Saturday, 1st July 2023

As mentioned in my previous post, I’d ordered a new motorcycle to collect on return to the UK.  I had long coveted the idea of a sports touring machine, and Misa’s and my ride to the Czech Republic the previous summer had led to us directly afterwards reviewing machines from BMW, Ducati, KTM and Suzuki, and test riding the two finalists before making our choice; a BMW S1000 XR.  165BHP of German engineering.  I say “our” choice, because it was, there being no point me enjoying it if tall Misa was going to be uncomfortable behind me or not liking how it handled, sounded, or looked.  In the end, it was a stand out winner and a unanimous decision.  No casting vote needed!  The spine tingling exhaust note alone was enough to seal the deal!

I’d placed my order in early January to guarantee delivery when needed, the plan being to have the 600 mile / 1000km running-in service completed within a week, and head off to the Czech Republic a few days later.   My friend David would tell you that he has a share in the bike because we were on holiday together in Jaffna when I placed the order, but I didn’t have a UK credit card with me.  David therefore paid the deposit and I reimbursed him via bank transfer a few minutes later!

The bike was delivered from Berlin a couple of weeks before we returned to the UK, and things all followed to plan apart from torrential rain and a filthy new bike within a mile of collection!  My friend Mark rode up from Hampshire to Cheltenham to join us and enjoy an overnight ride to Snowdonia and some fabulous roads whilst we put just over 300 miles under the wheels.  Uncle Mike was with us in spirit and would have absolutely loved the trip, rain or no rain.

The verdict was that we’d made the right choice, within a few miles the bike having felt  like an old friend, and the smooth and powerful engine making progress absolutely effortless even when following a running-in regime of constantly varying load but not working it hard.  We both found it supremely comfortable and looked forward hugely to 12th July and departure on holiday.  Getting the remaining 300 miles covered before servicing a week to the day from collection was not going to be a chore!

Steve