Well, I finally got my Tour DCT Airbag out for a couple hundred kilometers. Here are some of my first thoughts:
The Good
This bike is easily the smoothest ride I've ever had. It really is something to pass over those bumps and not feel them in the steering. I've never ridden a Beemer with similar front suspension though (I suspect it's at least as impressive as the GW).
The DCT is great. It took very little adjustment time for me and I love it. This is the main reason I opted for the new bike - and I bought it without even trying the DCT first. Good gamble.
Heated grips and seat are waaaaay more than enough, and wind protection is great for me all around. I don't think I'll be crying for more anytime soon.
Torque.
My girl likes the stock rear seat just fine - she says there's plenty of room and had no problem sitting back there (she's 5'2" and somewhere less than 130 lbs - I don't ask).
A radio is not high on the list of things I need on a bike, but this is the first radio I've been able to hear with any kind of clarity at full highway speed. She could hear too - not real well, but well enough to complain about the songs being played.
Walking speed assist... super good in either direction.
The Not As Good
The seat doesn't feel real good to me. I'll give it some time but I may have to do something about it... of course that something may be directly related to the...
Bar position seems to be a little to far forward for me (I'm 5'10 and not long limbed). I think the HeliBars will resolve this, and maybe even make the seat more comfy too.
The seat height is just a smidge higher than ideal for me (31" inseam). I'm glad I'm not any shorter! It's not really the seat height so much as the width, which feels substantial at a stop, but perfect when I'm under way.
The GPS first led me down some dirt roads... then wouldn't allow me to enter an actual street address in a nearby small town... after entering the street name it sent me to the start navigation screen. There's a super high probability of operator error here, but it wasn't intuitive at any rate.
Overall, I'm thrilled to pieces! What a machine! There's lots of talk about the re-vamp of this beloved bike, but I gotta tell you, I'm 47 years old and this is very nearly EXACTLY what I was looking for.
Freezing rain here today. Sigh.
The Good
This bike is easily the smoothest ride I've ever had. It really is something to pass over those bumps and not feel them in the steering. I've never ridden a Beemer with similar front suspension though (I suspect it's at least as impressive as the GW).
The DCT is great. It took very little adjustment time for me and I love it. This is the main reason I opted for the new bike - and I bought it without even trying the DCT first. Good gamble.
Heated grips and seat are waaaaay more than enough, and wind protection is great for me all around. I don't think I'll be crying for more anytime soon.
Torque.
My girl likes the stock rear seat just fine - she says there's plenty of room and had no problem sitting back there (she's 5'2" and somewhere less than 130 lbs - I don't ask).
A radio is not high on the list of things I need on a bike, but this is the first radio I've been able to hear with any kind of clarity at full highway speed. She could hear too - not real well, but well enough to complain about the songs being played.
Walking speed assist... super good in either direction.
The Not As Good
The seat doesn't feel real good to me. I'll give it some time but I may have to do something about it... of course that something may be directly related to the...
Bar position seems to be a little to far forward for me (I'm 5'10 and not long limbed). I think the HeliBars will resolve this, and maybe even make the seat more comfy too.
The seat height is just a smidge higher than ideal for me (31" inseam). I'm glad I'm not any shorter! It's not really the seat height so much as the width, which feels substantial at a stop, but perfect when I'm under way.
The GPS first led me down some dirt roads... then wouldn't allow me to enter an actual street address in a nearby small town... after entering the street name it sent me to the start navigation screen. There's a super high probability of operator error here, but it wasn't intuitive at any rate.
Overall, I'm thrilled to pieces! What a machine! There's lots of talk about the re-vamp of this beloved bike, but I gotta tell you, I'm 47 years old and this is very nearly EXACTLY what I was looking for.
Freezing rain here today. Sigh.