Last Dance

[jb44]

Removed the city cases, luggage rack, case rails, luggage plate, crash bar, fog lights, Ricky bars, risers, muffler, and a few other misc. items.

Put on my gear, and took a 200 mile ride through the foothills of southeastern Tennessee. Great ride with great weather.

Later that day I loaded the Roadster on the trailer and headed south.

It's a great looking bike after all the stuff has been removed.



Two days later I arrived in Daytona. Made an obligatory ride of The Loop.



Then headed to BMW of Daytona. Kicked some tires, took a couple of test rides, and generally made a pest of myself. After 5 years and 24,000 miles with the R, I made the difficult decision to make a deal (made with the head, not the heart).

Took my new ride back for another round of The Loop.



I’ve been riding the F650 for a week now. Nice bike. Is it a replacement for the R1150? Not even close. I really miss that boxer engine… almost as much as my dog, or that red-haired woman from Atlanta …

But the 650 suits my riding style better.

jb

[Boxer]

When I heard in your PM the other day that you had a new F650, I just knew the silver RR was history.
I like the black one you have. Sparky sat on the black one at the cycle show last year and that's what sold her and me on getting one for her. Her's is the iceberg silver though. Not as striking as the black IMO.
Congratulations. Now order one of those R1150R stickers and put it on the faux tank.

[RBrider]

That's a sharp looking bike, jb. I liked the 650GS that I demo'ed.

I think I would've kept the 1150 though. Two bikes is not too many, IMO.

RB

[DJ Downunder]

I was going to say that I like the old silver bike better..But I wont..That'd be rude..Congrats on the new bike...at least it's black..

DJ

[jb44]

...I think I would've kept the 1150 though. Two bikes is not too many, IMO. RB

RB, I considered that. But as I mentioned to Boxer, I've ridden the R less than a thousand miles since Bash 4. Whereas, I've put 2,000 miles on the little TW 200 trail bike, which at 15-25 mph took quite a long time.

"I was going to say that I like the old silver bike better."
DJ, I can't disagree with you. I do, too.

But I'm a slow rider, rubber-necking at the scenery, and I'm likely to stop anytime something piques my curiosity.

I also avoid large cities, and interstate highways if at all possible. At this time, a smaller midweight bike just makes more sense.

jb

[bad n ruin]

Thank you for all your help. Your website, http://home.mindspring.com/~jabrooks was the best adjunct to this site - a lot of work went into that! Sorry to see ya go but good luck with your new bike and adventures - it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun!

[jb44]

Sorry B n R, I can't take credit for that excellent site. That's the work of Jim Brooks, although I may have contributed to one of the references...can't remember.

I may still attend an 1150 R gathering, if they'll have me, and if they're in the southeast US. I've met a number of great people due to this site.... and I am a lifetime member.

jb

[DSKYZD]

Rock on JB. Next season you can explore all those fire roads here in the mountains. Enjoy it, don't look back, and don't stop camping with us.

DSKYZD

[wncbmw]

JB - that doesn't mean you are off the hook for meeting us at various functions!

Enjoy the new machine!

[jb44]

Rock on JB. Next season you can explore all those fire roads here in the mountains.DSKYZD

Brian, what do you mean next season? I'm heading north in the morning with the F650 in tow.

Vann, even though I usually don't say much, I enjoy the get togethers. One of the few social functions that I look forward to.

jb