[throttlemeister]

Last week it was Ascension Day, which for us in Europe means a public holiday and long weekend off and for me in particular it means riding in the German Eifel area with my friends for 4 days.

Since getting the big K in 2009, my pretty R11S has been seriously lacking riding love as the K is much more comfortable for me on long trips due to the added space and more relaxed riding position. However, this year I decided to take the R on this long weekend ride.

OMG, I had forgotten how much of a blast it is to throw a properly setup R11S around in tight turns and twisties. It is so light and nimble and the hammering sound from the Staintunes when powering out of turns from low RPM is intoxicating. And just like when I had just bought it, it feels slow if you are used to the rush of an inline 4, until you look at the dials in front of you.

It almost seemed like everybody else had the same idea too. In those 4 days I have literally seen a few dozen R11S. Only 1 R12S and a handful K12S. It's still quite popular here and it still kicks butt.

This bike isn't going anywhere soon. It may be down on exersize, but its not down on love. I love how it looks and its an absolute hoot to ride. There may be lots of better, newer and faster bikes out there, but none that connect with me as much on an emotional level.