Got another ride in this morning, which was nice. Knowing that MotorMilt & I are about to hit the road for work for the next two weeks we decided it was probably a good idea to run the Beemers. Now I could be wrong but it seems to me that when the dreaded, “we have to run (fill in the blank) because otherwise the battery will run down and die” syndrome sets in you probably ought to realize that whatever mechanical object you’re referring to is headed towards the end of its lifecycle. I mean both of us knew that this work trip was coming up, yet we’ve been avoiding riding the Beemers in favor of the Ducs for the past two weekends. Perhaps that should tell us something?

In this case by the tine MotorMilt & I got to our breakfast local, we spent the entire meal talking about what our ideal sports-tourer motorcycle would be and I hate to say it, but in a number of categories the Beemers simply no longer satisfy either one of us. It seems amazing to me to suddenly find so much fault with two motorcycles that we both have enjoyed so much over the past several years. Of couse that was before the Ducs invaded and I don’t think it takes a rocket-scientist to realize that they have opened our eyes to a different kind of riding. A different feel if you would. Suddenly things like not having ABS brakes seems ok to both of us. Before the Ducs I was scared shitless about this, but now even with the ABS the Beemers feel weak compared to the Ducs and their monster front end power. And oddly enough I suddenly feel safer on the Ducs than the Beemers. Granted the Beemers still offer a wonderful blend of sports and touring. I just jones for more sports and less touring.

So we talked at length about it and basically what I think I would rather find is a bike that;

A) Has more power between 4k and 8k in the RPM band (perhaps even higher as well since the Beemers top out at 8k)

B) Something that feels less upright

C) Something with less girth between your legs

D) More powerful brakes

E) A bike that knows how to find its grove.

What I mean to say is that the Beemers require quite a bit of counter-steering, which up until now I’ve been a big fan of, but since the Ducs have come along I’ve come to realize that there are motorcycles out there that simply want to lean. That want to dive right into a corner and stay there, holding a firm line. And while I rode my ‘S’ this morning with more flair than I used to, it simply no longer feels as solid in a corner, as secure when stopping or as powerful when getting on the gas. It’s too refined. To mellow almost. And I hate to sound like I’m bitching about it because they are wonderful bikes in their own way, I simply yern for something else now…. Something with less slack.

So where does that leave either MotorMilt or I? Honest answer is that I don’t know. Obviously after one new bike purchase each, neither one of us is able to run out and do something drastic right away. But then the logical side of my mind kicks in and says, ‘hey stupid, you’re paying for the Beemer so what’s the difference if you change the bike your making payments on?” and again, I don’t have a good answer for that line of thinking.

And of course we need to go test ride some of these other beasts. Even though we only take long coastal trips three or four times a year, I believe that we both find them so relaxing and important that we have always considered the Ducs second bikes. Only now we’re finding out that they’re not. They’re number ones. So if we’re having this hypothetical discussion then what we’re looking for is a second bike that is a sports-tourer with the emphisis on sports. So where does that leave us? Well, as of tonight my mind is drifting to checking out a Ducati ST3, perhaps a Ducati ST4, a Triumph Sprint, Perhaps a Multistrada (although the styling is neither here nor there for me), possibly a Honda Interceptor VFR, and perhaps the new BMW K1100S (although I think it’ll be to expensive)… I guess I’ll have to wait and see what happens next…