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So my girlfriend wanted to get a bike...

Yes, locally @ RideNow Austin (formerly Woods Fun Center). Luckily they had the bike and color I wanted. My experience was positive.
Woods changed hands? News to me lol. Used to live in the neighborhood behind it
 
Woods changed hands? News to me lol. Used to live in the neighborhood behind it

They just did. In fact I bought the bike during their reopening day. They had sold 26 bikes by the time I got mine which seems insane.

Also, the one in Georgetown is now RideNow Georgetown. I believe it was called Central Powersports before or something like that.
 
They just did. In fact I bought the bike during their reopening day. They had sold 26 bikes by the time I got mine which seems insane.

Also, the one in Georgetown is now RideNow Georgetown. I believe it was called Central Powersports before or something like that.
I'd assume they merged together or someone bought both company's.

It appears woods cycle country in New Braunfels is still the same.
 
Now I got to figure out what brands have the best farkles for the GS. What about boxes?
 
The BMW R1250GS has a more powerful motor and upgraded electronics package making this legendary adventure bike even better. By using a longer stroke, bigger bore and clever variable intake cam geometry, the engineers at BMW added power right where you want it. When doing a top gear roll-on or passing a car on an open highway you can feel it has more usable power over the previous models.

Here's a link to top o the line

 
Now I got to figure out what brands have the best farkles for the GS. What about boxes?

Prepare to spend a lot of money... BWAHAHAHA.... :lol2:

Seriously, you can bankrupt yourself buying farkles. Hard bags will set you back several thousand dollars easily. IF you really think you might ride off road with side bags, I would consider soft bags instead of hard bags. I currently use a hard topcase and soft side bags. Some folks like to use tank bags. I don't. They annoy me when I am standing.

My next farkle will be an aftermarket seat and better foot pegs. I did 620 miles this past weekend and my butt felt EVERY single mile of it!! The better pegs will make standing more comfy.
 
Prepare to spend a lot of money... BWAHAHAHA.... :lol2:

Seriously, you can bankrupt yourself buying farkles. Hard bags will set you back several thousand dollars easily. IF you really think you might ride off road with side bags, I would consider soft bags instead of hard bags. I currently use a hard topcase and soft side bags. Some folks like to use tank bags. I don't. They annoy me when I am standing.

My next farkle will be an aftermarket seat and better foot pegs. I did 620 miles this past weekend and my butt felt EVERY single mile of it!! The better pegs will make standing more comfy.

I’ve got a set of Givi 709s (soft bags) that I plan to use for the foreseeable future, however the BMW racks don’t work since I need a flat rack on both sides to fit the mounting plate, so I’m thinking I should look into what boxes I might eventually buy and go ahead and buy the racks. However, the Givi cam racks would be the ideal fit for the 709s (but you can make it work with others). Touratech seems like the premium choice but I’m not a fan of their aesthetic (I know this shouldn’t matter).

I do need a top box asap, so might as well decide now what set I’ll buy so that it matches.

I’ll ride the bike for a couple hundred miles and see how I fare on the seat. The pegs are already better than the ones on my Versys so I’ll try them out for a while and decide if I want a pair of IMS pegs (or something else).

I have a wolfman tank bag I might move to the BMW since my gf doesn’t want it on the bike, but it did annoy me on the Versys.

I think I might need to lower the foot pegs. And some risers. Don’t know the best brand for these.

I hear the Blackdog skid plate is the best.
 
I have a set of 2" Rox Risers installed on both my 07 and 2017 GSs. Love them.

I have these side bags because they came with the bike when I bought it.


I used them this past weekend for the first time. They seem to work quite well. They come with a dry bag liner and the outer bag is also setup like a dry bag. It have not ridden in the rain with them, but they look like they would do well. They mount to a Touratech rack.


Had the bike not come with these bags, I might have opted for the Mosko Moto bags,


I have the BMW aluminum top case on my 07 GS and like it. The 2017 came with the BMW Vario top case. It definitely holds more than the adventure case, but I am concerned about its longevity in dual sport usage. I have the aluminum side bags on the 07 as well. They are nice, but they are also heavy and don't hold as much as you might think. But, they do lock and are thus a bit more secure than soft panniers if that is an issue. Without liners, EVERYTHING you put in the aluminum bags gets a black residue on it from the aluminum. I've thought about gluing in some kind of thin foam on the bottom and sides but have just never gotten around to it because I rarely mount the side bags.

If you plan to park on ANY kind of dirt, get a kickstand foot pad extender. I don't know why BMW doesn't make the foot pads larger from the factory :shrug:
 
The footpad enlarger is a definite. Softbags don't bend if you drop the bike, but the stuff inside them will. Softbags also are less likely to break your leg if you do something like put your foot on the ground while you’re moving (don’t do that). Handle bar risers are mandatory for me. I’ve got somebody’s “up and back” version. Maybe Wunderlich. I have Touratech boxes and rack. Givi tank ring locking tank bag. Touratech also makes my top case and rack.
 
