BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Hi all.
I just wanted to ask and compare with the touring characteristics of the riders over here and over wherever you may be.
I'm in South Korea now and and bike riders in Korea kinda suffer from a bad rep because of those few who cut between lanes constantly slicing between other cars and riding recklessly. I understand even from a drivers perspective why they have a bad rep.
Aside from riding around a CBR 600 in the states for about a year, I got off a bike and got back on here about two years ago on a Harley 883R. It was kinda fun riding around with the Harley crowd but then I kinda got tired of the lack of ridability on Harleys. It's fun at first but it felt rather primitive to me and to tell you the truth it felt more like a fashion show than a group of people going for a ride.
I got off the Harley and said goodbye to the fashionistas and got myself my dream bike: the K1200R.
Great ride. So much fun, but I didn't much appreciate the cam chain noise and the certain "bugs" that this bike had and BMW didn't want to acknowledge. I also thought I'd one day run it to trouble, or a wall accelerating the way I did on that thing. So I finally settled on a R1200R.

Alot of fun to ride. Great at slow speeds, loads of power through every gear, very different from the K1200R but a lot of fun through every gear. I think I'll be on this thing for a while.

So I got that about 2 weeks ago, put about 800 kms on it to get the feel of it and went on my first tour with a pretty popular group here known for great riding skills.

Not sure but I think they ride a bit fast, ususally double the speed limit. If it's a 80 kmh zone they'll pull an average 160 and up to 180 at times. It's the open road so it didn't feel "unsafe" though pretty fast and a damn strain on my neck thanks to my little shield that looks like it was made only to prevent the wind from ripping the meter away.
Through the country roads and the curvies they're going at least 90-120... Not quite at the limit but enough to make you think twice but definately double the speed limit.
Don't get me wrong I think they're great riders. They're pulling in front of replica riders and zipping by pretty much any other rider out there but is this how you'd ride with a group of 10 to 15?

IS THIS WHAT'S CONSIDERED GREAT RIDING?
Is this how BMW riders are supposed to ride?

I'm kinda confused as to what is safe riding and what is not.
In the city on the way to the mountains we're cutting between lanes, in front of cars in gaps less than 4 feet wide staying no more than 4-5 feet from each other to keep the gaps open...
I dont know but that's not exactly my idea of fun.
So the question is, from what I've mentioned... Is this how we're SUPPOSED to ride? or is there something tweaked out in this club?

OR

IS this how I should learn to ride?

Hope you can give me your opinions. I don't think I've ever seen riders ride like this in LA except for a few rogue solo'ers you see zipping by you on the I-5.

I generally don't like to ride in groups bigger than 4-6 people. I also stay as far away from high traffic areas as I can. It is illegal to lane split in my state, so I do not do it. I do not like riding with a group that gets too close to each other, since it leaves no space for you to avoid potential obstacles.

Not my idea of a good time! I would find another group to ride with if that,s what you,re into. Sooner or later something gonna go bad with the style of riding you described. Good Luck!

http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=FIB93p_fGF4

I think this best describes how we were riding, maybe a bit slower, with about double the traffic, on a two lane semi-freeway. Not sure how to post videos so there it is.

Thanks for the reply. I was speaking with a couple of riders and I think I just ended up with a group that are pretty well known for being kinda crazy. One thing's for sure. I'm impressed with the R1200GS because 90 percent of them are riding like that on the GS. I'm going on a tour with another crowd next week to see how this one works out.

In Korea, there are laws but there's no cops on the roads to enforce them.
There is no developed Highway Patrol, there are no patrol cars that drive on the roads to pull people over. I think that's the weirdest thing... The only time you get pulled over is when cops are parked and stopping people on the road. It's really funny when they do this though. They just step in front of these cars passing by and stop them on the road.
Weird, and dangerous.

Thanks for the reply.