APPROX. TWO MONTH REPORT:
Well, I have now pretty much gotten used to
Gretel and her Teutonic oddities, among which are:
- if you leave her parked on the sidestand for a couple of days, she smokes quite a lot (not quite Kawasaki ring-ding class, but quite a lot) when started cold;
- the aftermarket "Brown Sidestand" is ugly, but infinitely easier to use than the "Bavarian Roullette" sidestand she came with (that frickin' thing is diabolical) and much less likely to result in a downed bike in my driveway;
- you cannot see the turn signal switch from the riding position (it is completely hidden under the high beam blipper switch on the LH handlebar);
- the twin Fiamme "Freeway Blaster" horns (high and low tones) are great and definitely the ticket for getting the attention of some little douchbag in a black 3-Series with dingly-balls hanging off the mirrors;
- I have gotten used to the lean-waaayyy-forward-over-the-tank riding position, but I must say that overall, the ergonomics are a mix of excellent and brilliantly designed combined with incredibly clumsy and stupidly awkward;
- you must use full-choke every time you start-up from cold - or she will not start no matter how hot the ambient temperature is (unless of course the bike was running within the last 15 minutes or so);
- the twin petcocks go into each position (ON, OFF, RESERVE) with a satisfying "click";
- she will go about 300 km (around 190 miles) on main before switching to reserve and the reserve seems to be about 6-7 litres which should be enough for about 125-145 km or about 75-85 miles before she goes dry (this info is very important in Canada - many parts of which do not have a dense population - although there are a lot of "dense" people wandering around in certain locales);
- the dry clutch is a bit clunky in some ways, but it works exactly the same hot or cold and so in other ways, it is easier to deal with than a wet clutch and neutral is always dead easy to find;
- the conventional instruments are clear and very easy to read and after I replaced the slightly winky stock gauge illumination (every single bulb was dead) with a very slick aftermarket "KATDASH" LED unit, they are superb even in daylight;
- the stock clock and voltmeter are great to have and the clock keeps perfect time for weeks on-end (German precision). The voltmeter serves as an excellent turn signal indicator: whenever the signals are activated, the VM needle wags back and forth very noticeably from about 6 to 18 volts (you really cannot miss it);
- the solo and dual seats are equally comfortable, but the solo seat is noticeably higher and so I am switching back to the dual seat for a while so I can flat-foot more easily as road conditions deteriorate during the autumn;
- the BMW pannier mounts, while appearing very simple, are actually quite challenging to install and will result in the donation of an appreciable amount of blood and body tissue (DAMHIK) to various parts of the motorcycle.
On the other hand, she gets a little over 60 mpIg (Imperial gallon - 20% bigger than a USG) which is pretty darned good for a 1-litre bike being ridden briskly.
In summary, she is terrific bike and just as nice as I have been dreaming about for more than 40 years. I am well and truly
chuffed as my UK friends would say!
Pete