[ Bikes ]
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We rented motorbikes from Garner's on Peel Street in Melbourne.
Here are descriptions of what we got; pictures to follow.
- Dave: An Aprilia version of the F650 that Matt's riding (word has it
that Aprilia made the F650 for BMW anyway). Compared to the
BMW-branded one, the Aprilia is newer and better-looking, has twin
tailpipes and tail lights and better luggage.
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Karl: A BMW K1100, a fast but huge monster with full fairing, an
electric windshield and stereo, ABS, and plenty of luggage.
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Kim: A BMW R100RS, with luggage and a nice fairing. Rides nice, she says.
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Lyn and Ann: BMW R1100RT, this year's model. Very fast and
well-equipped, rides fine even with 2 people on
it. After riding it for a few days, Lyn was wondering
why anyone would ride the RS bikes and why he hadn't
discovered the RT sooner.
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Matt: BMW F650 Funduro, 1995 model. Hardly any luggage included, so I
had to strap a bunch of bags on the back. The big disappointment is
that the gas tank is a) plastic, so my magnetic tank bag won't fit,
and b) so small that neither will any other tank bag. Compared to the
Bandit I ride at home, this thing is taller, lighter, surprisingly
quieter, and more agile at low speeds, but the Bandit is much quicker
at any speed, much more stable at high speeds, and has better
brakes. The Funduro actually does feel like I could take it offroad
given the chance; it should be a good bike for this trip.
All the bikes seem to be fine for highway speeds even with a mountain
of luggage on top, but said mountain of luggage makes them extremely
top-heavy, to the point where the kickstand will barely support them.
We seem to be getting about 20 km/liter (approx 50 mpg) on Matt's bike at
least, with a cruising range of 250-300 km on a tank of gas.
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