I sold my Honda NT700 and the fellow is picking it up this afternoon.  It is a great bike for a single rider or riding double on local roads - but the passenger seat had very thin padding, and the luggage space was a bit limited for touring with 2 folks.  I didn't take a financial beating as I bought it used and took good care of it, and it only had 6,500 miles on it.  The bike weighed 560 pounds with fuel and ready to ride....it is 65HP.

So the bike I am looking at has twice the HP and only 60 more pounds, and it is still a twin cylinder bike.  It will be used bike, it has 125HP, weighs 620 pounds ready to ride, has a much cushier back seat and plenty of luggage space, and even has front and rear seat heaters!  (I hope I don't have to buy any turtleneck sweaters or matching jackets/helmets for the wife and I).

I have always thought I would own a BMW motorcycle at some point in my life......it is time to do it before I get too old and weak!

https://www.cycleworld.com/2015/07/09/2014-bmw-r1200rt-long-term-test-wrap-up...

That BMW is a nice looking bike. I hope you do get one and that you and your wife enjoy it thoroughly.

sjaskow - FSO wrote on 02/26/18 at 10:35:59:


I have been wrestling with that idea for a long time......and the cost of parts and/or trained BMW dealer mechanic labor rates. (BMW oil is $15 a quart).

BMW's are reported to be very reliable, and folks claim they are durable and built to go 100,000 miles easy/peasy....but then I see the listings where the current owners states "$4,000 of service just completed" or "clutch just replaced" or similar.  I saw that the pre - 2009 bikes had an issue with the oil seal being on the outside of the rear wheel bearing....and bearing failures occurring - but in reality very few bikes had problems and those folks might be pressure washing the bearing.  I do believe I can save a lot of money by doing the brake pad, oil change, tire change kind of maintenance myself.

The reality is that I probably will never need to pull the engine apart, as I likleyl won't have enough riding years left to wear it out.  And......a used replacement engine would be easier than a complicated rebuild.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2017-BMW-R1200RT-Engine-Assembly-w-6-Speed-Transmiss...

https://www.cycleworld.com/2015/07/09/2014-bmw-r1200rt-long-term-test-wrap-up...

https://www.cycleworld.com/2015/07/09/2014-bmw-r1200rt-long-term-test-wrap-up...

stewmills wrote on 02/26/18 at 11:50:41:


It was red......you don't remember?

Dave wrote on 02/26/18 at 11:57:21:


Hahaha.  I am a little color blind.  

MM:

I will still be bringing my Savage Cafe' when we go riding in the mountains.......I still love my little Savage and it makes me smile every time I ride it.
(It can't haul and luggage and when it rains I get water thrown all over me).

If it was only me riding the bike - the F800GT would likely be a very nice bike.  There was a local Honda dealer that had a used one and they just kept lowering the price....and I was so tempted to buy it and replace the little Ninja 150 (thankfully they sold it and my temptation went away). Like other used bikes - the used prices seem to drop pretty quickly after about 3 years - and used F800's can be bought at pretty reasonable prices.  (I have a good friend that rode the Dual Sport version of the BMW 800, and he said he didn't like the bike as his hands went numb after 30 minutes of riding it....hard to believe it would have that much handlebar vibration on a modern bike).

The F800 doesn't look like a comfortable bike for my wife to ride on.  (We are going to visit family over the weekend to celebrate my mother's 90 birthday......and we are going past a BMW dealer on Friday and will sit on the F800 and see.)  If it was only a bike for me (and limited double up riding), the smaller bike would likely be a nice bike (so would the Honda CB500F).  I want/need a bike that is comfortable for my wife if I want her to go riding with me.....and one that has enough luggage space if I can talk her into overnight/weekend trips.  It is a bit of a shame that you have to go do a 1,000+cc and 600+ pound bike to get one that is "all day" comfortable for a passenger.

https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcd/d/2007-bmw-f800st/6499220441.html

https://lexington.craigslist.org/mcy/d/2009-bmw-f800st/6507286284.html

Honda Africa Twin (998cc)

One of the problems I have the the adventure touring bikes, is the tall seat height.  I have a 30" inseam, and I don't want a bike that only allows me to touch with my "tippy toes".  I had a friend who owned a V-Strom 1000 that he and his wife had ridden double on a 6,000 mile trip out west - and when I took it for a ride I could only touch with my toes on one side of the bike at a time!  (He and is wife are currently looking at a Triumph 800 Low that has a low seat height and is a potential candidate - however his wife is concerned that the tall pillion seat on the low model is going to put her up high into the wind.

The other issue that is of concern is the wind protection and seating comfort for my wife.  On the ST1100 that I had the seat was long and I needed to sit up front near the tank as I am short....and she would sit back and lean against the top box for back support (no handlebars to hold onto), and being all the way back on the seat allowed her knees to be less bent and more comfortable - the problem is that there was about a foot between us and the wind would get between us and beat her up - I could hear the buffeting wind over her helmet radio and it often sounded like she was being hit by a hurricane, and the situation was the worst when there was a cross wind blowing.  The R1200RT with the adjustable screen allowed me to raise the windshield when we were on the highway and keep the wind off her, and then lower the windshield when we were in town and wanted a bit more air flow.  (It doesn't look like the adventure touring bikes provide a lot of wind protection.....although there may be optional windshields that could help).

When considering providing "all day" comfort for the passenger......I still believe you need to buy a large sport touring bike like the Concours, FJR, R1200RT, Goldwing, etc. before you get a passenger seat/peg location that doesn't fold the passenger up into an uncomfortable position....I have posted a photo of a Versys 650 being ridden double......that just doesn't look like rider comfort to me (my wife and I are both senior citizens and not as flexible as we used to be).

And lastly.....the Adventure Touring bikes just don't visually get me excited.   And although I might like riding a crotch rocket...the public image of being a potential "Squid" doesn't appeal to me....and the current naked bikes just aren't "pretty".