Might as well... Sport - No thanks. M - Mega no thanks. Tour = No thanks. Why is everything black? Roadster - The F900R has promise. I wish it looked like a motorcycle. Heritage - Well, ah, I wouldn't kick the R18 Classic out of bed unless it ate crackers. Adventure = Now, we're talking. I might be inclined to go with the 850 v the 1200. I like smaller bikes. Urban Mobility - No thanks, I'll use Uber.
F900R is a cool bike. A friend of mine just got one. GS 850 and 750 are great as well. I like my 1200 but I can see the appeal of the smaller bikes as well. What about the R nine T?
Just put 1500 miles on the GSA over the last 5 days... pretty much awesome. I think it's a keeper! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks! I just need some better weather now, to ride them. Although the ride through California was fine, the ride from the Oregon border north was cold and wet.
Yes. The more I've ridden it, the more I like it. And on a long trip, it really shines. Riding it to Starbucks and back, which is basically what I did with it for the first year of my ownership (don't judge me-- I had some logistical reasons why I couldn't stretch it's legs) is definitely not it's sweet spot, although it's not bad at that either. I still haven't had it on dirt or gravel yet, but will probably do a bit of that this summer. I suspect I will prefer my Tiger for that sort of thing, but it's nice to know the GS can do it. It's not perfect, but on the other hand I can't really think of anything I would change about it at this point. The guys I rode with both had 1250s, but I don't really see any big advantage. They got a tiny bit better gas mileage, but most of that may have been because I was the last guy and sometimes had to charge to keep up.
I should add, I have big plans for the GS. Baja next winter, and then Alaska in a year or two. Then maybe the east coast.
Blue RT for me. Year will depend on where I'm at money wise when I can't hold out any longer. Maybe a decommissioned RT-P and I'll paint/refurb it. They are in constant stock at my local dealers.
A good friend of mine bought an old state police RT, and painted it. He used it as a commuter/leave at the airport bike for years, and I think was very happy with it.
Bought this 2000 R1200C Stiletto (obliously it sat out back for a bit) and still kick myself for selling it. Great all around machine and I swear it ran better in rainly/crappy weather. Had barbacks and the long drag bar. Nowhere near as good as the gymkana guys, but I coulda got there with her. Got a G310R in 2018 (gone now) as a goof and while the clutch was absolute isht (solved on the new ones) and taking it over 70 was sketchy, I relearned some critical handling skills. An elite MSF bike at best, but it was cheap and fun. Image Unavailable, Please Login
For Alaska trip have good rain gear. The dry season in Alaska is the rainy season in BC. I really don't mind rain when dressed for it and visibility is OK. I don't think we had a dry day in BC. California was dry, Oregon was dry, Washington was mostly dry but BC had rain every day. BC did have the best roads though. And I thought most scenic.
I bought mine just because it fell into my lap and they're as common as anything in Asheville. It seems everyone other bike is a GS. I didn't expect much. Now, it's pretty much all I ride. It's so under stressed and still has plenty of power. Nothing dazzling but more than adequate. I trust it completely. I'm trying to figure out the tires. I just mounted some Michelin 90/10's. They're pretty much worthless off the road and roar above 70MPH on the highway. I wish I would have bought street tires. Really a good bike.