Well the mystery will have to last at least until tomorrow, but at least three things are true in my memory:
1. The machine I rode was faired just like the 2004 machine in the link I posted above, complete with three top boxes, the helmet locks and luggage tie-down hooks, twin glove boxes and the (apparently reversible) shin level air scoops, and it was equipped with the twin trips and digital mfr-branded clock.
2. I couldn't shift up past a fifth gear - four up-shifts from one-down.
3. I distinctly remember pulling 4000 RPM at 70 MPH, +/- loose change - which was just like the top gear of the ST1300 and F800RT I also rode that day - both of which are 6'ers :-)
Ok, four things...
4. The bike is significantly more growly (is it OK to use that word?!) than the ST1300, that, though not unpleasantly, is like a two-wheeled sewing machine.
Assuming either there is a rogue gearbox in there, or my memory is broken, or my gear shifting technique needs serious work, I really liked the neat feature of being able to put a hand down by where the fairing meets the fuel tank and get a nice warm stream of air; that'll help when I'm riding late in the northern Midwest fall.
OK, here's what's really going on here...
I'm getting back into cycling after a 36 year hiatus. My first machine, back in the UK, was a Kawasaki 100 that reliably took me through rain and several groins full of hail between Cheltenham (home, at that time) and Gloucester (work), and occasional 90 mile jaunts to London to visit my grandfather. That all came to a screeching halt when I earned my first (and so far only) smidsy when somebody did a Y-turn in front of me. I still bear the scars proudly: under my chin (helmet clasp) and right leg that got squashed between my fuel tank and the cager's left fender.
Years later I now live States-side in Elk River Minnesota, and I work in Rockford Illinois - a 720 mile weekly round trip. I've been doing this for three years, and have been too slow in the head until now to realize that I could have a lot more fun and save a bit of cash by doing this on two weeks for six months out of the year (or more, but I don't want to get too cocky). So here I am looking for a bike to do it on. My dream re-entry machine was always a BMW - either a K1300 or a 1200RT - but I'm not wealthy enough to buy a K, and the oil-head RTs have short and expensive service intervals. I was looking at an ST1300 that was advertised on my dealer's site, but when I went in to test drive it yesterday there was this "alleged" Connie, sitting there in all it's glory, complete with additional front lights (perfect for long highway miles dodging deer and coyotes in the Midwest), additional modulated LED stop lights (in case my previous assailant is still alive, over here, and behind me now!), highway pegs, and after-market heated grips - all at less than 30,000 miles on the clock and for well less green than the ST, which is priced at $7500 - and the dealer put brand new tires on it too. It was hard not to just drive away on it right there.
Can anyone suggest anything else (sacrilege to say "better" in a ZG/GTR forum, I know!), or should I phone them 1 minute after opening time tomorrow morning and put money down? Is there anything in particular I should ask about/consider/be wary of?
Finally, being a older (55) and hopefully wiser returning rider with an ambitious plan and what seems like a great opportunity for some great (if repetitive) big-slab time, may I submit an open request/invitation for advice and recommendations in support (or otherwise) of my plan?
Thanks all!