I have a set of these,


They were on my 2017 when I bought it. They are brand new. They basically raise the bar straight up by 1". No need to reroute brake or clutch cables. I am going to list them here and on AdvRider for $75 (shipping included). If you are interested, let me know and I can ship them to you.

I removed them because I wanted the extra 1" of rise from the Rox Risers and the ability to pull the bars back toward me a bit.
 
233296


Here's what I have. But my bike is older than yours (everyone's is) and I'm not sure what available for yours. I think Wunderlich only makes things for BMWs. They make good stuff.
 
Planning to buy 40mm bar riders, headlight protector, and side stand foot enlarger.

Touratech has a couple of items to protect the bike I’m mulling over (final drive protector, side stand switch protector) but not sure if it’s worth it.

The Blackdog skid plate is the one Bill Dragoo recommended, but a little to expensive to buy right now. Will have to do with the flimsy one for now.

Still sad I can’t mount my Givi 709 soft bags to the rack on the GSA.
 
I haven’t ridden the new bike much, since I’ve been busy, but man it feels good to have some extra passing power on the freeways. I know it’s not the most powerful bike of the big adv bikes but I can just smoke cars when accelerating from a stop. Regret not getting the more off-road oriented tires but the Anakee Adventure tires have been working fine for what I’ve been riding (although I’m a little scare of hitting sand or mud). Trying to keep the pace in good manner and within my skills.

My girlfriend has started riding the Versys around. Had to find the stock low seat to make her feel more comfortable on the bike but she still doesn’t flat foot, but says she’ll be all right. I’m actually surprised of how well she’s been doing so far (but I dropped my first bike on the first day of riding). We’ve done some drills, emergency breaking, etc, but she’s struggling with slow maneuvers. She got a little scared done some slow 8 loops on the parking lot. Still trying to figure out how to pace her training and not go crazy with complicated stuff, like downshifting. She actually feels more comfortable going at speed, she feels it’s natural. May take the bikes out tomorrow for a little exploration (we usually just ride around the neighborhood).

Also, I finally started farkling the bike.

TT side stand pad. Seems good enough.

D5DB6A75-13CE-4FD0-AE01-F5D28D160B38.jpeg

TT headlight protector. Easy installation, except I needed to buy a 11mm wrench to tighten stuff.

3534DBA8-EB34-4DD1-9A83-C78D28519006.jpeg

TT 40mm bar risers. I definitely needed this, it’s sooo much better. I’d say before my posture was more sporty and now it’s comfortable upright. Still running the stock angle on the bars, will need to test it more standing up.

4277C268-D3AA-4AA3-99C1-371E5B5A0BEC.jpeg

A tempered glass protector for the TFT screen just in case. Have yet to try it in direct sunlight but you can see the screen now reflects pinkish.

CE015588-7031-49C3-9250-E07184A5A9D9.jpeg

Moved my Double Take mirrors to the new bike. Hoping they vibrate less than on the Versys, which made them a blurry mess on highway speeds (the Versys vibrates more).

8A9AD5B9-B5A8-44BF-A880-275040999525.jpeg

I also added a tankslapper film to the side of the tank or prevent from scratching the bike with my legs. I also had the film for the whole tank but I utterly failed to install it. I’m okay with just the sides. Barely noticeable and now can comfortably hold on to the tank.

Got a list of all the stuff I want to buy but need to pace myself. 😢
 
I haven’t ridden the new bike much, since I’ve been busy, but man it feels good to have some extra passing power on the freeways. I know it’s not the most powerful bike of the big adv bikes but I can just smoke cars when accelerating from a stop.

You know what they say? With great power comes great.... FUN!

The guy that says it more fun to ride a slow bike fast probably had never been on a fast bike because that statement is 💩


My girlfriend has started riding the Versys around. Had to find the stock low seat to make her feel more comfortable on the bike but she still doesn’t flat foot, but says she’ll be all right. I’m actually surprised of how well she’s been doing so far (but I dropped my first bike on the first day of riding). We’ve done some drills, emergency breaking, etc, but she’s struggling with slow maneuvers. She got a little scared done some slow 8 loops on the parking lot. Still trying to figure out how to pace her training and not go crazy with complicated stuff, like downshifting. She actually feels more comfortable going at speed, she feels it’s natural. May take the bikes out tomorrow for a little exploration (we usually just ride around the neighborhood).

Did she take the MSF course? While it's nice that you're teaching her, I'd let the pros do the education thing. You need to get out there now before it starts getting too hot.
 
