For those of you that don't know, I ride a motorcycle. It is my primary means of transportation and the perfect accessory for my life here in Southern California. Here is my bike:

A BMW F650CS. It's a great bike that works perfectly in the city. Great gas mileage, easy to maintain, and small enough to slide in between traffic when the roads get clogged. However, I had been having some trouble starting the bike recently and eventually had to bring the bike into my local dealer to get the starter replaced. Not too expensive, but necessary nonetheless. While my bike was having work done on it, the dealer loaned me one of their new bikes, a 2007 F800ST.



What a bike. I never realized how little power my commuter bike had until I tried this puppy out. And to think that this isn't even considered a big bike. It was a pretty fun experience. Where normally I have to shift out of first gear if I want to even have a chance at speeding up, with the 800 I was able to ride in first for what seemed forever before the bike whined for me to upshift. And the clutch and throttle are touchy. The clutch engages super early whereas on the 650 I have quite a bit of play. And the throttle of the 800 is super responsive. If you twitch your hand just a bit you will find yourself flying down the road. But that's a good thing right? At least on the 800 it is, because with the active stabilization and other enhancements of this bike highway speeds are smooth sailing. Plus, add in a 6th gear and the ride is silky smooth.

Sadly, I had to return the bike when my own ride was finally repaired. It was amazing, I couldn't believe the difference between the two. I felt like I was riding a sagging old horse compared to the 800. But that's okay too. I only need to get from point A to point B. How I get there really doesn't matter. Besides, in the end, a little less power is probably better for me anyway.