So I sold a bike I really liked today, a 2009 Triumph Rocket III Touring I’ve owned for almost a dozen years. I already miss it. I want something else, and here’s the problem: The bikes I’m considering couldn’t be more different. I’m looking at a a new 1250GS/GSA, or a 2018.5+ 1200GSA...or a 850GSA. Or an Indian Roadmaster. Or a new/newer Goldwing. Ah, but that Victory Crosscountry, tho.... Yeah, I’m a mess. Some other inmates here must’ve found themselves in a similar situation. Advice, please. Be as gentle as possible...this ain’t JoMomma. When I first bought it from Mark and Lance at Rocket Motorcycles in San Diego: Surrounded by Harleys but I felt like I belonged: Troubles? I’ve had my share: The new owner couldn’t be happier:
I'm a multiple personality bike owner, too. Currently in the stable are a '02 1150RT, a '05 Ducati ST3, and a '06 K1200S. They all fit different "needs" but I've been wanting to thin the herd and the most likely candidate would be the RT. The RT was my reentry bike after an almost 20 hiatus from riding. Like you and the Rocket parting with the RT won't be easy but..... Which leads me to the K12s. I love its speed and power but no longer ride as aggressively as I used to. If I can move both bikes I'll go with a 1250 GSA and keep the ST3. As for your wide ranging list of potential rides, why don't you sit down and write a list of positives and negatives about each then begin paring them down until you're able to define the bike that presses all of your "buttons."
You, sir, are an effing genius. I just read that last part to my wife and she agreed. I want to go to far-off places but don’t want to trailer a bike. I want to ride off-road but don’t want to be uncomfortable en route there. Ugh.... Putting together a list now. Thanks.
You just described one of those GSAs on your list. The deciding factor is if you want more power/speed/comfort for the highway, or if you want to do more off road and are willing to give up some top end. If you really just mean off pavement/gravel roads, the 1200 is perfect for those. ...and If you’re a bad ass off roader, the 1200 will go all kinds of crazy places. Edit to add: I have put many many miles on big bmw touring bikes like the KLT and RT - the 1200GS has way more all day comfort and is easier to ride than anything else I’ve had. I’ve not had much experience with cruiser type bikes, but the GS compares favorably to me to those as well - I am NOT a fan, though, of feet forward riding.
Looks like you're willing to spend 20k on a new bike. One option would be buy two lightly used 10k bikes, or maybe three 7k bikes. If you only have room for one, I would suggest renting each one you're considering to help with your decision. Better to spend a little up front than be stuck with something you don't care for.
This is what I did the last time I went bike shopping. I'm a 1-bike person, so I also had columns for "Needs", what I actually needed the bike for, and "Wants", what I wanted to do with the bike. The "Wants" were listed in order of likeliness or importance. Yeah, I'm one of those. It was a fun excercise and the result was perfect for me, 100% of my needs and 90% of my wants. I hit all my more likely wants.
With the exception of buying the RT new in '02, this is what I've done since then. I try to find the cleanest low mileage version of what I'd like to have and then I go after it. That's how I bought a BMW K1, a BMW K1200RS, a Ducati 907IE, the BMW K1200S, the Ducati ST3, and a Ducati 1000DS SS. All except the K1200RS were shipped from other states and I've sold to out of state buyers and helped them with transporter pickup. There are some gems to be found if you look hard enough because there's always a seller out there who DIDN'T put serious thought into a bike purchase before pulling out his wallet. To the OP, their loss is your gain. For me the K1200RS and K1200S were absolute low mileage steals.
This is kind of how I ended up marrying my ex-wife. That cost me a house. But in all seriousness, this is good advice... just don't forget to listen to your tingly bits. Motorcycles should not be entirely rational choices.
No shit. That's how I ended up with this. Lusted after this model for years and found what had to be about the best ever example; 4.8k miles, original owner, all paperwork including the original temporary tag from the selling dealer, pristine condition. Rode it a total of 218 miles over 17 months and every mile I rode I asked myself WTF was I thinking. The 1000DS SS is a sweet bike that's better suited for someone < 5'-10" who likes to feel like they're riding a race bike. I was >< close to putting it on static display in my home before electing to list it for sale. The guy who bought it owned it two months before discovering the same thing I did - and I had warned him. Purchasing the Duc was totally irrational especially with three other bikes in the garage. On a positive note its arrival prompted me to do something I'd been wanting to do for a long time and that was to build a 1 car garage in my back yard. It's there, the Duc now lives in Dayton, OH.
