Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128242
the controls, other than the infuriating tum signals - one on each bar with a universal c anc el button on the right is w ith th e shift er. Th ough it's th e size and shape of a one iron, it's positioned in a way that doesn't accommodate bigger feet or th ick boots, a problem no one had but me. It was not long after a wonderful breakfast in Cold Springs, New York, that the pa ck split up after an lll advised U-turn. Knowing we had a noon ferry to catch, the race was on . The brisk pace we 'd been told we'd keep suddenly got rapid. The back roads of Connecticu t wo u ld have to wait. Instead, we hit the highway at speed , th ough for only a relatively short stretch. The Montauk was willing and abl e , content to cruise at 65 and ready t o jump when prodded. The B oxer twin has a sense of urgency unlike the modern four-cylinder, the throaty rumble deceiving in its efficiency at high -speed roll-ons . We reached the ferry with time to spare, more than we might h ave liked. The Grand Republic wasn 't ready to sail , the front gate not operating properly . So cars weren't allowed, but bikes were, as long as w e could disemba rk down the passeng er ga ngp la nk w he n we hi t Port J efferson , Lo n g Island . On the sail , the gate was fixed , so we had a mostly private crossing, joined only by a few pedestrians. It was a short rid e from Port Jefferson to Shelter Island, another ferry - The Montauk f e atures BMW's 1150cc twin-spark opposedtwi n engine, whic h sends the power to the fat 170/80-15 i nch tire v ia shaft drive. the Montauk. BMW saw the original RI200 C as a way to capture " chapter two " riders . Sin ce 199 7 , over 99 78 uni ts been sold in t he Unit ed St ate s, m ak in g it the th ird m ost po pular li ne sold after the K 1200 LT (second) and the R 1150 RT (first). The cruiser market dominates U.S . bike sales . In 2002, cruisers, led by Harley-Davidson, accounted for 53 percent of the U .S . market, selling The instruments are classic BMW fare, with all the info you need in a simpl e and attractive package. this one smaller - and a third at the so uthe rn end of the isla n d. Then we were in to Sag Harbor fo r a brief stop and photos. The BMW d rew remarks at every stop, on the ferries , on the streets of Sag Harbor, by the harbor itself, at the destination hotel. And it's no t surprising. It' s a striki ng ly handsome bike, hu lk ing without bei ng foreboding, thoro ughly m od ern in detail and des ign, though with throwback touches. Like leggy supermodels, one is impressive; a whole parking lot full is lustful. The comments were almost universally favorable , even t hough most people did n't know BMW made cruisers. It didn 't u nti l 199 7. BMW ca me la t e to th e cruiser m ark et, introduc ing the R1200 C six y ears ago . T he original cru iser was polarizin g: You eithe r liked it or yo u di dn 't. It wasn 't a clone of anything else o n the U .S . cruiser ma rke t. T he same coul d be said of The accessory catalog is cornprehensive, though BMW is soon to take a more customized approach to its new models. In Ja n uary o f 2004, BMW is la unc hing KOVP, essentia lly a c ustom bike ordering system . Where there are currently 30 models, there will be 16 base models, 3 F models, 3 K models and lOR models. Dealerships will have a catalog of options fo r each model that the buyer can choose from . Want a Montauk w ith the comfort passenger se at, l ar g e bla ck saddlebags , fog lights, chrome package, an d an antitheft system? Done and delivered within 90 days. Whatever BMW 's doing it's doing right. Year-to-date sales are up 26 percent from 2002, and the German firm is look ing at another record year in both sa les and aftersales. It' s on pa ce to sell 15,000 un its this year, m ore than a 10 percent jump from last year. In the ultra competitive and clonedriven cruiser world , BMW stands out. Its is a unique option , driven by quality and sty ling, a chance to stand ou t from the hordes of sameness m as eN q uerading as individua lis m . d ry roads and abl e to feel first hand the sure , linear stopping of the integrated braking system . The I 150c c fuel -i njected opposed twin is fi red by a twi n -sp ark ig n itio n system, the grunt and grumble of the Boxer reg ulat ed only by enthusiasm and circumstance . Power comes through chain-driven cams opening four valves per cylinder. It would loaf along all day at 55 mph, the twin spin- There aren't too many cruisers out there with single-sided swingarms, but the Montauk's Monolever unit handles rear suspension duties. nearly 300,000 units . Second were sport bikes at 114 ,000. Touring bikes were t h i r d at just under 100,000 . Clearly there's a market for c ruisers , but how to attract nontraditional BMW riders? Give them something different that they know works and lasts. To that end , the Montauk incorpo rates a host of changes from the rest of the R 1200 C line , but it's an evolutionary motorcycle, not a radi cal departure. On the mechan ical side BMW made a number of upgrades. BMW's Evo brake and BMW Motorcycle Integral ABS are standard, a pair 12-inch rotors up front stopped by four-piston calipers fed by Stah lflex steel b rake lines. We spent the m ornin g on wet , lea f-cove red roa d s, not th e sort of surface to test AB S. Or is it? A light s hower l a te in the m orn i n g , j u s t b e f o r e w e got lo st , m e a n t m o r e upright rid in g . It wasn 't until later in th e da y that we we re o n co ns iste ntly ning at a leisurely and muted 2600 rpm . A nother 500 rpm gets you to 65 mph, where you start to fee l a real buzz through t he new, wider handlebars fitted with very effective twostage heated grips that were put to good use on a chilly O ctober morning. The five-speed gearbox now has high -conta ct, helical cut gears, further red ucing engine no ise. The instrument p an el i s st raig ht forward and unfussy, an electronic speedometer with an analog face next to a tachometer with an analog clock between and above the m on a triangulated panel. Jump -start connec tions and a power socket have been added for convenience . Suggested p rice is S14 ,9 90 , and the Montauk will be ava il able in three colors - Sapphire Blac k Met all ic , A rctic Blue Metall ic, a nd C h a m p a g n e Me t allic· w hen i t ' s i ntro duced in ear ly No vember. cue I e n A Montauk in Montauk. u _ S • NOVEMBER 26 , 2003 9