Buying ouselves a motorbike

This morning we took ourselves over to Long Beach BMW Motorcycles and introduced ourselves to Robyn Smietan, the sales person we have been in contact with since Christmas last year. She had two bikes of interest, a second hand 2004 R1150RT and an ex-demo 2010 model R1200RT. I took the 1150 out first for a test ride on my own, to make a lap around Long Beach Airport. After getting a little lost on a route that involved four right hand corners (Doh!) I eventually found my way back to the dealers. Next was to repeat the ride with Wanda in the pillion seat. Then I took the 1200 out: first alone, then with Wanda.

Wanda really liked the 1150. The 1200 didn't have a top box on it and she felt less secure. Robyn kindly had a top box fitted to the 1200 and we went out again. This was much better for Wanda as it gave her back support, but she still thought the 1150 seat was more comfortable. I liked the 1200 because it is a lighter bike and more tractable at low revs. Wanda felt the 1150 was more "solid", perhaps because it is heavier. I also found the rear brake on the 1150 was very sensitive, while the 1200 was more progressive. Another plus for me is that the 1200 has a narrower seat, which makes it more comfortable when putting my legs down to stop. The other big plus about the 1200 is that it has larger panniers and much larger top box for our clothing and other "stuff".

Given the 1200 was twice the price, it was a tough call which to buy. In the end we opted for the 1200. I figure we should go in style - we will only do this journey once. Check it out!:

We arranged payment via the internet, and that seems to have gone smoothly. What I didn't realise when I planned our itinerary is that the payment could take up to 72 hours to clear. I had thought we would get on the road tomorrow, but it looks like it will be Thursday at the earliest.

Let me put in a plug for Robyn and Long Beach BMW Motorcycles: Robyn was extremely helpful at every stage, and even arranged an address for us to use to register and insure the bike. By having an address in Orange County rather than the dealer's address, we paid less tax and the insurance was reduced from $820 pa to $700pa. Oh yes, and for anyone thinking of doing a similar trip, it is worth noting "comprehensive" insurance in the US is not quite the same as in Australia. In addition to comprehensive, we were offered (and took up) uninsured/underinsured cover - important if you should be unlucky enough to have an accident with someone who does not have any (or sufficient) insurance on their vehicle.You can also buy optional insurance to cover your own medical expenses.

It took pretty much all day to complete the purchase, and it was 5 pm when we got to a big electronics shop to buy a GPS to complete the fit out of the bike.


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