The big adventure bikes are so capable on the highway and decent on mildly technical off pavement riding that it's hard to go wrong with one of them. I actually prefer long highway rides on my 1290 SA T to my Honda ST1300. Lots of my Ironbutt riding friends are using the BMW GS's primarily as street bikes which is a testament to their pavement cred.
The vast choices available are one of the main reasons I haven’t replaced my KLR yet (I sure miss that bike - a very lucky buyer got it). It is comical how I waiver. I go from big ADV bikes like GS’s, to Harley touring bikes, to middleweight twins (Kawasaki Ninja 650’s, Honda CB’s, etc). Then I figure a Grom will suit my meager “wants”, but then I am convinced I need something interstate capable (three interstates run through my congested county). Then, I convince myself I will miss exploring gravel roads, even though I have been on pretty much all of them within 100 miles. I tell myself I want a lower bike (31” maximum seat height), but I love KTM’s. And I wouldn’t mind owning a Vespa 300. But I loved the Yamaha Niken demo ride. Buying a car is different for me. Owning a car is an absolute necessity where I live, so I make car decisions quickly. But motorcycles/scooters are definitely a discretionary purchase. Oh yeah, I don’t want to own more than one bike. And then I read Faceplant here, and wonder why I am even considering another motorcycle at all... I know...hopeless.
That seems like the point of multi-cylinder adventure bikes. Pick the one of the BMW GS bikes you listed that makes you most comfortable on the road. Since you listed a couple of cruisers I gotta ask if the off-road is really that, or is it relatively easy dirt road? If it's harder stuff, maybe lean towards the 850GS, if you can road trip on it. If you aren't comfortable road tripping on the BMWs, which heavyweight cruiser or tourer do you want to ride off-road (or dirt roads) and possibly drop in the dirt? Will there be a passenger on these trips?
Well, I ended up doing a fly & ride and bought a 2018 GSA. Rode it 1500 miles home over two days and love it. And that’s that!
I'm glad you solved your conundrum, and I think you won't regret it. Where I sit, the best answer is a bigger garage.
Get what makes you happy. That is what motorcycles are for. I have 2 bikes here (and one on the mainland, but those don't count) and they are largely over-lapping, an R1200GS and a V-Strom 1000 - and you know what? Love 'em both. I really enjoy riding either one - I expected to be ready to cut one loose after I'd figured out which I liked better but the answer was: "Yes!" It's hardly an excessive extravagance in the big picture. In short, you do you.
I was in this same boat. It’s been 4 years since I sold my last bike (wr250r) and couldn’t decide between a tenere 700 or a ktm 500 excf. I was sure I was going to buy the tenere 700. I figured it’s economical, easy to ride on the road, can do some off-road riding, good middle ground. Then I sat back, closed my eyes, and asked myself this question: “what would the perfect riding day look like?” It was not pavement ride, some off-road, and pavement ride back home. It was having a blast in the woods/desert. Boom, bought a 500excf and can’t stop looking at this sexy beast. First ride out and within 150 ft my heart was beating so fast and I knew I was in love.
The lure of the other bike is real, but often times best ignored. I had an F650GS twin that over a couple of years I'd set up PERFECTLY for myself. And I mean PERFECTLY. Got the fairings I wanted, the farkles, the suspension, luggage, EVERYTHING. That bike fit me like a glove. It wasn't just A bike anymore, it was MY bike. But... I read a ride report on here where an F800GS owner described going to Europe - he'd rented an F800GS but there was a problem with it, so they put him on a Triumph Tiger 800 instead for his trip. Came home, immediately sold the BMW and had a Tiger sitting in its place within a week. So I was intrigued, and I went and test rode one. Fell hard for the engine, but everything else about the bike was... meh. But I stupidly talked myself into it, and bought one anyways - convincing myself that the engine was the main thing, by the time I customized it the way I did my beloved Hummels, I'd feel the same way about the Tiger. And after 90 days of MAKING myself ride that Tiger, I sold my BMW despite my wife warning me not to, to pay off the small temporary loan I used to get the Triumph. 12 months later, I sold the Triumph having put a grand total of 700 miles on it. About half that was in the first 90 days. Was just too tall for me, couldn't get used to the handling, and just didn't enjoy the bike at all. And stupidly bought the roadie version of the same bike instead, telling myself that because it was more like the height of my BMW, I'd be way more comfortable on it. 10 months later, I sold THAT Triumph having put a grand total of 180 miles on it. And now, sitting in the garage, is another BMW twin. (F700 this time, no 650s to be had) And in three weeks, I've already put more miles on it than I did on both of those Triumphs combined. Pissed away two years, thousands of dollars, only to end up at the same place I started at. Grass isn't always greener. CONGRATS!!!