Am I mental?

fhkj

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Evening All

Just keen for some thoughts I guess. 50 years old, biked seriously from 17-35 first as courier then for fun and transport in and around London.

Packing kids off to university has coincided with a 3 day a week contract in central London. So I started thinking about getting into town most days and I’m not willing to get a tube. Thought cycling but no showers/gym etc.

Have been hankering for a bike for a while. Specifically a GS. Could this be the time?!

Would use the bike to ride into town, but also for runs to see my daughter in Newcastle and down to the coast on a regular basis.

Yes I could did it into town on a scooter etc, but maybe this is my chance/excuse to get a GS and kill many birds with one stone?

Feel free to insult me/laugh at the stereotyped middle-aged fool, or give me constructive criticism/thoughts.

Thanks, FJ
 
You now have the perfect excuse to buy a GS. You only live once. Get It Done!
 
Perfect reasoning.... Get testing some bikes and get one.

Sent from my Moto G6
 
Don't make excuses for wanting a bike, no justification needed. If you fancy a bike that's reason enough.
Enjoy.:beerjug:
 
get a R1200RS - it's a better commuter than the GS. If you get a white one and a whistle then the traffic will magically part for you in that London...
 
when did you last ride ?

Not sure if you are asking me or taking the piss of Mulcher! I haven’t ridden a bike in 10+ years. So it will be a slow start, but I cycle 10,000km+ per year so I am not bad on the road.

Thanks to everyone for the comments. Self-justification is hard and you’ve all made this much easier!

FJ
 
Hmmm

So you have come onto a GS owners forum to ask whether you should get one? Sounds exactly like the sort of thing I would do to justify a purchase :D

Go for it, try it and if you don't like it, sell it on again. Provided you don't buy new you won't lose much and may even gain...oh look another reason..."it's an investment".

Enjoy
 
Passed my test at 51,

First bike R1200gs - commute daily :)

And try the odd run every now and again
 
It will get stolen.

It might not get stolen but only if it has a shedload of security features that can defeat a cordless grinder. That’d be disclocks front and back plus a stainless steel chain anchoring it to something immovable.

It will get damaged by clowns trying to squeeze twist and go scooters into gaps next to it but at least you’ll be able to ride it home :beerjug:
 
Evening All

Just keen for some thoughts I guess. 50 years old, biked seriously from 17-35 first as courier then for fun and transport in and around London.

Packing kids off to university has coincided with a 3 day a week contract in central London. So I started thinking about getting into town most days and I’m not willing to get a tube. Thought cycling but no showers/gym etc.

Have been hankering for a bike for a while. Specifically a GS. Could this be the time?!

Would use the bike to ride into town, but also for runs to see my daughter in Newcastle and down to the coast on a regular basis.

Yes I could did it into town on a scooter etc, but maybe this is my chance/excuse to get a GS and kill many birds with one stone?

Feel free to insult me/laugh at the stereotyped middle-aged fool, or give me constructive criticism/thoughts.

Thanks, FJ

You may think this daft but try a KTM 390 Duke. Fantastic fun, brilliant in London going through the gaps and even good on long trips. I've sold all my big fast bikes now because I didn't want to go to prison. Two other large capacity bike riders have bought 390's after borrowing mine. I'm off on a 9 day trip on mine soon. I think part of the reason I've kept this over the others is it always puts a smile on my face.
 
I’d also get an insurance quote before you purchase ... quite a few posts on here show that a GS and a London postcode do not make good bedfellows..

During the day in London in a bike park? If so I'll find an underground park near Liverpool Street


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
FJ, I'm not a million miles for your headspace (I live in London too).

Rode bikes since 16 (54 now) got back in about 10/11 years ago. Hade several Triumphs. Lovely bikes.

I thought I wanted a RT or an RS as some have said. Earlier this year, I tried them all. Then for the hell of it tried the GS. Then thought, sod it, I'll have a spin on the GSA. That was the one. Haven't looked back.

I do regular spins in to central London. It's not a scooter or a Duke. My days of whizzing about are over. I still get thru. I notice the road prescence, lights on, size, colour etc counts for a lot. People do, generally, move. Some idiots don't, heh-ho.

The offset of being a few minutes slower in London (and a lot less stressed) is the joy on longer runs, long sweeping curves, the convenience of what you can carry, a scooter or a Duke is not a multifunctional bike like that. Nothing wrong with either.

As other having said. Ride as many as you can. Whatever decision you make will be the right one.

Chris.

(Happy to meet and try mine for size if it helps)
 
Ride as many as you can.


Absolutely. Don't narrow your field down to one bike that you've never ridden, go and ride at least three or four top contenders. If you walk into a dealer and tell them pretty much what you've told us, they will bend over backwards to loan you demonstrators. And you'll most likely find that one bike will shine above the others as a choice for you.

If you pull the trigger, consider a days refresher / brush up with a training company to get you back in the groove.

:thumb2
 


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