Rode a BMW nine T last night

[jhwalker]

It is a toy.

Went over to visit a friend who is a bike nut to eat pizza and drink beer and talk guns last night and he said, "before you drink too much, you should ride my new bike".

http://www.bmw-motorrad.com/com/en/fasc ... /main.html There is a cool 53 second vid at the start. I didn't see it until I went back to the site. There is a cool 6+ minute vid also imbedded -- it was frustrating as hell to get to play, but that is probably my internet.

So I jumped right on -- with a low center of gravity it is much easier to mount and ride than my DRZ. Since it is his new bike and has only 500 km on it, I was not going to flog it, but it is smooth, sounds great, felt very strong. Another candidate for that "final bike".

He is going to add some cylinder protectors and a little wind

His new house does not have internet yet, so he said he will email me pics as soon as he finds a connection. In person, it is very sweet.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/28271/Buy ... nineT.aspx

[jhwalker]

Those pics came over so I will post them. Found out that the engine is rated at 110 hp. With my lardass in the SPF and on the nine T (or whatever they are calling it), the SPF is about 5.3 lbs per horse (crankshaft) and the bike about 6.1 lbs per horse. But the bike would certainly feel faster.
Actually these numbers could be suspect. What is BMW drivetrain loss factor, anyone know?

[jhwalker]

One more pic

[Tetge]

It looks massive in the pics, with you on it. I looked It up and it weighs well over 500 pounds with fluids and costs $14900 for the basic model. As with Harley, it can be customized. So, it is massive (compared to a DR-Z) and shaft drive, which means that it is sort of a cruiser, and suited for highway use, although it has no wind protection. It certainly is not a dirt bike.

[jhwalker]

It looks massive in the pics, with you on it. I looked It up and it weighs well over 500 pounds with fluids and costs $14900 for the basic model. As with Harley, it can be customized. So, it is massive (compared to a DR-Z) and shaft drive, which means that it is sort of a cruiser, and suited for highway use, although it has no wind protection. It certainly is not a dirt bike.

Not that it matters, but the test I read said 484 wet.

But thanks for that insight on it not being a dirt bike, damn, I was going to strap some knobbies on it, since it just looked so much like a motocross bike

My "final" bike will be a cruiser that only has to handle the dirt road out to our property. This bike could do that, but I was writing it up as an interesting ride, not a bike that I want to buy. There may be no final bike, but as of now, I think there will be, and I have the boss's approval for a toy. (of course there will be payback ). But back to the BMW, with its low center of gravity and the ergonomics of it, it felt smaller than my DRZ S. Part of that was the ease of throwing a leg over it, instead of using the stool I need to get on the S these days. I think the current seating position is too compact for my body, kept having to stand up to uncramp the hip flexors. But in person it was a beautiful bike and a fun ride.

[Tetge]

BMW's specs show 489 fueled with at least 90% of fluid capacities. I must have been drunk again when I checked last night, but, it still is no featherweight. Yamaha still makes the V-Max, which is a monster, and which costs more than the BMW. But, it is cut from the same sort of cloth. I also sort of wanted a B-King at one point. But, if a person is going the tourer/cruiser route, good weather protection is a must. Even heated grips and cruise control make sense, as well as a large fuel tank since weight is not an issue, and neither is all out performance or handling. Comfort for both a rider and a possible passenger would seem more important, but, if you really crave comfort, why not drive a four wheeled cage rather than a compromised motorcycle? But, I admit, I have never understood cruisers or touring rigs or choppers. Personally, as I have aged, and, having been there and done that bike wise, I prefer a light nimble bike that takes up less real estate in my garage and is easier to push around. In truth, there really is no real reason to exceed 80-85 mph ever, and one can still get places running at near the speed limit, so blinding speed is not really necessary. I will agree that the DR-Z is too tall, but, of course, once on it, it works very well and the seating position is near perfect. But, I did invest in a Corbin seat immediately as well as a big gas tank. As far as I am concerned, the bike is not fit to ride with a stock seat, and the extra 1.6 gallons of fuel on board makes a big difference when riding long. I rant more, but, this paragraph is full.

