This trip was special for a couple reasons. First it was the maiden journey for the K1600, and second I met my older brother in Fredericksburg, TX for a two day adventure! He flew down to San Antonio from MI and rented a Harley Davidson Street Glide Limited with all the bells and whistles. We had a great time touring my favorite riding area…the Texas hill country.
The trip was only four days, but it was a good test for the K1600.
April in Colorado can be hit or miss. The weather started out cold, but was perfect by the time I got home.
DAY 1
I was excited for this trip! I was only able to put a couple thousand miles on the K1600 since I bought it a few months ago, and I was chomping at the bit to get her out on the open road. I woke up early and prepared the bike.
It was overcast and only 38 degrees according to the gauge on the BMW. The plan today was to make it to my camp spot in the Enchanted Rock State Park. It was about 750 miles, a long day in the saddle.
But my campsite is only about 20 miles from Fredericksburg, where I planned to meet my brother tomorrow morning.
Our maiden voyage!
I pushed the loaded K1600 out of the garage and fired her up. I turned the heated grips and seat to the highest setting, and raised the windshield. It was damp and cold in Colorado Springs, I was worried I might run into snow going over the passes.
The view from my house before rolling out…it was a cold morning.
I worked my way to I-25 and headed south towards the New Mexico border. Today was all about covering ground, so I set the cruise to 85, and just let the big K1600 do what it does best…munch the miles. I was thankful for the heated grips and seat, and also thankful for the excellent wind protection.
I settled into a comfortable pace until I started seeing snow south of Pueblo. It was snowing lightly, nothing more than flurries and not sticking to the road, but it caused me to slow down considerably.
I put the K1600 in “Rain Mode” and kept rolling. I zipped through Walsenburg and Trinidad, stopping only once for a bathroom break. It was cold, damp, and windy! Southern Colorado is beautiful despite the windy and cold conditions.
It was cold and damp, but beautiful!
Once I hit Raton, NM the skies began to clear, but the wind picked up. The wind was coming from the west and pushing east. Which made the ride east to Dalhart, TX a breeze.
However, it got serious once I started south towards San Angelo. The wind was insane! There were warning signs all along the road, warning truckers and high profile vehicles. Tumble weeds and dust whipped across the road.
Eventually the Texas Highway Patrol closed the highway for all high profile vehicles…a few miles later I would see why. Semi trucks were literally on their side…wind gusts blew them over!
The K1600 isn’t exactly a tiny bike, several times a powerful wind gust would catch it and it would deactivate the cruise control. The big powerful engine had no problem maintaining speed, but I was leaning into the wind pretty good just to keep the bike upright.
It was exhausting and I resigned to the fact that there was no way I was going to make it to my destination.
I fought the wind until I made it to San Angelo. The K1600 had plenty left to give but I didn’t. I got a hotel room and took a long hot shower, it felt good to get all the dust and crap off me from the wind. But I was bummed about not being able to camp at the beautiful Enchanted Rock State Park.
Looks like I have an excuse to come out this way again!
DAY 2
I woke up earlier than originally planned…no choice! I had to cover another 150 miles before I met my brother in Fredericksburg. I quickly ate breakfast at the hotel and hit the road to Fredericksburg.
The morning was cool but sunny…and no wind!! It was a beautiful ride into Fredericksburg and the K1600 felt effortless as it pounded out the miles.
I pulled into Fredericksburg 30 minutes before our meet up time, and went to the Starbucks where we planned to meet. I sat out on the patio and enjoyed the warm sun along with a cup of coffee while I waited for my brother. It was 75 degrees and absolutely perfect!
Before long I heard the rumble of a Harley pull into the parking lot…there he was with a big ol grin! He parked his big Harley next to my K1600. It was great to see him again!
The K1600 and the Harley ready to hit the road.
We caught up over a cup of coffee and discussed our plan before hitting the road. We would take the day and cruise the hill country, we were in no rush.
My brother asked to ride the K1600 while I take the Harley for a while. We switched back and forth, discussing the differences and enjoying the ride.
My brother is a fellow long rider and has owned many bikes…he knows quality and I value his opinion!
My brother had good things to say about the BMW K1600.
We worked out way through several rural roads. The hill country is a beautiful place to ride! Some of the roads were so rural that they would transition from pavement to gravel and back to pavement unexpectedly.
The Harley and the BMW are perfect mules for these roads. Comfortable and capable!
I enjoyed the Harley, it was very comfortable. You definitely felt the engine heat while riding slow and it felt a lot heavier than the K1600 Grand America.
The K1600 beat the snot out of it in several performance comparisons my brother and I put them through. That said, the Harley is a very comfortable and beautiful bike!
The Harley is a comfortable and relaxing bike. It makes you want to just cruise and enjoy the ride.
We worked our way to the twisted sisters and experienced all they have to offer. The smells that a rider experiences in the hill country is surreal. The sweet smell of blue bonnets and sage in bloom fill the air…and then you’ll get hit with the delicious smell of a hill country BBQ joint smoking their brisket and ribs. It’s heavenly!
Fields of blue bonnets were found all over the hill country.
More blue bonnets!
There are plenty of places here where cattle free range. You need to ride with caution because it’s not unusual to see them in the middle of the road. I was a happy camper spending quality time with my big bro!
I was a happy camper!
Free range cows…and an American Hoss…does it get any better?
The German foreign exchange student doing her best to fit in…
Both bikes performed wonderfully, and we rode until the sun set.
Around dinner time the smell of BBQ became too much. We decided to stop and enjoy some of that delicious Texas style brisket and ribs. We ate until we were stuffed, and finally turned in to our cheap hotel for the night.
DAY 3
We didn’t have the greatest night of sleep…both of us are thrifty and trying to save a buck has bit us both when it comes to hotels. The beds were uncomfortable and it was loud thanks to the thin walls. But we were showered, coffeed up, and greeted to a perfect morning for some more riding!
The morning was perfect riding weather…again!
My brother had to return the Harley in the afternoon, so we only had a couple of hours of riding together for our morning. We zipped along some twisty roads and finally stopped for lunch. But not before getting a picture of us in a typical TX setting.
Me and my brother, making memories with our knees in the breeze!
We enjoyed our lunch, and laughed about our younger days. We hugged goodbye and he headed towards San Antonio to return the rental, while I headed northwest back to Colorado.
I hit the road with a smile on my face feeling very blessed…it’s awesome to be able to make memories like this with people you love.
The ride north was uneventful. It was a perfect spring day and the K1600 settled into it’s typical pace…fast. The destination today was my campground reservation at John Martin Reservoir State Park in Colorado.
I had about 600 miles to cover, an easy task on the big BMW.
The K1600 can cover a lot of ground with ease.
It was a long and boring day in the saddle, but the weather was perfect and the roads were clear.
It was getting dark by the time I pulled into the campground, and I was treated to the most beautiful sunset.
Sunset at John Martin reservoir.
I set up my tent and went to sleep without a fire. I slept like a baby, and woke up to a crisp but beautiful spring morning.
DAY 4
The morning was cool and overcast. Not uncomfortable, but just cool enough to be reminded that it’s still April. Today’s ride was only a couple hours, I would be home by lunch time. I loaded the K1600 and headed west.
I thought about the BMW and took a moment to appreciate what an amazing tourer she is. It’s not a sport tourer, but it is a very capable and comfortable mount for a long rider.
I pulled into my driveway before noon…just as expected. I took my gear off and unloaded the bike.
I take a lot of bike trips and only the ones worth blogging about make the site…this was definitely one of them!
Thanks to my brother Lorin for making the trip special.
Sport Touring Cycle Adventures 