Did she take the MSF course? While it's nice that you're teaching her, I'd let the pros do the education thing. You need to get out there now before it starts getting too hot.

Yep, first thing she did. She’s licensed and ATTGATT. Its mostly seat time what she needs to figure some things out they don’t teach in the course, but she’s been doing great.

I also did the course before I started riding and although I could ride a bike I would have appreciated some extra time doing some drills, which is what I’m trying to try with her. Plus doing the drills in a different bike is a new challenge.
 
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Yep, first thing she did. She’s licensed and ATTGATT. Its mostly seat time what she needs to figure some things out they don’t teach in the course, but she’s been doing great.

I also did the course before I started riding and although I could ride a bike I would have appreciated some extra time doing some drills.

They offer an advanced class (or they used too). Maybe you could do that as a couple. It's hard to have too much training.
 
Nice upgrades on the bike!

We should get together sometime on our new R1200’s (mine is a ‘16 - reg GS, but new to me)
I am in NW Cedar Park; perfect jump off point for some backroad and fun roads.

It’s going to be really nice for you to share in your hobby/interest with your gf! She will progress as we all do when first starting.
Fun times ahead!
 
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I HIGHLY recommend getting communicators if you don't already have them. It really does make the rides together more enjoyable. It is also good for when you are working on skills together and can talk through them.
 
I HIGHLY recommend getting communicators if you don't already have them. It really does make the rides together more enjoyable. It is also good for when you are working on skills together and can talk through them.

That has worked wonders with my daughter. When we ride, we get connected via Sena and its like an active coaching session. At least it was early on, now we just chat mostly.
 
Yes to the coms. Riding is safer and better with them. Plus it makes a trip more of a shared experience. “Look at the view” or “watch out for the thing on the road!”
 
Nice upgrades on the bike!

We should get together sometime on our new R1200’s (mine is a ‘16 - reg GS, but new to me)
I am in NW Cedar Park; perfect jump off point for some backroad and fun roads.

It’s going to be really nice for you to share in your hobby/interest with your gf! She will progress as we all do when first starting.
Fun times ahead!

That sounds like a good idea. I like the TARA monthly rides but need something that can be done in 3-4 hours, hopefully before noon on weekends. Might start making it a weekly thing saturdays.

I HIGHLY recommend getting communicators if you don't already have them. It really does make the rides together more enjoyable. It is also good for when you are working on skills together and can talk through them.

We’ve had Senas since we started doing 2up some months ago. Definitely worth it.

I believe I jinxed it cuz we went out exploring some back roads nearby today and we came to an inclined road and she couldn’t work out how to keep the bike stopped while adjusting some things and fell down (at a standstill pretty much — been there). She was on her feet but was somewhat shaken. Unfortunately after we picked it back up she dropped it on the other side haha. Not gonna lie it go me a little tense the rest of the ride. We were able to reach Georgetown and have a refreshing drink before we went back home. We then decided to do the rest of the afternoon 2up doing some roads on west Austin. This was our objective for the day. Worth the heat!

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Delicious.

She had mentioned her leg might have gotten somewhat squished on the first drop by the foot peg but once we got back home we noticed she had a pretty large bruise. She’s now joking about it but wondering how this will affect her.
 
Let her know that almost all new riders drop their bikes at one time or another. Come to think of it, there are a lot of experienced riders that sometimes drop their bike. It just happens if you ride often or long enough. I have seen lots of vids of guys picking up their dual sports, forgetting that they did not put the kick stand down first, and then flopping it right over on the other side :lol2:

If she is really new to riding, I would avoid the unpaved stuff for a while. Let her work out the coordination issues on pavement. Then, once she gets comfortable and where she can shift, brake, work the throttle, and all that other stuff without really having to think about it, go take an adventure rider training class with her. Like the communicators, it will be money WELL spent for BOTH of you. Trying to learn the basics at the same time that she's trying to learn dirt might just be too much to focus on at one time. If that leads to a mental over load moment, it can make a rider freeze up just long enough that things go wrong.

We ALL only have so much attention capacity to expend on focusing on multiple things. Think of your attention as being like a dollar bill. Different things cost more or less attention. At first, you feel like you are drinking from a fire hose because you are trying to pay attention to EVERYTHING and you haven't yet learned what can be safely ignored. So you are being nickled and dimed to death. All it takes is a few .25 or .50 cent items on top of all those little things and suddenly you run out of spending capacity. This is why it is so hard for new riders. They are devoting a lot of attention to just trying to operate the bike, leaving very little attention to spend on what is actually going on around them, what the road condition might be, etc.... Once the basic skills are mastered, their cost in attention goes WAY down, leaving more spending capacity for other issues. Also, as you get used to riding the bike, you learn what you can ignore and what really does need your attention.
 
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