[jhwalker]

I just enjoy riding motorcycles, more off road right now than on road, although the rides into town have been fun. My standards are clearly different than yours, because for me, the DRZ S seat works fine (I am standing half of the time) , and there are plenty of Pemexs around here so the stock tank range is fine. But your bike is a street bike. Whatever the next bike is, it will be in addition to the DRZ S, not a replacement, unless the day comes where I can't get my leg over the saddle.

This BMW would not be a good passenger bike, and Terri now says she wants to ride along on the highway rides. If she is serious (who knows, she also wanted to ride street bicycles with me and we ended up selling 2 pristine high-end women's street bikes over the years), that will alter the selection of the next bike. For a little while she wanted a motorcycle for herself (the wife of the owner of the new BMW has a couple of motorcycles too) and I said I would quit riding instead. Call it prejudice... Mid 50-s is not the time for a small woman to learn to ride IMHO..

There are many day trips around here that would be a blast on a good street bike, but I don't see long distance biking ever becoming a passion.

[Tetge]

........... My standards are clearly different than yours, because for me, the DRZ S seat works fine (I am standing half of the time)........

I figure that compared to a bicycle seat, a stock DR-Z seat is the height of comfort. So, it figures that you do not mind it. However, I have seen Brakelate stand up on rides and when he was sitting he would shift from one side to the other as he rode since the stock DR-Z seat is narrower than the average human's butt, and hard as a 2X4 to boot. In the dirt, with frequent standing up and your attention focused on not crashing, it might be acceptable. But, running down a section of straight highway it is murder, for most people.

As for standards? Mine have evolved over the years, but, I always wanted performance first, with confident handling and superior cornering clearance running neck and neck with good suspension and powerful brakes that could exploit the suspension. I found out early on that just HP, such as the 500 Kawasaki triple that I had for a short time, made no sense. Cruisers and touring rigs generally lack cornering clearance and tend to be portly, so I have never felt any urge to own one. This is not to say that they can not motor right along in the right skilled hands, but, they are really optimized for easy riding, parades, and cruising. Passengers seem to like them, especially if they have a sissy bar to lean back on, which is important if a person is intending to pack double a lot. And, if your are packing double, you get to shop for matching leather gear!

BMW knows that the nine T is a cruiser as they say that it has a removal rear sub frame that allows modification to accept a really big fat rear wheel and tire. It really appears that they want to attract some of the Harley crowd, but, I kind of doubt that they will have much success since a BMW is not a Harley. Even a Sportster is not a proper Harley. But, they sold your friend one, so, what do I know?

[jhwalker]

Well, someone is buying it. "The first batch of 2,500 nineT’s has already sold out, meaning orders placed now will be met in June. That’s a fairly good indication that BMW has got the styling right. But when a bike looks this good, the worry is it might be let down by performance. It might be as traditional to ride as it is to look at, like the Moto Guzzi V7."

You might actually like this bike. This review is pretty much a rave... http://www.visordown.com/road-tests-fir ... 24384.html

Ah, he probably works for BMW (beat you to it...)

[Tetge]

Typical pro BMW write up in the review. I see the same thing for their cars as well. Seems that all their stuff walks on water. Strange, since BMW is actually not rated all that well for reliability. But, if you have money, and there is an authorized BMW dealer around, I suppose that this is not too big an issue. And, a lot of people lease their BMW's and avoid long term upkeep and maintenance.

As I read the specs I noticed that the BMW rolls on tube type tires, and, this is one feature of the DR-Z that I hate. You can carry a little patch kit (ironically BMW makes, or used to make, a great little tubeless tire patch kit) and have a good chance of patching a tubeless tire out on the road, but, tube tires are not nearly as easy. Unlike bicycles, which can be patched on the road, it is almost impossible to get a modern tire off a 17" rim without a machine, and, at least in SoCal, not even tire stores were willing to patch the tube on my DR-Z when I had a flat. It turned out to be quite an adventure and it made for a very long and stressful day. I know it sounds nit picking, but, no one likes being stranded. And, any machine can get a flat. I still carry a Harbor Freight compressor and a plug kit in my Mustang all the time, even though I have a spare tire.

In any case, the new BMW is in large part about appearances. It appears that it works OK as a motorcycle as well, but, it is not BMW's best when it comes to handling or performance. At least I will know what I am seeing if I ever see one.