RIDERTORIDER Send your letters and comments to:
editor@bmwmoa.org
An amazing motorcycle Last spring my wife and I took our amaz- ing BMW K 1600 GTL on a road trip from San Diego to Yosemite and King's Canyon. It was a 10-day tour. Before leaving, the forecast was for temperatures to be in the mid to low 50s. The first five days were awesome, but on our ride from Yosemite to King's Canyon, the weather started to change quickly with temperatures drop- ping from 56 degrees to 27 degrees in about an hour. Clouds darkened and snow started to come down. Two wheels, loaded down in the
snow....not my idea of a good time.
started the bike to get the seat heaters started. Luckily, my wife and I had pre- pared for cold with our Gerbing heated liners.
I put my bike in Rain mode, changed suspension to 2-up Sport, said a prayer and took off down the hill. This bike is amazing! With these settings and riding safely we made it down the hill to solid dry ground without any issues. This bike stuck to the road and handled amazingly on snowy and slick roads. BMW did it right when they designed
this touring bike. My wife and I have logged over 10,000 miles on this bike, and it has always been a pleasure for both of us.
Bobby Rink #202582 Chula Vista, California
Not in my future! BMW Motorrad's head of design may see the Vision Next 100 project as "especially exciting," but to me the vehicle described in the Decem- ber Owners News just sucks all the fun out of what a motorcycle is all about. The "zero emissions
drive unit" powered by what, electricity? hydro-
We got to our cabin safely and waited
for the weather to change, but the longer we waited, the more it snowed, and the colder it got. After the second day, the weather reports said a big storm was expected to hit the next day, so we decided we had to risk it and get off the hill before getting stuck there. We packed our gear and went to load up the bike only to find all the locks and ignition frozen shut. CRAP! After thawing the locks and ignition with a hot towel, I
16 BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017
gen? Donald Trump tweets? may have the silhouette of a boxer engine, but with no emissions it would presumably make no noise or vibrations, things that make inter- nal combustion engines so appealing to the senses. And you won't have the burden of going ATGATT, because the thing is inca- pable of crashing, even if you encounter gravel washed across a blind corner in the middle of a torrential rainstorm. It will even let you know via a set of magic
goggles what line to use in a corner, prob- ably giving you little electric shocks through the handgrips and wresting away control if you try to get too creative avoid- ing that gravel. Forget about putting down the kickstand when you pull up at Starbucks. Not only is there no kickstand, the machine is incapable of falling over anyway! So, none of the sounds, sensations and,
if you're a vintage bike fan, smells of what we know today as motorcycling. No riding buddies laughing and trading stories about your pratfalls. The future as envi- sioned by Motorrad will allow you a few "analog experiences" when you want to leave your driverless car behind, but all in all, the digital overlords will still manage your ride.
I suppose we're well down the path
already with ABS, ride modes, Dynamic Traction Control and various other elec- tronic nannies, not to mention electric motorcycles. It makes me a little wistful for the 1975 R 90/6 I parted ways with a couple years back, until I throw a leg over my R 1200 GS and marvel again at how it works so well.
Matt Benson #44978 Kane, Pennsylvania
Significant savings Wow. I just went to Office Depot and showed my MOA Store Purchase Program discount card and my $57 printing bill rang up as $17. You just paid for my annual membership! I often roll my eyes at these types of
programs assuming they are just dis- guised marketing promotions. However, this experience was a real and significant savings! Thanks MOA. Keep up the great work!
Randy Mattran #138814 Chanhassen, Minnesota
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