Had a nice, long ride over the weekend picking up a new-to-me bike. There was a bit of a curveball thrown ....
On Saturday night, I flew to Charleston SC from South Florida to buy a 2019 BMW C650 GT. It's matte blue with 7,126 miles. The agreed-upon price was $7,250. That would change.
Earlier Saturday, the seller called to say, "we have a situation." That was the curveball. The bike had a flat rear tire. To his credit, he turned over every stone trying to find a tire the Charleston BMW dealer could install before they closed at 4:00 p.m. No luck. With the dealer closed normally on Sunday and Monday, my options were, 1) wait until the following Friday for a new tire to arrive at the dealer, racking up a $1,000 hotel bill, or 2) plug the tire and trust my repair work would carry me 555 miles safely home. No brainer. I chose the plug.
Because there was NO. POSSIBLE. WAY. the TSA would let me on a plane carrying tire repair tools -- basically two T-handled ice picks -- I asked the seller to buy a kit at Walmart. He got the deluxe version for $10.99.
The flat tire was an OEM Metzeler he had put on the bike 500 miles ago. Essentially new. I priced the tire and asked if he would lower the price of the bike by $200, since I'd have to buy a new tire when I got home. He agreed and the price became $7,050. Another fortuitous financial turn: I cashed in frequent flyer miles to buy my one-way ticket for a grand total of $5.60, seat choice and carry on included. Negative hit: $143 for a dump of a hotel on Saturday from my 1:30 a.m. arrival until the seller picked me up at 7:00 a.m.
The repair was straightforward. He had a portable pump. I put both tires at 38.0 psi and did some sea trials to make sure the tire held air. I was pleasantly surprised to see the TPMS readout agreed with my reading of 38.0 psi. The four previous GT's I had all read 3 lbs. lower-than-actual. It was noon by the time I repaired the tire and tested it, did a quick cleaning, then stopped at Walmart for a portable inflater in case my plug failed.
When I started for home, within a mile I was confronted by my personal riding Kryptonite: Tall bridges. I hate riding across high bridges. The bridge to Charleston is tall, though nothing compared to the Sunshine Skyway in Tampa, which puts your bike in serious winds 40-stories over the earth on the longest cable-concrete bridge in the world. Yummy. When I bought the 2015 GT I just sold, I had to cross that Tampa Tower of Terror within minutes of the seller's house. I alternately yelled EFF YOU at wind gusts and calmly coached myself ("Okay, you're doing fine, here's the crest ...."). In Charleston, there was little traffic and the day was calm, so the passage wasn't terrible. I came across two more tall bridges near Brunswick and Savannah, Georgia. Both times, I chose another route. Eff you, effing tall bridges.
On the ride home, I LOVED having live tire pressure readings. Very reassuring to see your tire is fine at a glance. It's one of my favorite features about this bike. Other than heating up a pound or two while riding, which is normal, both tires were at 38.0 when I turned off the key at home, same as when I started. Success. The plug held and I bonded with the bike. We rolled through the fire together.
New tire? We don't need no stinkin' new tire ("Scarface" reference). I'm thinking maybe I stick with the plug instead of a new tire. It's new, the plug is solid and the savings enhance the best deal I ever made on a bike. To wit: there are five 2019's for sale today on CycleTrader. Average asking price is $11,015. I just paid $4,000 less. One of my core evaluations for buying a bike is, "Can I clean it up and sell it tomorrow for more money?" If I can, that's a good deal.
That said, once again, I was astounded by how dirty most bikes are when you show up to buy them. In Charleston, I had access to a clubhouse with hot water, so I took an hour and gave the a bike a good preliminary cleaning, which you see in the photo. I feel better riding clean a clean bike.
The ride home was uneventul, which is what rides should be. Conditions were perfect. Low 70's and partly cloudy, meaning no direct sun beating on me for hours. The first day, I rode 180 miles to Brunswick, Georgia on Highway 17. I'm not a superslab fan. On 17, I was able to do 60 mph most of the time, which is my sweet spot. I enjoyed the endless towering pines that line the roads in South Carolina and Georgia. Later in Savannah, I marveled at huge banks of moss hanging from the trees. Between the moss and coastal fog, I can see why ghost tours are popular.
After a night in Brunswick (updated Red Roof Inn, $54), I rode 387 miles home on Sunday over 13 hours (lots of little stops). I was ready to roll at 4:00 a.m. but it felt too cold at 52 degrees. Being acclimated to South Florida, I don't ride below 55. When I did get rolling, at 7:00 a.m. and 58 degrees, the heated seat and grips were much appreciated.
It is nice to own a Gen 2.0 again (2016+ models). I love the quicker acceleration and the BMW growl engineers added. It's the newest GT I've owned and I may have warranty left. I will check on that later. It was a long way to go to buy a bike but worth it for a great deal and fantastic riding experience.
Random observations on the road ....
.... Cramp Busters throttle lock clamps rock on long rides. A little pressure on the heel of the hand is blessed relief from holding your hand in a fist for hours. However, I found it cumbersome at parking lot speed, and accidentally launched myself forward a few times. I removed it within an hour of arriving home.
.... Only one person on the JetBlue flight was wearing a mask. Me. I took it off briefly in the airport to eat a bag of Kettle Chips and felt like I was living on the edge. I wore the mask for Uber rides, in hotels, stores and restaurants.
.... Uber charged me $56 at 1:10 a.m. for a 12-mile ride from the airport to Mount Pleasant. When I woke up the next day, I checked the airport rate to see if it is always $56. It was $26, less than half. Bye bye, Uber. Hello, Lyft.
.... I checked with the BMW dealer for service history. Seller had 6,000 mile service done in October, No need to change oil and filter, which I'd normally do. On the other hand, the 6,000 mile list includes brake fluid, which wasn't done. The fluid is dark. I am headed out to change it after this post.
.... UPDATE: Happily, I have full warranty through December 2022. With travel plans for the bike this summer, that is reassuring. If you're in a jam, I've heard BMW roadside assistance is legendary.
UPDATE 2: Photos of bike with backrests and luggage rack on street with paving stones was taken after a thorough cleaning at home, right down to the wheels (and underneath the bike). Wheels had never been cleaned, but BrakeKleen works wonders, just wear safety goggles because it can splash. Changed the brake fluid; checked air and CVT filters; installed a Battery Tender harness and charged the battery to 100%; added four ounces of BMW Fuel System Cleaner, good to go.