keith morgan
Guest
Where do I start? Passed my test in the late 80’s and owned a few cheap jap bikes before work, houses and kids intervened and biking went on hold due to the usual time / cash constraints.
Emerged from the grind of babies / toddlers mucho overweight, still working hard but ready to get a life back. Got really into road cycling (hard training, bit of racing etc) and got lighter / fitter but still had little time left to fuel the bike habit beyond hiring a few here and there and general abuse of dealer test rides!
Jan 2000 comes around and as it’s the dawn of a new millenium change seems in order. Web browsing (not including this site strangely?) and mag reading has re-kindled the flame of biking generally (and GSing specifically) and turned it into a raging fire, so the bullet is bit and a beautiful black R1100GS becomes mine. 12 months of fun follow but fate intervenes in the form of a ‘must buy’ house and the black GS turns into £5k which clinches the deal on the house and leaves me the coldest of cold turkeys.
2 years have passed and there aren’t many days when I haven’t wished I hadn’t sold that beauty – just can’t kick the habit! (To the ex Ducati owner with the dodgy back who came all the way from Northern Ireland to Leeds on the back of a mates red GS to buy it – hope you enjoyed it! Are you on this list?)
But there’s no turning the clock back and you can’t influence the past…………….
Still working hard and short of time but recently decided to try and kill the craving with some cheap off road biking so have been fooling around on an old Yamaha Serow. Funny thing is that’s just made the addiction worse and now the ‘soft drug’ Serow isn’t enough and I need the ‘class A’ hit of a GS again.
Then I found this forum and, together with the looming of the big 40, I just can’t get thoughts of owning another big GS out of my head. Damn you guys – I was nearly clean (yeah right!), now I gotta up my dose – but to what! (BTW – what happened to the rest of the site?)
Have read the various threads about the pros and cons of the 1100, the 1150 and the Adventure and I know no-one but me can make the ultimate decision but, hell, give me your views anyway – it’ll be good to feel part of forum instead of ‘listening in’ from the outside
So here’s the parameters for the benefit of your wisdom:
1. Can’t buy until May (it’s a long story) – possibly prepared to wait even beyond that for the right bike even if it means I don’t get much GSing done this year. What’s another few months when you’re waiting for the dream!
2. Budget = £6k - £10k. A difficult one this (but pretty obviously critical!). Could stretch to the £10k but is this the right thing to do? The heart says yes, the head says pick up a used one for £6 - £8k – you know the debate!
3. Mileage – c5k pa. One or two big trips a year, a few weekends away and the usual spring to autumn rides for fun – all solo. Basically the bike will be for pleasure but as I don’t get that many opportunities to ride, when I do, I like to ride long. All day in the saddle is my idea of fun but the RTW trip is a good 10 years and a few bikes away!.
4. Riding style – steady and safe. As I read on a thread somewhere recently, I ride well within my (and the GS’s) limits cos I ain’t into risking mine or the family’s future
5. Spec – love the tough, ‘overlander’ looks of any GS, definitely want ABS, love black bikes and I’m a sucker for those blue / black rims, the large tank and the generally OTT style of the Adventure. Mods will probably be limited to cosmetic stuff cos I ain’t a good enough rider to discriminate between Showas and Ohlins! But are looks the be all and end all?
Really enjoy reading the posts on this forums – tried the BMW Club in the past and I only went the once! – the stuff on here is fantastic. Great sense of camaraderie comes through loud and clear.
Give me your views – straight from the hip!
Thanks,
Keith
PS That Dan Walsh from Bike Mag – top writer, always makes me laugh and a good wordsmith
Emerged from the grind of babies / toddlers mucho overweight, still working hard but ready to get a life back. Got really into road cycling (hard training, bit of racing etc) and got lighter / fitter but still had little time left to fuel the bike habit beyond hiring a few here and there and general abuse of dealer test rides!
Jan 2000 comes around and as it’s the dawn of a new millenium change seems in order. Web browsing (not including this site strangely?) and mag reading has re-kindled the flame of biking generally (and GSing specifically) and turned it into a raging fire, so the bullet is bit and a beautiful black R1100GS becomes mine. 12 months of fun follow but fate intervenes in the form of a ‘must buy’ house and the black GS turns into £5k which clinches the deal on the house and leaves me the coldest of cold turkeys.
2 years have passed and there aren’t many days when I haven’t wished I hadn’t sold that beauty – just can’t kick the habit! (To the ex Ducati owner with the dodgy back who came all the way from Northern Ireland to Leeds on the back of a mates red GS to buy it – hope you enjoyed it! Are you on this list?)
But there’s no turning the clock back and you can’t influence the past…………….
Still working hard and short of time but recently decided to try and kill the craving with some cheap off road biking so have been fooling around on an old Yamaha Serow. Funny thing is that’s just made the addiction worse and now the ‘soft drug’ Serow isn’t enough and I need the ‘class A’ hit of a GS again.
Then I found this forum and, together with the looming of the big 40, I just can’t get thoughts of owning another big GS out of my head. Damn you guys – I was nearly clean (yeah right!), now I gotta up my dose – but to what! (BTW – what happened to the rest of the site?)
Have read the various threads about the pros and cons of the 1100, the 1150 and the Adventure and I know no-one but me can make the ultimate decision but, hell, give me your views anyway – it’ll be good to feel part of forum instead of ‘listening in’ from the outside
So here’s the parameters for the benefit of your wisdom:
1. Can’t buy until May (it’s a long story) – possibly prepared to wait even beyond that for the right bike even if it means I don’t get much GSing done this year. What’s another few months when you’re waiting for the dream!
2. Budget = £6k - £10k. A difficult one this (but pretty obviously critical!). Could stretch to the £10k but is this the right thing to do? The heart says yes, the head says pick up a used one for £6 - £8k – you know the debate!
3. Mileage – c5k pa. One or two big trips a year, a few weekends away and the usual spring to autumn rides for fun – all solo. Basically the bike will be for pleasure but as I don’t get that many opportunities to ride, when I do, I like to ride long. All day in the saddle is my idea of fun but the RTW trip is a good 10 years and a few bikes away!.
4. Riding style – steady and safe. As I read on a thread somewhere recently, I ride well within my (and the GS’s) limits cos I ain’t into risking mine or the family’s future
5. Spec – love the tough, ‘overlander’ looks of any GS, definitely want ABS, love black bikes and I’m a sucker for those blue / black rims, the large tank and the generally OTT style of the Adventure. Mods will probably be limited to cosmetic stuff cos I ain’t a good enough rider to discriminate between Showas and Ohlins! But are looks the be all and end all?
Really enjoy reading the posts on this forums – tried the BMW Club in the past and I only went the once! – the stuff on here is fantastic. Great sense of camaraderie comes through loud and clear.
Give me your views – straight from the hip!
Thanks,
Keith
PS That Dan Walsh from Bike Mag – top writer, always makes me laugh and a good wordsmith
