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Globally, BMW is a real force<br />
to be reckoned with, they sell<br />
motorcycles all day long, all<br />
over the world – and with the<br />
addition of these two new<br />
models… they hope to sell even<br />
more. And we reckon that if the<br />
price is right, they should sell<br />
quite a few here.<br />
Two days of riding convinced<br />
us that BMW really has<br />
something quite lekker.<br />
Day 1 - Bright and breezy – we<br />
woke up to overcast skies and<br />
cold gusts of wind billowing<br />
down from the snowy mountain<br />
peaks. In my mad rush to get<br />
ready, I had packed a very light<br />
Tankwa summer jacket and a<br />
Unit fleece thinking that they<br />
would do the trick. Sadly, the<br />
fleece belongs to my eight year<br />
old son and it really did not fit…<br />
not ideal for a slightly more<br />
mature belly. So I managed to<br />
squeeze into that – but there<br />
was no chance of zipping it up!<br />
The jacket is airflow fabric,<br />
so that did little against the<br />
elements. It was going to be a<br />
fun day.<br />
Damn was I grateful for the<br />
screen on the XR – small, but<br />
effective. Easy to adjust up and<br />
that really helped to deflect the<br />
blizzard trying to bore holes<br />
into my chest. Thankfully, as<br />
the day wore on it warmed up<br />
somewhat – so all was not<br />
lost and it turned into a really<br />
brilliant ride.<br />
BMW worked out some<br />
simply spectacular routes<br />
with the mandatory coffee<br />
stop halfway and judging by<br />
the grins all round in several<br />
languages and accents, the bike<br />
was a hit with everyone.<br />
The route led all the way back<br />
to the hotel, where the team<br />
had to wrestle the electronic<br />
dongles (keyless keys) from our<br />
sweaty palms.<br />
Day 2 – The sun was shining<br />
and we suddenly realized that<br />
we were at the seaside. It was<br />
an absolutely perfect day to ride<br />
“BMW worked out some simply<br />
spectacular routes with the<br />
mandatory coffee stop halfway<br />
and judging by the grins all round in<br />
several languages and accents, the<br />
bike was a hit with everyone.”<br />
a motorcycle – and we did the<br />
previous days route in reverse<br />
– which was like a whole new<br />
ride. Too flippen cool! Guys<br />
and gals, you need to go riding<br />
in this place to understand.<br />
It would seem as though the<br />
Spaniards are unable to build a<br />
road that goes in a straight line<br />
for any length of time.<br />
A second day in paradise. So<br />
much fun.<br />
What makes the bikes tick?<br />
At the heart of these bikes – and<br />
I’m not going to bore you with<br />
too many technical details – is<br />
the new 900 engine.<br />
New? Well… yes! These bikes<br />
take over from the R800’s.<br />
As much as BMW’s new-ish<br />
850 is a good motor, this one<br />
is – well, better. More torque,<br />
more revs, more top-end more<br />
everything. And it’s very smooth<br />
to boot. This is all thanks to<br />
a slight rebore and some<br />
electronic upgrades.<br />
Bottom end torque is perfect<br />
for everything you’d like to do,<br />
the midrange rushes up to meet<br />
you – and while we did not run<br />
her at the top, BMW claims a top<br />
end at around the 220 KPH mark.<br />
On those roads we saw 180 odd<br />
quite comfortably on the “R” –<br />
one of the mad Russians says<br />
that he got to 210.<br />
The R and the XR share<br />
the same engine, electronics,<br />
gearing, wheels, brakes and<br />
chassis. The difference is in the<br />
ergonomics, and suspension.<br />
The R is a real Naked, raw and<br />
aggressive with shorter travel<br />
74 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE MARCH <strong>2020</strong>
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