a gentleman, shared that he was interested in buying a motorcycle and the group erupted in a cacophony of nay saying. "I would never let my wife get on one of those things." "I'm not a thrill-seeker." "Those things are death traps." It was obnoxious to say the very very least. So lets look at the issue of motorcycle safety. First, lets identify how many motorcycles are on the planet. According to the Journal of the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, around 2006, there were around 200 million motorcycles in the world. 58% of those are in developing areas of Southern Asia. By comparison, there are 500 million cars on the road. In some places, like Taiwan for instance, have a 2 to 1 ration of motorcycles to cars, a complete flip-flop of the global trend. Accidents do happen out there. Motorcycle accidents are four times as likely to be fatal. The numbers of fatalities are still remarkably low, however at just 75 per 100,000. Hardly a death trap, unless your idea of a trap is something that functions only 150 times for every 200,000 times it is activated. Let's look at these fatalities. How are they happening? 75% of motorcycle accidents are caused by passenger cars. 3 out of 4 times a person is injured on a motorcycle, a car was the cause. Nearly half of the accidents that cost someone their life involved alcohol. So, to me. It really seems like the dangerous subject in a situation would be the one which is most destructive to other subjects. Motorcycles do not seem to be the deathtraps they are purported to be. However, it is true that people do die while operating a motorcycle. Well, the numbers for 2006 were around 4,000 motorcyclists were killed on United States roads. There is no doubt that there is less protection on a motorcycle than in one of the 2,000 lb. grocery haulers piloted by a distracted drivers that kill motorcycles. A collision between a car and motorcycle is extremely imbalanced in terms of likelihood of death by the operators. The real issue seems to be motorists running down motorcyclists, and a good portion of those motorists are under the influence of alcohol. Damn it. If automobile drivers stopped running over motorcyclists the number of casualties in 2006 would have been reduced from 4,000 to 1,000. And of those 3,000 saved lives. 1,500 of them would be saved from a drunk or intoxicated driver running them down. So how does one stay safe on a motorcycle? Ideally, avoid all cars and don't power into your corners too hard. In reality, stay off the road between 12am-4am if you can help it. The number of inebriated drivers is radically higher, and thus the potential vehicular homicide opportunities is also increased exponentially. Keep new rubber on the rims and inspect your tires for unusual wear patterns regularly. Ride with your brights on -all the time. Try to position your bike so that your headlight hits drivers ahead of you in their side mirror, not their rear-view. You don't want to piss anybody off, you just want to make sure people are aware of you at all times. Install a high decibel horn-and use it. When people change lanes in front of you without signaling, let them know that it is an inappropriate method of changing lanes. A couple of quick honks translates to "Heads up, num-nuts, get your head out of your ass and let the people around you know when you decide to slide that 2,000 lb. death machine around the highway like it was a demolition derby." For personal safety, always wear a full face helmet, riding jacket with armor, gloves with leather palms and knuckle armor, jeans, at the very least, and shoes with ankle support.Wearing the appropriate gear will greatly reduce the risk of injury or death as a result of an accident. Plus, you feel like Iron Man. Another situation to avoid is unprotected left turns or turning across traffic. Try not to give people the opportunity to make a poor decision, like taking your life instead of waiting to reply to a text message. The chief response to "Why the hell did you kill that motorcyclist?" tends to be "I didn't know they were there." Make yourself seen and heard. big time. Loud pipes, hi-visibility riding gear, neon lights, loud horns- whatever it takes. Be proactive about your self-preservation. Ride with a buddy. Make some friends, go for rides. Increasing your visibility by numbers is great, unless some members of your party take to cutting off cars and generally acting like a bunch of children, then it becomes a big pain in the ass and you have to go lone wolf for a while. Generally though, the more buddies the better. Plus you'll feel like a total bad-ass when you and your friends line your bikes up in front of some back roads BBQ restaurant and go jangling and shuffling into the joint like something out of a Tarantino movie, dust from the road falling off your boots and onto the old wood floor with every heavy step. Wild ones. "What you rebelling against Johnny?" "What ya got?" Bottom line is, to some extent there are some proactive things a motorcyclist can do to increase their chances of being part of the 99.925 riders a year that avoid getting into an accident. Then there is the thing that everyone can do. Don't drink and drive, don't let your friends drink and drive. People are drinking, driving and killing motorcyclists. Don't let our brothers and sisters die without action on our part. People that drink and drive are setting themselves up for homicide, with little chance of physical harm to themselves, and oftentimes, little political recourse. Stay alert, make good decisions, and keep the rubber side on the road. Slim Vulcan