Romance vs Rationality

Ruaha

Registered user
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Location
London
Evening all,

I'm looking for some much needed advice regarding my sanity.

After having by 1200GSA nicked on the deep dark streets of South London, I took the perhaps foolhardy decision to plunge the insurance money into one of Gary's (BAMW) beautifully restored 80G/S PDs. This is a decision that I'm still trying to justify in my headspace for a variety of reasons namely reliability, practicality and the fact that I could afford an almost new 1200GSA with the same money....

This is not to be a showroom bike. It will be my only bike and only form of transport. And from a perhaps overly nostalgic pipe-dream point of view, I desperately want it to be the bike to take be from Alaska to Patagonia, London to Cape Town and beyond...one bike do do it all.

Am I crazy?! I'd appreciate your collective wisdom and thoughts,

Daniel
 
I've never owned an airhead, nor a 1200, but I know which one I'd always want to look back over my shoulder at as I walked away :thumb2
 
Autogs - Thanks for the concern. I appreciate the desirability of the PD and equal/increased chance of it getting stolen, but aside from not living in London (TBC shortly), there is little one can do to predict/prevent bike theft, regardless of bike....

Thanks Fanum - I had a PD about five years ago and actually sold it to Gary - something which I've regretted to this day and has perhaps played a part in my decision to bite the bullet in getting a second!
 
Fanum said:
I've never owned an airhead, nor a 1200, but I know which one I'd always want to look back over my shoulder at as I walked away :thumb2
Click to expand...

A vote for the 1200WC there then !

Someone close this thread now !!
 
Fanum said:
I've never owned an airhead, nor a 1200, but I know which one I'd always want to look back over my shoulder at as I walked away :thumb2
Click to expand...

true dat, but i know which one i'd rather ride any distance, and i've had several of each :)


the R80G/S is the only one i've still got though :augie
 
You made the right decision, no question.

I finally got around to buying an airhead 2 years ago and I will not be selling it.
 
80G/s are great, but they do need some modern upgrades to be everyday bikes, especially if doing short journeys,

They could do with spin on oil filter conversion,
Electronic advance for the ignition,
Better charging,
Bigger battery capacity,
Better lights,

Of course mine has non of them, but then again it's not my only bike,
I am sure you will love it though, lot of money for an airhead though!
 
ianboydsnr said:
80G/s are great, but they do need some modern upgrades to be everyday bikes, especially if doing short journeys,

They could do with spin on oil filter conversion,
Electronic advance for the ignition,
Better charging,
Bigger battery capacity,
Better lights,

Of course mine has non of them, but then again it's not my only bike,
I am sure you will love it though, lot of money for an airhead though!
Click to expand...

have to say, my G/S has adequate (OEM) charging - runs my heated jacket + gloves happily with the lights on.

battery is an Odyssey and seems well up to the job.

the headlight is better than the original 1200 item.

i have no issue with the oil filter (fiddly), or the advance either. maybe i should be more picky? :nenau


what the G/S really, really needs is a decent front brake, and a seat that wasn't a railway sleeper in a previous life. oh, and a higher ratio bevel box so it's not always revving it's tits off, though the std. one would be perfect for london traffic :)
 
If it was me - I'd get an 1100GS for the trip.......

Or - something Honda.......

Al
 
cookie said:
true dat, but i know which one i'd rather ride any distance, and i've had several of each :)


the R80G/S is the only one i've still got though :augie
Click to expand...

That sentiment, plus what Ian says a couple of posts later regarding necessary upgrades or modernisations, was kind of implicit in what I assumed the OP was talking about.......an expensively uprated airhead to make it a totally practical machine.....

Assuming that's what we're talking about, a gorgeous looking, upgraded solid airhead as opposed to a vanilla 'clitoris' modern 1200.....I'd go for the old tech dribbleworthy bike for the same money as the plastic fantastic, and I'd bet a testicle that it'd perform better overall as well. (taking into account practicalities such as fixing it with a mallet in a 3rd world country etc)

The new 12's are 'awesome', faster, smoother, newer, the whole lot, but as you say, your 80 G/S is the only one you still have, and it would be my choice of 'keeper' given the only two choices (there's a hint in there too ;) )
 
problem is once you have had an airhead thet get under your skin ,you miss them after a while there is something about them ,to be honest if i was just running around i would have a 1200 if i was going anywhere for a time and or distance it would be an airhead .
you can get every part for them if you cant fix them some one else can they are simple engineering robust and strong . not without fault of course but most of them can be sorted .
i would take the airhead everytime ,and ive had 10 or 12 gsers of all sizes from r80 to 1200gsa and the airhead is the one i allways miss .............................................................hence ive just bought another one
 
Ruaha said:
And from a perhaps overly nostalgic pipe-dream point of view, I desperately want it to be the bike to take be from Alaska to Patagonia, London to Cape Town and beyond...one bike do do it all. Am I crazy?!
Click to expand...

Not crazy at all. Perfect bike for it :beerjug:
 
of course the OP is going to have to get a five figure agreed value insurance policy for his G/S. that should be fun.

for riding in london, the G/S will be fantastic as long as the brake has had an upgrade. outside the city, you'll have to rely on charm. a modern bike is massively better unless you're into pottering about. carrying a passenger? hope you're both quite small.

airheads are really nice, but if i could only have one bike, it'd be something modern, at least more modern than a mono. paras are a much better bet as an all rounder, but ugly as sin in comparison.

fortunately, neither me nor my mallet are planning any trips to 3rd world countries other than the UK :D
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top Bottom