Peter's Summary of our awesome ride through the backroads of Spain.
THE BIKE
We rented a 2012 BMW R1200 RT with only 7,000 kms on the clock, from IMT Bikes http://www.imtbike.com/ The RT certainly lives up to its reputation as one of the best touring bikes around. It was perfect for touring with comfy but supportive seats, and great wind protection from the fairing and power wind screen. Luggage capacity was enough for the 2 of us for 8 days, and the top-box gave Karin the security to allow me to push it through the corners. For a big bike, I was quite impressed by how well it initiated the corners, and flicked from side to side in the tight twisties. I set the electronic suspension pre-load for 2-up for the whole trip. In the first set of twisties, I noticed it was a bit soft, then realized we were still in the normal suspension setting. A couple quick adjustments on the fly got us into sport mode, and the suspension felt much better. I left it there the whole trip. I know that some people complain about lack of feedback from the front paralever set-up, but it felt quite responsive and natural to me.
There are a couple negatives that I should point out. Fully loaded and 2-up, the bike didn’t quite have the power pulling out of the corners I would like. But the bigger issue was that the shift down into first coming into a tight corner was not smooth, and tended to disrupt the flow. First is really tall, so in the super tight stuff, I tended to just leave it there and run it right through the rev range. But coming from a faster section into a tight corner required that rough shift into first, as second would lug too much. As the RT shares the same engine as the GS, I’m hoping the RT will also get the new engine just introduced in the 2013 R1200 GS. Hopefully the extra 15 hp and the switch to a wet clutch will solve both problems.
IMT was great to rent from. Totally organized, they walked us through everything we needed to know. Roadside assistance was included in the rental, but fortunately we didn’t need to test that service. They allowed us to pick up the bike the night before (no charge), so we were able to get an early start on the first formal day of the rental. Unfortunately I put a small scratch on the 1 pannier, and the 1 cylinder head cover. I was expecting to see my damage deposit disappear, but they were totally fair with the little extra I had to pay. Even though we pushed the bike hard and wore through a set of tires, they were happy to have us rent from them again. I would do it without hesitation.
THE ROADS
I think I know why Spain’s economy is in the toilet (although you didn’t really see it in the streets). They put all their money into infrastructure. Most of the roads were in fabulous shape. A couple were starting to deteriorate, but repairs were underway, or in one case, a new road with twisties that crisscrossed the old road, was being built. And the twisties & sweepers were smooth, nice camber and great flow between the corners. Not much straight, hairpin, straight, just flowing corners at different radii. I couldn’t ask for better.
We averaged about 250 – 300 km’s per day, but the roads were just so twisty, we would get to our daily destination mid to late afternoon, leaving reasonably early with only stops for gas & lunch. The whole trip worked out to about 2,000 km.
It’s really hard to pick a favorite, but probably one of the most dramatic roads was the GI-682. We did it on the first day. It runs up the coast north of Barcelona, and I would think that it would have to rank as one of the world best riding roads. Continuous flowing tight twisties, smooth pavement, steep drops, amazing views and not too much traffic, this road has it all.
I put the route together from reviewing segments posted on http://www.bestbikingroads.com/motorcycle-roads/motorbike-rides-in-spain-/spain-__1474.htmlIt’s a great web site, often with numerous posts for each road segment, some with videos.
Traffic was almost non-existent. Don’t believe me, just check out how many cars you see in our videos. I think we timed things well too. We rented from May 8th to 15th. The tourist season formally starts on the 15th, but I still think the traffic was far less than when we were travelling in Italy a few years ago.
THE BIKE
We rented a 2012 BMW R1200 RT with only 7,000 kms on the clock, from IMT Bikes http://www.imtbike.com/ The RT certainly lives up to its reputation as one of the best touring bikes around. It was perfect for touring with comfy but supportive seats, and great wind protection from the fairing and power wind screen. Luggage capacity was enough for the 2 of us for 8 days, and the top-box gave Karin the security to allow me to push it through the corners. For a big bike, I was quite impressed by how well it initiated the corners, and flicked from side to side in the tight twisties. I set the electronic suspension pre-load for 2-up for the whole trip. In the first set of twisties, I noticed it was a bit soft, then realized we were still in the normal suspension setting. A couple quick adjustments on the fly got us into sport mode, and the suspension felt much better. I left it there the whole trip. I know that some people complain about lack of feedback from the front paralever set-up, but it felt quite responsive and natural to me.
Cornering clearance was not an issue as I managed to get the chicken strips down to the elephant’s knees on the new Metzler rear that was just installed. After 2,000 km, they had to replace both the OEM front and the new rear. IMT was totally cool with that, happy that we were able to give it a good workout.
There are a couple negatives that I should point out. Fully loaded and 2-up, the bike didn’t quite have the power pulling out of the corners I would like. But the bigger issue was that the shift down into first coming into a tight corner was not smooth, and tended to disrupt the flow. First is really tall, so in the super tight stuff, I tended to just leave it there and run it right through the rev range. But coming from a faster section into a tight corner required that rough shift into first, as second would lug too much. As the RT shares the same engine as the GS, I’m hoping the RT will also get the new engine just introduced in the 2013 R1200 GS. Hopefully the extra 15 hp and the switch to a wet clutch will solve both problems.IMT was great to rent from. Totally organized, they walked us through everything we needed to know. Roadside assistance was included in the rental, but fortunately we didn’t need to test that service. They allowed us to pick up the bike the night before (no charge), so we were able to get an early start on the first formal day of the rental. Unfortunately I put a small scratch on the 1 pannier, and the 1 cylinder head cover. I was expecting to see my damage deposit disappear, but they were totally fair with the little extra I had to pay. Even though we pushed the bike hard and wore through a set of tires, they were happy to have us rent from them again. I would do it without hesitation.
THE ROADS
I think I know why Spain’s economy is in the toilet (although you didn’t really see it in the streets). They put all their money into infrastructure. Most of the roads were in fabulous shape. A couple were starting to deteriorate, but repairs were underway, or in one case, a new road with twisties that crisscrossed the old road, was being built. And the twisties & sweepers were smooth, nice camber and great flow between the corners. Not much straight, hairpin, straight, just flowing corners at different radii. I couldn’t ask for better.
It’s really hard to pick a favorite, but probably one of the most dramatic roads was the GI-682. We did it on the first day. It runs up the coast north of Barcelona, and I would think that it would have to rank as one of the world best riding roads. Continuous flowing tight twisties, smooth pavement, steep drops, amazing views and not too much traffic, this road has it all.
Traffic was almost non-existent. Don’t believe me, just check out how many cars you see in our videos. I think we timed things well too. We rented from May 8th to 15th. The tourist season formally starts on the 15th, but I still think the traffic was far less than when we were travelling in Italy a few years ago.
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