Tag: BMW

Bahnstormer Motorrad Alton to Whiteways Cafe Ride Out

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After a week or so’s seemingly incessant rain, the forecast for last weekend looked fairly good and coincided with a rideout arranged by Bahnstormer Motorrad from their Alton branch to Whiteways Cafe outside Arundel.

So we swapped over our rest days from the Sunday to the Saturday – I’m trying to get fitter and Alison’s in training for a PCA bikini class bodybuilding competition – and got up a little earlier to breakfast and head on down to Bahnstormer for a coffee and to join the other riders. In total, there were 29 of us! Take a look at Bahnstormer’s video of us leaving Alton:

Here’s my little highlights video too:

Oh and there’s a longer version with some added expletives here:

When we bypassed Goodwood because they were having a members’ meeting and our route was blocked, we ended up on a flooded road with bonus mud from the fields, so the RT got absolutely filthy.

Once home, I got the pressure washer out and cleaned it up, but noticed I could see the rear suspension from the left … because the small side cover was missing.  A couple of phone calls and a visit today and they’ve sorted me out without any fuss. I truly cannot recommend them any more strongly than I do and of course they’ll get my order for this RT’s replacement when and if.

I just must stop myself from impulse-buying an M 1000 XR by mistake in the meantime…

 

It’s Bought!

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The dirty deed has been done: having decided on the configuration I wanted I spoke to three dealers to get an idea of price and delivery as I really wanted delivery in March 2024 so it would be a ’24’ numberplate when I come to sell it on later, maybe.

BMW are bringing out a 1300cc engine this year but if the roll-out goes according to the 1250 release schedule, it’ll be R1300GS in 2023, R1300GSA in 2024 and R1300RT in 2025.

I’d already planned a Eurothrash in 2024 as we’re giving up our house in Fuerteventura this year so we can then travel freely in the EU without needing to worry about the 90/180 Schengen rule that the absolute shitshow of Brexit forced upon us.  I could take the ZRX but that’s not really a grand tourer like the RT is, or indeed my previous Triumph Sprint GT1050 that some tosser wiped out with me on it.

I think all three had their eyes on the same physical bike that BMW were bringing in to the UK at the end of this month, so all three were offering a deal on the basis that next year prices were bound to go up and I would be unlikely to recoup the additional cost when I come to sell the RT as a ’73’ numberplate rather than a ’24’ numberplate (which is all a bit immaterial while I own the RT as it’s going to have the 8000RM vanity plate on it anyway).

So yes, a 2023 BMW RT 1250 RT LE in “Alpine White 3” is coming my way with Active Cruise Control, additional fog lights and the large 49L topcase with integrated brake light fitted.

It’s going to be registered on 30 September (if it arrives by then) but as I’ll be out of the country I won’t be collecting it until November.

And yes, it was Bahnstormer at Alton who got the deal after they’d kindly lent me one for an extended test ride back in 2021.