Well I’ve been riding the new bike as much as I can that last few weeks. So far it’s proving to be a great bike and I am really happy with it. It has a great power band and the boxer motor is smooth and even. The riding position is like heaven to me.

It’s an interesting bike because when you first start it up, it’s got a lot of vibration at idle. The windshield shakes, the turn signals shake and it seems like something else is rattling somewhere that I haven’t discovered yet. Sometimes you just have to listen to the bike and learn all the sounds and quirks that it has. It’s like getting to know a new friend. But once you get going it all evens out and it’s smooth as butter when you’re rolling.

That reminds me. I never did name the Hawk, but this time I’m going to come up with a name for my bike. I’m going to take my time and see what fits the bike best. I’m sure it will become clear at the right time.

I spent a weekend just taking stuff apart and cleaning it, all the while learning about where everything is. I found the air cleaner and discovered a bunch of small size pebbles trapped in it. I cleaned the battery terminals and checked spark plugs etc. I found some broken pieces ( mainly the cylinder protectors) so I removed them and epoxy-ed stuff back together. It was a good time just chilling out and learning about what an amazing machine the boxer is. I’m hooked. I had doubts about the famed, “sewing machine” sound that people were complaining about. But to be honest, I don’t really mind that. It still has that twin cylinder sound to it. It’s certainly not as cool sounding as a v-twin but I’m okay with that. I’ve had the v-twin sound for a while and I don’t mind giving that up. Besides, I could always get a Remus exhaust if I win the lottery.

I was really looking forward to getting it on the freeway and opening it up. The first time I did I was amazed at how smooth the bike feels. 80mph is nothing for this machine. Compared to the Hawk which only has a 5-speed, the beemer has lots of gusto.

There is an interesting sound that I couldn’t figure out at first but then realized it was the air flowing into the front air dam. You don’t always notice it but when you get the right conditions and the freeway walls are reflecting it back to you, it’s very noticeable. The owner before me had melted the hand grips and instead of removing them, which I hear is a pain in the ass, I bought some Grip Puppies and slipped those right over the old grips. The heat still comes through perfectly and I like the wider feel to the grip better. I highly recommend them and for 10 bucks you can’t go wrong.

The front brake feels very touchy. I’m still trying to get used to being a little gentler on the brake. The ABS works very well too. I didn’t think I was going to like it much after hearing other bikers talk about it. This system is very unobtrusive in my opinion. I did test it out and was shocked how the bike didn’t dip at all when I applied full force to the brake.

This weekend I’m going to work on evening out the flat spot on the rear tire.

Well it didn’t take very long after all. I was expecting it to take most of the summer. I considered a few different bikes and this one was by far the best fit for me. The previous owner took excellent care of it and Now it’s all mine. This is a great kick-off to Summer for me.

I’ve been glued to the shop manual and trying to figure out all of the details of maintaining a BMW. Seems pretty straight forward and I’m actually looking forward to working on it. Valve adjustments look like a piece of cake on the boxer motor. Oil changes are incredibly simple too.

I’ll be either adding a new blog or just changing this one a little bit. But I’d like to keep up the Hawk stuff for sentimental reasons. I may just keep it the same and change the flavor a little.

2004 BMW R1100s
ABS, Pacific Blue, heated grips, saddlebags - big, alpine white, power supply, throttlemeister cruise control

Wow. This has been a crazy thing selling my bike. I feel like a piece of my soul has drifted from me. It was the good part of my soul. The part that sticks around inside you and holds all the memories. I know it’s just a motorcycle in the big scheme of things. It’s not like it is a 1944 Indian for god’s sake! But it was on my mind a long time. I took a lot of care in keeping this thing clean, maintained and safe from thieves. When my brothers stopped riding and when I was in school, I didn’t really ride it enough and I knew it. I wasn’t ready to give it up at that time though. It was my only “new” thing. I had to keep it and I knew I would eventually have time to ride it.

My Last Pics

But I never really rode it more than some rides in the summers. In the early days, my three brother’s and I used to ride together every Saturday and Sunday. It was the best of times for sure. After I got out of school and landed a decent job, I had time and energy to ride again. However, the Hawk was itchin’ for someone else to be riding her. So I sell this bike gracefully and tip my helmet to the new leg of her journey.

My Last Pics

I’d like to congratulate Paige on being the first person to look at my bike and being the one to buy it. She has just the right kind of soul for this Hawk. And I guess that was more important to me than I had thought. She is a natural Hawkster and I think she will come to really love this bike if she doesn’t already. I’m happy to know they will be cruising on the HWY 1 in Marin. So good luck to you both and I hope to ride with you and Jason someday soon. Preferably soon!

Paige with her new bike!

As for this website, it will remain online. Stay tuned as I’m in the market for a new (used) bike. It will be either the Ducati Multistrada 1000 or the BMW R1100s as far as I know.