hipwr, thats a beautiful bike...can you please provide me with some more information?  I am too looking for a bike, and that thing is just gorgeous!

Thanks,
MM14

Whaaaattt??? No one else rides a Beemer???

You all don't know what you are missing!!
[img]http://members.home.net/dirk.brewer/images/Photos/Dirk_Sedona_fixed.jpg[/img]

Shaft drive (no chains to lube). ABS that REALLY works!!! Heated hand grips for those cold mornings. Paralever front suspension that doesn't dive when you jam on the front brakes. I have taken mine up to 130 mph with perfect handling (no shake, shimmy, just smooth as glass).

I could go on... but HEY!!! Don't take my word for it, take it for a test drive. BMW is the only manufacture that ENCOURAGES buyers to take it out for a test ride. They want to make sure you get the right bike for you. Don't believe me, stop by a dealer and ask. If they balk, call BMW North America and they will set the dealer straight.

REAL Longggg thread here...

Been riding for almost 30 years....  started on the Jap bikes, moved up to "poor man's harleys" (Triumph, BSA) and bought my first Harley around 15 years ago... never went back....

My advice would be to START SMALL... maybe even a 250cc dual purpose Honda or similar.

Riding on todays roads has to be LEARNED RIGHT... starting out on a bike as big as a 600 could easily get you seriously hurt or killed... seen it TOO many times over the years.

Take the AMA Rider Safety course too.  Do a lot of riding in the dirt with your 250, fall down alot, learn what a 2-wheeler will and will not do in an emergency (panic) situation.  Do this for 2+ years.  Then and ONLY then consider moving up to a bigger road bike.

Let's consider an analogy....  If you were just starting out on firearms.... would you start with a 7mm Mag... 458 WinMag... hell even 223?  NO WAY... you start with a 22lr, work on the basics and form, and then when you have MASTERED the BASICS do you move into a larger caliber.

THE VERY SAME APPLIES to Motorcycles, and especially riding on the street.

Sorry about the long thread, but I feel very strongly (no duh...) that new riders should NOT just jump onto a fast road bike (read 500cc+) without a couple of years experience... and a few minor falls...

This way you will probably be around to ride for the next thirty years or so.... and not another statistic....

Again, my .02's worth
Wildman

hipwr223, that's 95 cubic inches or 1550 cc.  If you think your GlideSport rocks now, imagine how it will smoke with the big incher!  I installed this (Stage II, SE203 cams, Hooker slip-ons,etc.)  at delivery and beside the PD handlebars, it was the  best mod I put in. Always plenty more throttle available.

hipwr223,

Hey, I still have a hard time with the opposed cylinders. But you get over it quickly. I don't notice them anymore. I first thought that the heat comming off them would be unbearable, but I have ridden in 110+ degrees on this thing, didn't notice the heat off the bike. But the outside heat sucked!!!

Just a note, don't try to go from Phoenix to L.A. in the day time in July. Boy did I learn that the hard way. I drank over 4 gallons of water and I was still messed up at the end of the day.

I agree that belt drive is the way to go. Light, same characteristics as a chain. The rear tire pulls up into the bike under hard acceleration (important for powering out of corners). But oddly enough the BMW does that also. It has to do with the shaft drive on the right hand side.

My first ride on a shaft drive bike was a Honda. Scared the crud out of me when I powered out of a corner. The rear of the bike just lifted and screwed up the center of gravity. Since then I stayed away from shafts, till I got this thing. Took a lot of reading and a physics class that finally explained why the beemer does their shaft this way.

Plus it only takes an oil change every 100,000 miles. No adjustments required. Hey, what can I say, I am getting lazy in my older age [:D}

This is my ride:
[img]http://www.augustatriumph.com/images/955i.jpg[/img]

Also, please visit [url]http://www.esportbike.com[/url]... this is where I have been spending my time lately, for those of you on AR15.com who still remember me :)

First Bike purchases have been discussed ad nauseum on this site!  There's a few current topics in the "daily rant" section.

Come join us,

M.

Guzzler, definitely would have been my 2nd choice.  The AirHeads have a good local club in SoCal that buddies of mine ride with.  Nothing wrong with German engineering!  I like my foot shift, assault weapons, the spage age and jet travel...