Wanderlust and the RT/GS Dilemma

[gog]

I have owned my R80RT since May this year, and since passing my test in June, have put a good few thousand miles on her all over Scotland and parts of England. I spent a fair bit of time servicing and fixing bits and bobs, and obviously the bike is now a bit different from how she left the factory. I have had nothing but enjoyment through both doing the work and riding the bike.

You guys gave me a lot of help along the way and I have recently been having a bit of a 'what to do' and would appreciate any input.

Having been around my neck of the woods up north, up and down the lochs and through all the pretty glen roads, I have been getting the itch to go further afield and would love to take a decent trip to Europe with a tent.

Dilemma is, as much as I love the RT, im not sure its the right bike for the kind of trips I would like to do. The GS would perhaps suit my needs better.

Although ideally I would love to stick with the airhead engine, the cost of these put them way out of my reach. I would probably be looking at a R1100GS or R1150GS.

Keeping both bikes wont be possible as I have limited funds and space. If I do decide to PX or sell the RT to fund the next purchase, would it be a better idea to try as much as possible to put my RT back to stock? I probably have most of the parts bar a few that could be picked up on ebay. I know that there are a lot of purists that detest 'frankenbikes' such as mine.

Options are really:

a) Sell/swap my bike as is for an oilhead GS needing work
b) Put my RT back to stock as near as possible and sell/swap
c) Stop feeding the kids and buy a second bike
d) Stop moaning and do any trips on the RT

Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Kenny]

The RT will do probably all you'll need on a touring holiday ( I have taken many down a healthy country lane ). I'd keep the RT if you've done her up as they don't sell as readily as GS's.
On the other hand, performance wise, the 1100 blitzes the RT in every department ( except that brilliant fairing ) but is a tad more complicated to maintain ( not by much but have you seen the wiring harness )
BOTH are excellant bikes but that fairing is a belter for touring.

P.S. Don't stop feeding the kids........sell them into slavery and make a few bob at the same time; then you CAN have both bikes

 

[nick.ct]

Try touring further afield on the RT before making a decision. You've done the work making how you like, learned its strengths and weaknesses.

Really distance is no object on these bikes and if you happen to find a pocket of bad weather that follows you around for a week when you are a thousand miles from home, behind the RT fairing will be the best place to be.

Save the cost of changing and spend it on petrol

 

[gog]

Thanks. My RT has had the fairing off so no benefit there for me! Put on a little headlight screen which surprisingly helps a lot at anything over 50mph.

I have read that the 1100 is a good bike, and seem to be affordable with mileages around 50-60k, seen those go as low as £2k. Reckon those should still have a few miles left in them too

I think for now I will stick with the RT and try a longer trip or two and see if i find myself wishing I had something more capable on rougher trails.

 

[Wrigsby1]

The 11's are great bikes but many of the really cheap ones will probably have a combination of impending clutch and/or gearbox overhaul... It's well worth reading about the M94/M97 gearbox change on the 11's... The 94's would need a professional overhaul at some point and that is usual a £350-£500 ish...

11/1150's are really good bikes and surprisingly not much more fiddly than earlier boxers as most bits are reliable... It's just knowing what is counted as a higher mileage service item and how much it will cost...

Airheads like your's are now appreciating and never really were worth "nowt" like K's have been at times... And they really seem to be able to be kept running indefinitely and still retain some worth...

The airhead RT fairing is the best fairing ever made and can keep you mostly dry, even in rain as long as you keep moving at a reasonable pace...