keyless start along with the music system and
there is a vast array of everything to assist
and pamper the rider and pillion.
While my ride was relatively short and
very rain affected, I did ride the Bagger on
a decent variety of roads from tight and
twisty to motorways. It’s fair to say the wet
conditions required some caution, but the
BMW always felt reasonably light steering
and relatively nimble considering its size.
I liked that it always seemed confidently
planted and surprisingly willing to be hustled
through a series of tight turns
On a dry road tight turns are fun times and
capable of being accomplished quite briskly.
Of course, our state highways and motorways
are really its forte, where the rider can
simply relax and let this über comfortable,
techno missile effortlessly waft you to your
destination – no doubt arriving fresher than
a day-old daffodil. Total fuel capacity is 26.5
litres offering a decent range too.
CHASSIS
The chassis is an aluminium bridge type with
the engine acting as a load bearing member.
Up front the suspension is a Duolever with a
spring strut offering 115mm of electronically
adjustable wheel travel. In addition to the
standard dynamic suspension mode it has
Cruise setting for maximum comfort. The
suspension action is excellent given the
size and weight of the bike. Everything felt
controlled, compliant and stable with no
harsh feedback or vague-ness, which I’ve
found can be an issue with this style of
front-end occasionally. Overall the Duolever
performed faultlessly and really seemed to
suit the bike.
BMW’s Paralever system graces the rear
end with 125mm wheel travel. Again, it is
electronically adjustable from a switch on
the bars and the TFT screen shows your
selections. It is a great performing rear-
end, but not quite at the standard of the
front suspension. Like all bikes it is far more
difficult to get the rear suspension as perfect
as the front. Because the bike is dealing with
torque load from the engine and, in this case,
added weight from the driveshaft and diff, as
well as all the bumps thrown at it from our
66 KIWI RIDER
Everything felt controlled,
compliant and stable with no
harsh feedback or vague-ness