First off, it is heavily computerized. That is probably one of the biggest draws for me; it is a modern bike, with some modern features. I'm a gadget-head at heart, and it is about time the bike meets me halfway.
Its front suspension is a radically new design called the Duolever, based on the Hossack design. I won't go into the details, but essentially where a typical telescoping fork tube design causes wheelbase and rake shortening during shock compression, these forks maintain the geometry or nearly so. No more brake dive concerns in the twisties.
Shaft drive. No more chain to get dry, stretch, and need replacing a couple times a year.
Electronics everywhere. Fuel economy computer, tire pressure sensors, stability control, ABS, electronic suspension adjustment, heated grips, gear indicator (not just a neutral indicator but the actual gear number), and an alarm system are most of the highlights.
It is a little more powerful. Dunno how much that matters, since the XX offered me twice the power I could ever hope to use too.
It feels more nimble. The XX felt big while I was pushing it through curves. So far, this bike feels much quicker. I think its center of balance is lower, but I haven't investigated it enough yet to comment. Its gas tank is lower, for sure. I'm not even sure where that is yet!
And, it is new. Brand new. I'm its first owner. I don't need to be concerned about what the previous owner(s) did to it, what wires they cut, how many, how, and why did they drop it, etc. It comes with a 3 year unlimited KM warranty. I hope it feels like a warm hug.
BMW is offering 2.95% financing on the bike, with an optional balloon payment at the end of the loan, which I opted for. It is an open loan, meaning I could pay it off as soon as I want. The faster I pay it off, the less interest I pay. The payments are very low, which gives me some flexibility in how I budget around it.
I bought the bike from Budds BMW in Oakville. I'm not terribly impressed with their sales floor, unfortunately. I was specifically mislead about a term on the financing, they essentially refused to even consider any kind of discount (though they did waive their $250 "Budds processing fee"), told me to find my own transportation to the store to pick up the bike (including telling me to walk the last 2km from the Go station), and so on. I feel absolutely no loyalty towards them.
This is a curious thing. When I talked to their finance person, she implied there was an entire process to becoming a first-time Budds customer. But the motorcycle sales rep was barely involved. Gave me a Budds hat and sent me on my way. I had a far better first-time buyer experience at a Ford dealership, for a car that cost less than this motorcycle!
I'm not sure how many KMs I'll be able to put on the bike this year, considering it is almost half over, and I've got 6 weeks of European riding vacation planned on my old VFR.
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