So… what do you guys think about this bike? I know that it’s not terribly powerful, but the other day I was telling a friend that I would like either a classic bike for comfortable touring or a bike with some offroad capabilities for keeping exploring the island… and then I realized that the BMW was something like in the middle: you can take it to these trails in the country side, and the seat makes it comfortable enough for taking somebody with you for a long road trip.
I have checked 2 bikes so far, and I want to see 2 other. The thing is that both bikes had the rear shock absorver kinda scratched and rusty. The owner of the first bike said that Meio Guanxi and that it was just “the cover”. Does it have another dumper/cylinder behind the first layer of metal?
Anyway, I would like to hear what the more experienced guys have to say about this bike.
Ok, so the motorbike is not a superbike with 150 hp… it’s an old concept of bike with 50 (?) hp, but I’m starting to love it. Even if the bike is too tall for me (I bought it with the intention of doing some offroad, but it will need to be very light for I’m too short for using my feet when necessary!), the bike handles quite well and it loves the twisties. I’m rather surprised with how it leans… it might be due to the extra weight that it feels like very steady and with lots of grip.
So far, so good
PS: it came with panniers, so to go to camp is not much easier. The problem is that I don’t have a lugfage case, and it seems to be expensive…
PS2: some expressways are incredible. Today I took number 64 from Banqiao to Guanyinshan… sooo cool… except for the car that was in flames on the other lane…
Not yet, but very soon. Some local took a couple of shots of me on number 9, and I gave him my email. This is the first time it doesn’t work… it’s a pity because I liked one of the pictures…
[quote=“jesus80”]Ok, so the motorbike is not a superbike with 150 hp… it’s an old concept of bike with 50 (?) hp, but I’m starting to love it. …the bike handles quite well and it loves the twisties. I’m rather surprised with how it leans… it might be due to the extra weight that it feels like very steady and with lots of grip.
[/quote]
Have owned 3 BMW bikes and loved everyone of them, presently drive a BMW car. The more you ride them the more you appreciate them. Never liked the big dirt bike look, all of mine were touring bikes.
Tangent: For those who do not know the history of how BMW got into the motorcycle business and where their logo comes from, should read up on it. It is very interesting how they took their WWI airplane engine technology/engineers and designed a motorcycle engine (after WWI) when Germany was banned from producing war planes. Also it is interesting their choice to build a MC instead of a car because Germany was so poor after WWI.
I was watching a “documentary” about the GS series the other day… not specially interesting but it was nice to see those old bikes riding anywhere [/quote]
Conditions of surrender after WWI. After you loose a war, you are not allowed to produce war machinery for some period of time.
I was watching a “documentary” about the GS series the other day… not specially interesting but it was nice to see those old bikes riding anywhere [/quote]
Conditions of surrender after WWI. After you loose a war, you are not allowed to produce war machinery for some period of time.[/quote]
Uhmmm but they could have kept producing non war’oriented planes…
I didn’t want a street / sports / racing style bike. They could be fun but may be they’re the last thing I need. I already tend to go faster than I should. Besides, I like to “explore” the island, and I like to visit the country side… if that even exists here :P. I wanted something not very different from what I had, but that made a better touring bike. Higher speeds with less noise/vibration, and more comfortable seats. I like classic bikes, but prices are just out of the budget (I would love to have a T-100, for example).
So… suddenly I saw it: something that could tour, and something that could go offroad, a little bit: the GS. Plus it consumes not much gasoline if compared with other bikes.
I can’t care less about the brand. I mean, I don’t like BMW specially. If it were a Japanese bike, I might be happier, for parts should be easier to find.
Well, because you aim for “a bit of offroad”. Precisely for comfort, I like my custom/cruiser bikes. And I would totally love to try one of those electric Johammer bikes, with a direct transmission motor and no need of maintenance. They would be perfect for Taiwan in that regard. Plus, their autonomy is really decent, and they have enough torque to climb even the steeper mountain roads.
It’s not only the offroad. Those nice bikes… if I drop one of them, I will cry. Plus how about luggage? Mine came with two expandable panniers that are really useful when going anywhere. And this one is cheaper also
My bike ended up in the ground three times: two of them were on a wet pedestrian’s crossing, when a jerk driver just ignored the red light/stop and I had to do an emergency brake. The other time was when in the middle of a rainstorm, a guy in a hyundai just hit my handlebar when trying to pass me without signaling and with a complete disregard towards the minimum safety distance. In none of the ocasions did I fall to the ground thanks to my ninja reflexes, but in the third one I got a really nasty 3rd degree burn from the exhaust.
I’d label them as non-avoidable, because in all of the occasions I was driving slowly, just before an intersection, or anticipating that the driver on the next lane could do some rash maneuver, and that’s basically what allowed me to jump from the bike and still be standing when it went to the ground. Having a low seat also makes it easier, you just plant a foot in the ground and lift your other leg, letting the bike slide under you.
No one likes to let a bike fall, but if it’s the bike or yourself… well…
I was rear bumped once here in Hsinchuang. Didn’t like it, but the guy gave me 1,000 nt for it. I was still mad at him, but the 1,000 paid many km of gasoline
Last Saturday I drop my new bike. I knew that it was going to happen, I was telling myself “you’ll regret! don’t do it!”, but I wanted to climb a very steep small path going uphill in number 9. The problem of this trek is that is very narrow and you have to make a lot of for and backward movements for turning back. And given that it’s steep and that I can only tip toe, I couldn’t help it and went to the floor, slowly, but to the ground. Now my right pannier doesn’t look very well, but nothing is really broken.
So… as I was saying, I wanted something that wouldn’t stop me from taking some risks and so. Plus a purely touring bike is not a good match for most of the roads I take.
