OK, I owe my reader (yes, "reader", no plural) an overview of my latest test rides. I rode a R1100RS again because I was (and I guess still am) considering the purchase of same. On this particular trip to the dealership I also rode an F650CS just for the hell of it.

I went to the dealership intending to ride a used '95 R1100RS with around 35k miles. Ever since riding an R-RS, I've kind of liked the idea of owning one, and this particular one had a very attractive price (I was hoping to get out with an almost even trade for my bike). Unfortunately, the bike is on consignment and had a dead battery, so it looked as though I wouldn't be able to ride it. I decided to try an F650CS while the salesman tried to work out a battery swap. I'm not interested in the bike really, but I'd get yet another entry in the BMW sweepstakes for riding it, and I thought it might be an interesting experience.

When I mounted the F-CS, I was immediately struck by how light and small it felt. I commented on this to the salesman, who cautioned me that these small bikes are the ones that people (including salespeople) wreck, because they don't take the bikes seriously. I thought to myself, "I'm too much of a wimp to not take any bike seriously", and took off, completely innocent of the fact that I'd soon be making an ass of myself.

The ass-making occured as I entered a right-hand turn off of a major road onto a minor one. The turn isn't very tight really, and I've done it a million times. Problem was, I hadn't done it a million times on the F-CS. As I apexed the turn and started applying gas, I realized that I was probably a bit over-geared, so downshifted and goosed it a little. Well, next thing I know the bike is shaking like a pissed pit bull on the other end of a tug-toy. I rode it out fine, but for a second there I was definitely surprised and confused. It took me a second, but what had happened is that I'd downshifted into first from second in that turn, and the first gear on this bike is a stump-puller. Best I can figure is that I didn't give it enough gas to make up for the low gearing and the rear broke loose (even though I didn't hear a chirp - just a very high-revving engine) and started fishtailing. Luckily, I didn't panic (I think I was too surprised),and shifting back into second got everything back into perspective. Note that this little SNAFU was not brought about by me "not taking the bike seriously" - it was a simple miscalculation that had never happened on any other bike, ever. (In case you're reading, sorry Ben, but all's well that ends well, right?).

So, the upside of this experience is that I got into a scary/unusual situation on a motorcycle, didn't panic, and came out of it just fine. The downside is that, after this little episode, I didn't trust the F-CS's footing enough to much enjoy the rest of the ride. I'm sure that this was unfair to the F-CS, but that's what nerves will do to you. My main impression of the bike is that it feels like riding a lawnmower (the same impression I'd gotten when riding an F650GS). YMMV.

As I said above, I couldn't ride the R-RS that I was interested in maybe buying. Instead, I rode a much newer one (a 2000 model, I think), with 9000 miles. Actually, this was the same bike I'd ridden (and reported on) a couple of weeks ago. This time I kept it out for over an hour, and got to know the bike a little better. I was still a little conservative on this bike, having been humbled a bit on the F-CS, so my traditional ride through the Denver Tech Center was a little tentative. On my previous ride I'd been very impressed by how planted the R-RS felt on the DTC roads, but this time I just never got into a groove.

I still really like the 'R' engine, but the longer-term test ride left me with a reduced lust for the R-RS. By about halfway through the ride my butt was really sore -- the kind of soreness that doesn't really set in on my K1100RS until I've done well over an hour of riding. Also, my wrists were killing me by the time I was heading back to the dealership. The R-RS does have adjustable handlebars, so that could probably be fixed, but it still left me a little less excited about the bike. Also, this particular bike is not the one that I was considering buying, so I didn't have a lot of incentive to take the ride very seriously.

This is the "street-fighter" version of the R1150R, a bike I really like a lot. The dealership had two of these on the floor, one in each weird/cool color combo. No, I didn't test ride one because the dealership didn't yet have a demo model. But I have to say, this is a bike that causes me serious "wannas". A guy was buying one while I was at the dealership, having not even ridden the thing. I sat on one of the bikes, and liked the seating position much more than the stock R1150R. The seat was a bit higher and the bars a bit lower. The salesman told me they'd be getting a demo in a couple of weeks. I must ride one. As always, I will report here once I do.