... after an exhaustive (and exhausting) online search, confirming my suspicions that the bmw f650 cs is, indeed, a bit of an odd duck of a bike, i was beginning to think that there were going to be only two options to add storage space for long trips ... one would've been to purchase the givi 60 liter tail bag, which is extremely expensive and yet "unavailable at this time" from the company ... the other solution was to get a set of custom bag mounts and add quick-release soft or hard luggage, a very attractive choice but one that also costs a hideous amount of money ...
... this morning roger and eric and i drove over to whitehorse gear in conway, new hampshire ... at their warehouse store there is an unbelievably extensive inventory, and the staff are all knowledgable, polite, and totally lacking any style or type of "hard sell" approach ... they had the jacket that interested me in both my size and the color i wanted, i tried it on and the instant fit made it mine ... i then perused the shelves where was stored a huge variety of various types of motorcycle luggage ... there i chanced upon a set of sidebags that had a center-yoke support, something i'd not been able to find online ... took the bags out to my bike, dropped them in place, they never came off again until i got home ... extra bonus, they were on a clearance sale ... they'll only go on the bike for long trips, and installation takes only a minute or two ...
... driving back, in very cool and windy conditions, the combination of my new jacket and wind/rain pants allowed me to be comfortable to the point that i had to stop and take a nap for a few minutes at a cemetery alongside the road ... another point scored for the gear i bought, since with my gloves softening a piece of wood for a pillow i was quite snug on my bed of grass ...
... i'm just about ready for some really long-distace drives ... only thing left, perhaps, is that i think i might like to have a set of high-intensity driving lamps mounted down low on the fork tubes, but even without that i'm feelin' good to go ...
... being that i knew the back-road route, on the way over i got to lead out little expedition ... considering the collective riding experience shared by roger and eric, for me that was a real treat ... on a little downhill patch of sand somewhere along a side road leading to route 11 i discovered that, indeed, my a.b.s. braking system works wonderfully ... and, after lunch at the bagel shop in conway i was given a giant bag of "day old" bagels to take home ... what a great day ...
