Bikes you didn't like nearly as much as you thought you would.

What a fun thread. I don’t think I have posted on ADV in years…So, why not.

In a number of decades of riding and owning about 20 bikes, only two were sold because I did not like them. The others were sold because I get bored with any bike after 4 or 5 years.

The R1150GS. Is was a wonderful bike in so many ways, it took me all over the country and on some nasty off road adventures with the 21” front wheel I put on it but I could never cure the buffeting, and yes I tried everything short of running a barn door size windscreen.


The other was a R1150RT. I finally thought I had found my perfect bike, but after a 2,000 mile run I stepped off in my driveway and realized I felt like I just climbed out of a minivan….I need a bit more of a visceral riding experience. I purchased my second R1100S. Mucho better.


Last comment, if I was still an admin and mod on this silly site I would give the guy who said he hated the sound of the 94’ VFR gear driven cams a lifetime ban. There never has been a sweeter sound than those cams as the RPM’s go up!

The ST1300.... like riding a vanilla ice cream cone. Does everything right but has no soul....

Vanilla is my favorite ice dream. But for vehicles, no -- I'm pretty much a "buy Italian" sort of guy.

PhilB

This is why I can't stop riding my V11 Tenni.

i'm with ya.... that gear whine sounds so sweet to my ears, especially on a rc-51....

What you are not taking into consideration is that this is BMW's best selling bike. There are a lot of them out there on the market. Almost every bike goes up for sale eventually when the owner is ready to change bikes or they need the cash out of a sale.

We share the same sentiments. In my top 3.

A good many people who talk themselves into a GS don't really need a GS, there is also the what-am-I-going-to-do-now-that-the-warranty-is-about-to-expire issue

When folks ask why I have five motorcycles in my garage, I reply: "I never met a motorcycle I didn't like, but I have never ridden the perfect motorcycle."

If any motorcycle manufacturer ever comes out with a bike that has a port I can hardwire into my brain
that emulates the following:

My first ride on a motorcycle.....
The first mortorcycle I ever purchased brand new.....
My first two-up ride with that special significant other....
My first track day.....
My first long multi-day adventure ride....

I would, as many others on this site profess......."be all over that"

I think a lot of us are looking for the same thing......................................YMMV

+1 I had a '95 VFR just like the one shown here and I've never experienced more lustful connection to a bike. Those gear-driven cams would just make me want to ride all day.

Are you trolling, or what? BMW doesn't care if the buyer doesn't need one. If the purchase of a GS was uniformly a mistake, the "fad" would have long since faded, along with sales of the model. The sales haven't faded, this is the fifth generation of the GS, and the ship sails on.

This may be heresy to post but....

When I was in high school I had a crush on the most perfect and beautiful girl in town. We were friends. Never dated.

At the same time the Honda CB750F, second generation came out. I thought it was so beautiful. I wanted one, but couldn't afford one. I watched a mostly stock CB900F destroy 'faster' bikes at a race at Brainerd International Raceway. Oh, how I wanted one of those bikes. At the time I rode a KZ650, which I'd rebuilt from a wrecked bank repo. It wasn't the prettiest bike, but I did all of the handling upgrades that I could afford, and it was (for it's time) a nice nasty bike. But it was no Honda.

Ten years later I had a chance to buy a very clean and low mile cb750f. I jumped at the chance. And it was.....not that great. It was nice, no doubt, but it was missing the edge of my old Kawaski...and the power of a Sabre I rode after the Kawa.

I kept that bike for about a year and then sold it. I don't remember any of the details now who bought it. There was no love anymore. All the longing I felt in high school were...gone.

And about the same time I went back to my home town and saw that beautiful girl. She was bagging groceries. She was still cute, yes, but I noticed she was not very bright, and actually, not that beautiful.

Cakeeater

the GB500

I rode one briefly some 20 years ago...it belonged to a friend. I stopped riding shortly after that (accident) and when I started again 17 years later, the only bike I wanted was a gb500. I couldn't find one locally, so I had one shipped to me from Kansas while I renewed my motorcycle endorsement. It arrived, I fired it up, and took it around the neighborhood. What a let-down. It had its charms, but it was uncomfortable, underpowered for highway use, and kind of a dead end from an upgrades standpoint. Sold it and bought a new triumph, which turned out to be equally disappointing for different reasons.

I've owned a few that were severe disappointments. Of the recent ones, the Bandit 1250S was a surprise. The previous 1200 Bandit fitted me like a glove, but the 1250S was incredibly uncomfortable. They are very similar setups, and I have no idea why they feel so different. I tried lowered pegs, bar risers, different bars, screens and seats but couldn't get it sorted, so after 17,000km in 5 months I sold it. Absolutely lovely engine and so on, but very cramped for me (thin and 5'11") and my pillions hated it.

I don't believe I said it was "uniformly a mistake" nor "a fad" tho many are not put to the use for which they are intended. The suggestion tho was that there are a lot of used GS's due to it being their largest selling model. While I think that may well be part of it, from the number of very clean used one's I've seen, there's more at play than that.

Maybe this?

An oldy but a goody!

I understood what you meant. And perhaps not gently, I was suggesting that you are incorrect as to why there are a lot of them for sale. If the bikes were dogs, the majority of the ones for sale would be either low miles or low dollars or both. They are not. 1150s still command remarkably good money used, and you can still sell an 1100GS.

I am a total moto slut...I have loved all the bikes I have owned and ridden with just a few exceptions:

2010 Triumph Tiger 1050, had shit fueling, and worse rear shock. Engine felt like it should have been as much fun as a Speed Triple, but never lived up to it. Bars made my hands numb in 15mins of riding. Riding it was.... boring.

My 2007 Aprilia Tuono was very nearly my favorite bike ever, but it hardly ever ran. Instrument consol flooded every time it rained and shorted the bike out, battery died if not ridden every two days...list went on and on, so eventually gave it back to the dealer. When it worked though it was awesome, and I could have spent a bit of money on it and sorted the electrics, the ridiculously tall gearing etc but I got the shits with it letting me down all the time.

For me it has to be my 03 Aprilia Tuono 1000 thought I'd try a twin after yrs on IL4's only to find out after 2000mls it wasn't for me, it was a stunning bike with low mileage as well but I just couldn't gel with it and was slower on it than my other bikes on my favorite roads......:huh so I sold it on and repalced it with my present bike Triumph speed triple 1050 one word awesome.....