I had been pacing around all day like an expectant father. AAB’s Brand Partnerships Manager Mitch Newell had been out on a photo shoot with Clubby and he was riding ‘my’ latest bike to review, BMW’s mighty R 1250 GSA Rallye X. I’d planned a decent ride out to the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range from Sydney and the last thing I needed was a worn-out rear tyre before I even started. And if there’s one bloke capable of shredding a rear tyre in a day, it’s that crazy wheelstand demon we call ‘Mitch Domokos’.
So Clubby and Mitch finally arrived at my doorstep in the late afternoon. The looks on their faces reminded me of two-year-olds when they’ve crapped their pants. I sensed they were hiding something and a feeling of dread came over me: That bloody Mitch has smoked my rear tyre!
I reached for my trusted Vernier callipers and headed straight for the back end of the Beemer to examine the tread. Phew! It was apparent he’d held back on the throttle and a diplomatic incident had been avoided.
WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT?
In this age of shiny new things when the latest and greatest models supersede previous machines in the blink of an eye, and when rumours are rife of an upcoming 1300cc-plus variant of the iconic BMW GSA platform, it would be tempting to sit back and wait for the latest announcement and ignore what’s currently out there.
In that light, my approach to this review is unique. This was no shiny new
