First ride out on my new '08 R1200GS. With pics

[Delirious]

OK All,

Thought I would try and write up a report on my first ride out on my new '08 R1200GS.

Set out from central Tokyo about 9.30am this morning, after a nice lie in
Here is a pic in the drive way before I head out.

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq2xEH_J" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/Pq2xEH_J.jpg" border="0" /></a>

After a relatively traffic free escape from Tokyo I catch my first glimpse of Mt Fuji

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq2xFxnJ" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/Pq2xFxnJ.jpg" border="0" /></a>

You can just see it above the screen. This is about 70km's outside of Tokyo and the bike was running a dream. Still constrained to 4,000rpm but I didn't stick to the limit religiously. There certainly seems to be plenty of low down power and the gearbox is very smooth making light work of the short shifting required to keep the bike in a sensible rev range.

So now out of Tokyo I take my first mountain pass for the day which takes me up to an altitude of just over 1,000m. Plenty of snow swept to the sides of the road still left over and really quite cold up here, around 5c.

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1YWAiJ" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/aV1YWAiJ.jpg" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1YXC9r" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/aV1YXC9r.jpg" border="0" /></a>

Again Mt. Fuji is dead ahead in the above picture but not really visible through the cloud. The bike was lots of fun up the mountain. It is about a 10km road with plenty of fast sweepers. Over took quite a few other bikes, even keeping within the RPM limits and certainly enjoyed the handling characteristics of the bike through the fast twisties. Certainly felt very planted.

After playing around on the tighter twisties at this altitude I found a little spot with better views of Mt. Fuji. Couldn't resist pulling over and taking a few shots.

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Here is another shot I took trying to show the elevation, unfortunately it's quite difficult to capture elevation with a lens so it is not that clear how high up the road is. But out over yonder is the Pacific ocean.

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1Z24n9" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/aV1Z24n9.jpg" border="0" /></a>

After all these mountain twisties I was getting quite cold so it was time to head back down to coastal altitudes. On the way down I decided to take one of the tiny, one car width, trails I know through a little forest. Set the suspension to small hills (whatever the pic on the ESA is meant to be) and soft and really enjoyed going through these very tight twisties and accelerating hard in 1st and 2nd gear out of the hairpin bends and feeling the suspension just soak up the rough road. Previously on the VFR I would have been out of the saddle on a few of these bumps.

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1Z4Tti" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/aV1Z4Tti.jpg" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq2xKrGr" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/Pq2xKrGr.jpg" border="0" /></a>

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This road finally bought me down to sea level where the effects of spring were more visible and I could turn the grip heaters off

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1Z7nCi" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/aV1Z7nCi.jpg" border="0" /></a>

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From here I headed to a little coastal fishing port and took a pic with the fishing boats in the back ground.

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I then skirted round some more coastal roads and found a nice beach. I'm going to have to return here it when it is warmer.

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq2xLUYJ" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/Pq2xLUYJ.jpg" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1ZagHJ" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.postimage.org/aV1ZagHJ.jpg" border="0" /></a>

After that was time to blast home taking in a similar route back. Got back home around 6pm after just over 400km's on the road. A great ride out and the bike is still clean as it was sunny all day and the roads were bone dry.

I had a lot of fun on the beemer today and I certainly enjoyed it more than my old VFR. The going was easier, the seat way more comfy, riding position more relaxed but still just as quick. The fuel efficiency was brilliant, getting 300km's to a tank!

Oh and I forgot to mention I encountered one of these on my journey:

http://www.town.kawazu.shizuoka.jp/kankou/arekore/loop.html

http://c2i.msn.co.jp/travel/images/domesticguide/22002124_1864_1.jpg

I don't think you see too many of these in the UK. It makes up for the lack of roundabouts in this country

Cheers and safe riding all,
Delirious.

 

[shedracer]

Great write up and and lovely photo's Delirious. Japan is one of the places a would truly love to visit. Hope you have a great time with your new bike, I'm sure there is many great places to explore over there.

 

[patzx12]

Thanks for the write up and pictures, very interesting.
And I love that roundabout roundabout.

 

[Mr K]

Nice report!

 

[st247]

Nice report and pictures. Nice to see somewhere i'm not likley to go in person. Hope your enjoying your bike. I know i'm enjoying mine.

 

[ECM]

Thanks for the write up. You never get to read /see Japan stories.

I was looking for the waypoint on my Garmin JAPAN map but could not determine it. Do you have coordinates of that roundabout thing? ?

 

[deaninkl]

hi delirious, the GS looks good in white, and I'm pretty sure there must be plenty of fantastic rides in Japan. I've seen such spiral expressway exits in Shanghai, there is one on the enterance to the Nan Pu bridge in the center of town, but never done it on a bike.

great ride report and keep the smile on you face, spring is here.

 

[Delirious]

Do you have coordinates of that roundabout thing?

Don't know how to find the co-ordinates but here is the page in Google maps. The spiral bridge is slap in the middle on route 414. It's great fun when there isn't too much traffic. If you zoom out from here you will get a general idea of where it is in relation to Tokyo.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Ito,+Japan&ie=UTF8&ll=34.792378,138.939114&spn=0.060266,0.08214&t=h&z=14

the GS looks good in white

That is actually "Titan Silver" whatever "Titan" is. Looks good though I agree

The bike is going great and used it to commute this morning. So nice to be high up in the traffic.

Loving every minute on it. The temp sensor is crap. It starts off about OK but by the time the engine is warm it reads about 5c high! Can't believe BMW would have stuck the sensor close enough to effected by engine temp.

Cheers,
Delirious.

 

[davidgibson999]

which GIVI topbox model is it?

 

[Delirious]

which GIVI topbox model is it?

It is the E52 Maxia Monokey (not Monkey) with the integrated high level brake lights. It is totally water proof and the best bit of luggage I've ever had on a bike. Can fit two full face helmets in it.

http://www.givi.co.uk/caschi_borse_bauli_accessori.asp?CO_ID=1370&lang=en

Actually had it on the VFR for 3yrs prior. Got the dealer to carry it across as part of the deal on the new GS. He even cleaned it up, inside and out, and polished it with a wax coating. Like new now