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.
