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&\111 - L.A. to Colorado and Back on a 2002 BMW R1150RT .... • (read: overpowered). There just isn't any feel to them - it's all or nothing. They're really hard' to modulate; they're either on or off. My other complaint about the brakes is that periodically they won't operate properly until the bike is in forward motion. The brake warning light flashes until you are in forward motion by design. The problem is that if you park the bike on an incline, or driveway, and need to back out, the brakes are sometimes barely operable. They work, but it takes all the oomph your hand can muster to get the bike to quit rolling because the power pump hasn't started contributing yet. On the positive side, they do have an incredible amount of power under normal riding conditions, and even under hard braking, the pulsing of the ABS isn't noticeable at all. Perhaps I could get used to them, but they really annoy me. The RT's handling is really good for a bike that weighs 579 pounds, and especially considering how loaded down we had the bike. It has really nice initial tum-in and then settles into the corner with a lot mor~ poise than I thought it would. Leaned over, the bike feels rock-solid. We had a lot of wind to contend with throughout the trip, and one occasion that Karen remembers vividly in particular. We were passing a semi-truck around a curve in a canyon, and the second we got past it, a huge gust of wind slammed us. We were heading for the outside guardrail pretty quickly, but a good push on the inside bar and the bike went right where I needed it to tion system. Out on the open road, in the higher gears, it's virtually nonexistent, but around town it can be annoying. The new ABS braking system on the bike is a real bone of contention with me. I know that it's not just me, because I've received some additional feedback from the guys around here who've ridden the bike. I don't even know where to start with the brakes, because I simply don't agree with the route BMW took with them. First, I hate linked brakes. I honestly don't think they have any plac.e on a motorcycle, at least not the fully integrated system on the RT. The Rl150R (BMW's naked bike) has a semi-integrated system that allows the front brake to actuate the rear brake, but not vice versa. I wouldn't mind the R1150RT's brakes so much if I could independently operate the rear brake, even though I only use it around parking lots and approaching traffic lights, or if I've really overcooked a corner. If you touch the rear-brake pedal on the RT, the bike goes into full-tilt braking mode - just don't touch it in a corner. You've been warned. My next-biggest complaint is the fact that they're powered (Above) This photo was taken In Vall, Colorado, on our way back. Note the modified passenger seat, with two Inches more padding for Karen's aching butt. (Right) Karen checks out the view in Zion National Park In southern Utah It has to be the most motorcyclefriendly national park I can think of. The Rl150RT makes a good touring bike because it's significantly lighter than a full-dress touring bike, and that makes it more enjoyable in the canyons. The bike has decent power from the boxer-twin motor, although you have to get used to clicking down a gear into fifth to pass cars, as the new-for-2002 overdrive gear is just that, an overdrive. A shift from fifth to sixth gear will drop the engine speed by 700 to 800 rpm, which is great for fuel economy, but it's about as worthless as a '69 VW bus when it comes to passing cars. The R1150RT is a great cruising bike when you get it out on the open road, but around town its few deficiencies rise to the surface. The most noticeable is the driveline lash caused by a combination of the shaft drive and the slight stutter of the fuel-injec- 50 SEPTEMBER 19, 2001 • cue • e n .. _ IS - go. Karen wasn't too thrilled with the incident, but the bike handled the situation really well, even though I was riding too fast; oops, am I bad? As for the motor, it offers plenty of power, although I wouldn't mind a bit more, and it's really smooth and relatively vibration-free. It does have a few spots in the rev range that buzz a bit, but to be fair they were at over 90 mph, a speed at which we traveled frequently. As I mentioned above, the spacing between fifth and sixth gears is huge, which makes the transmission shift sloppily between those gears no matter what you try to do - but remember that it's considered an overdrive more than anything. The suspension on the bike was really plush for the type of cruising we were doing. I really like the Telelever front suspension, especially when riding two-up; it keeps your passenger from slamming into the back of you every time you get on the brakes by keeping the front end from diving. As a whole, we were really pleased with the performance of the bike. Riding a BMW, you never worry about the bike breaking down in the middle of nowhere, as they have a reputation for solid reliability. And there was plenty of "the middle of nowhere" on our trip. It's also really hard to argue about the bike's fuel range (see sidebar). All told, the BMW R1150RT turned out to be the perfect bike for our whirlwind adventure. Now if we could only attach an armchair to the back for myoid lady...