Gremlin's Tall Stories

Some people make New Year’s Resolutions. Some just promise to do better. Others make changes because it’s the New Year. For some, it’s the needed impetus to do something they have been waiting for the opportunity to do.

Normally for me… it’s normally just another day, and time to remember to change the dates on cheques, file names etc. A couple of weeks after that, clients come back from holidays, all hell breaks loose, and the break is a distant memory.

This year, however, was different. New Year’s day, I broke up with my girlfriend of 11 months, as it wasn’t going to work out. 6 days later, I broke up with my other girlfriend of 27 months, dumping her like an old used toy, for the newest hottest latest toy. Details are probably in order.

Since early December I had been researching alternative steeds. Since losing my license in May 2008 and owning a tuned sportsbike, I changed to the KTM in early October 2008, doing a Grand Challenge shortly after that and getting hooked. Over the next two years I did another two Grand Challenges, now completely hooked, a TT2000, tour of the mainland with GiJoe, several day trips to Cape Reinga, a C1KC, so exploring of roads and correcting GPS map data and started seeing 1000km as a day ride.

In short, my riding drastically altered over 2.5 years from a day tripper doing the Coromandel to travelling the entire country. In February I will do another TT2000, but aim to do the entire course, working out to about 3200km in 40 hours, no small ask. This meant my gear had to be up to the task, so new riding gear was appropriated with the help of Bret and Qmoto. Riding through the night in Southland also meant logistical issues, mainly fuel. The KTM had no chance of doing Queenstown to the east coast in the morning, stock. This meant more fuel and possibly a fuel dump.

I’d already been trialling a second fuel tank strapped to the back seat, and while it was OK, it still wasn’t enough. A custom metal fuel tank would be required, and the seat would need attention as well. I’m all for modifying a bike, but there is a point at which any sane person thinks you’re crazy (everyone was past that stage with me) but I started to think switching to a bike at a better starting point might be advisable.

So what to get when you want to ride any road in NZ, turn down a road at a whim, but want to move through the country side at a respectable clip while still carrying full luggage? Being in my twenties, tourers like the ST1300 were still a couple of decades away, and so I started a thread, asking for people’s opinions of the Ultimate Country Tourer. I can tell you… in short, depending on your requirements, there isn’t a lot. Bikes capable off road or on gravel are usually “ok” on road, sacrificing handling and road manners. Good road going ability often came at the expense of off road. The mythical do-all bike I guess.

Special needs have small demand, and consequently, manufacturers don’t flock to supply such machines, sticking to the ones that sell in large quantities. The KTM was good, but no match for long touring, 1000km a day, day after day, with a 19L fuel tank. Gas stations can be found, but at night or in more isolated places it gets more difficult. Finding something better than the KTM was going to be hard. After eliminating manufacturers where I didn’t like the brand, or didn’t have a good dealer to work with (I do tend to work my way through consumables, services etc), I was left with very little. The new Ducati Multistrada and the BMW R1200GS remained. A quick chat to the Ducati dealer and it was off the list. The 20L fuel tank was it, no other option was available, so it was really no better than the KTM.

It was more road going than the R1200GS, which had more of a rep of being a globetrotter, but the GS had a card up its sleeve, in the form of the GS Adventure. A bike so heavily kitted out from factory that most considered it a downside. Extra lights, a massive electrical system of 720W capacity, huge 33L fuel tank, crash bars and a big comfortable seat. Of course, there is always a disadvantage… fully fuelled, it weighed just over a quarter of a ton, at 256kg.

As per a previous blog, a ride of the GS (no Adventure available) confirmed I could live with the handling and size, so fast forwarding to the 7th of January, I headed down to Mount Maunganui as they had a demo of the 2010 BMW R1200GS Adventure. Work was approaching fast, clients would be back at work the following week, so if I was going to change bike, plans had to be made. Announcing to Toto and GiJoe I was heading to the Mount, they declared their intentions of coming along for the road trip.

Friday morning (ok, mid morning) slightly after planned time… we set off, reaching the Mount shortly before midday. I spoke to Darryl, as planned, and took out the Adventure for a short ride to confirm my opinion of the bike. In return, Mount Motorcycles checked out my bike, for an estimate of trade value.

GiJoe insisted we pop in to catch up with DMNTD, and he could offer advice on finding Pyes Pa Rd (a nice bumpy road to test suspension and handling). Catch up complete (with some ribbing etc), we set off, and typically, GiJoe stuffed up the instructions, got us lost in a dead end, and by some miracle, Toto saved the day with his GPS. A quick trip up Pyes Pa Rd, and Toto’s luck finally ran out entering Mount Maunganui, taking a wrong turn into the port area. I recognised the area, so it was OK, and we headed back to the shop without further ado.

Discussions commenced, negotiations made, and I declared that Darryl could send me the numbers when he had them, and we could carry on the discussions.

It was at this point he uttered the horrible words:
“Ok, so what would make you buy this bike… how far away are we?”

Dangerous indeed… this invariably leads to a sale… which it did.

They traded my KTM, I bought the BMW, they paid for one BMW pannier and I paid for the other at cost. Accessories of my choosing (extra height handguards and headlight protector) were also at cost, in return, they would fit out the bike with my accessories, and I’d pay for all the labour required.

The KTM still had all my stuff fitted, so the plan was to return to Auckland, strip out the pieces and send it down to Mount Maunganui, where they would fit before the following weekend, and I would collect on Saturday morning.

I guess… as easy as that (and full credit to Darryl and Mount Motorcycles)… one chapter closed and another opened?