Friday, October 19, 2007

Three Bottles of Wine and 109 Ponies Don't Mix

R1200R

Let me be the first to say, it's not the story you think it is...

I was out with Girl Wonder enjoying the last few days before the monsoon, taking a leisurely two-up ride along the coastline. We hugged the shore starting in Alkai Beach, and worked our way towards the Vashon Island Ferry. From there we headed back to Seattle, eventually climbing over the West Seattle Bridge towards Columbia City, and meandering through Seattle's many neighborhoods. Near the end of our ride, Girl Wonder said she needed to pick up some wine that was on sale at Dread Meyer.

While she was in the store getting the vino, I decided to do some emergency stopping drills in the parking lot. I like to know what to expect when you squeeze hard on the binders.

I must say, the R1200R's braking system is impressive. I was able to haul the bike down from 60 mph to a nice predictable stop without ever engaging the ABS. The front rotors were literally howling as I engaged the brakes just short of sliding. Very cool.

Girl Wonder returned with three bottles of Pepperwood, ready to head home. Since we are still waiting for the BMW system cases to arrive, she placed the three bottles into her backpack. I had to pull out into a swift stream of traffic, so I whacked the throttle open in the same way I had been doing all day.

The front wheel lofted skyward like a wild horse trying hard not to be tamed. I completed my right hand turn on one wheel, and then the front dropped a little abruptly as I let off too much throttle.

"What za hell was that," she inquired? My reply? "I think I missed this warning in the manual: Three bottles of wine hanging out past the rear wheel can adversely affect handling."