On Topic! Is my bike just too neutral?

Yep.

I get the same problem riding push bikes, unless I strengthen my
abdominal muscles I get quite bad back strain on longer rides.
Oddly enough it is worse on my more sit-up 'shopper' than the
more stretched out mountain bike or racer.

On the subject of my MTB, It has just won the 4 day C2C adventure race.
Well, when I say it. I lent it to an extremely fit Team Ixion member
over from New Zealand (Congratulations Liam), he may have had something
to do with it.

http://www.sleepmonsters.co.uk/racereport.php?page_action=rep&race_id=7635&article_id=6058

 

??? I've had 55,000 very happy km on mine. I admit I don't have much
experience of anything else, and I also admint I'm very tempted by the
K1300GT, but it's been a lovely bike so far.

 

You may have been lucky but they have a reputation for reliability that
would require Lozzo to get a bigger book.

I've been advised directly by 2 BMW mechanics to avoid the 1200s due to
the large number of serious repairs they have needed to do - cranks,
gearboxes, brakes & electrics seem to be the common problems.

Then again, when I was in getting the brake fluid change on the
Bumblebus, there was a 14,000 mile R1150R in for a new ABS pump thingy -
£1500 in parts alone.

 

Well, it's definitely different. And sat out in the wind I'm certainly
not going so quickly. I'll see how it goes, but so far I don't feel a
desperate need to put the screen back on. Perhaps I'll go out again
later when it rains.

T just spotted me looking at a big bore 'Busa on ebay. Do women have to
go on special courses to learn how to frown like that or is it natural?

 

Heh the R1150GS I'd been looking at had in it's description "Originally
fitted with ABS, this has now been removed & converted back to a non-ABS
model using the correct BMW parts by ourselves".

 

I believe they learn it from their mothers.

 

Fitting a footpeg lowering kit made the R-GS more comfortable. With the new
pegs my knees are less bent and I can support more weight on my feet thus
reducing the load through the coccyx. Googling suggest footpeg kits are
available for your bike, although not from Migsel where I got mine from.

The new, to me, Sargent saddle has improved things no end, too. The firmer
foam seems to spread the load more evenly. On the old saddle I sank into
the foam and seemed to sit on a couple of pressure points.

 

It did look better with F perched on top, I have to admit

 

Well, so do I.

 

LOL!

 

Nope, nope and nope... err. I clearly have a different sense of
aesthetics to you. And possibly the rest the biking world.