Need a bigger bike already?

[keysman]

greengo and RandK,

If only we all had listened to the wise people here on the boards and started with a cheap used bikes and then moved up in 12 months to the BMWs. I'm in the same boat you guys are looking for something with a little more power and more touring ability. Is that what you guys are looking for?

I got the CS instead of the GS because I figured I would ride on road 98% of the time anyway so I didn't need the GS and I didn't want to sacrifice any handling capability.

I know I won't get much for my bike if I try to trade it in. I really don't want to sell it myself either because it's such a headache dealing with loosers that call wanting to give you half of your listed price. If I'm going to trade up I'll probably have to do it that way.

So you guys are coming from a GS and thinking about it's big brother. I too am thinking about the R12GS. It seems like the go anywhere, do anything motorcycle. There also seem to be a number of fans of the GS out there and I don't hear too many complaints.

If you are looking for a place to sell your bike you might also want to try craigslist.com.

[greengo]

I'm not sure much of anything could have stopped my purchase of the Dakar. I had my mind made up and it's what I wanted at the time. Nothing else would do.

Selling privately is such a pain. But still under consideration.

Having two bikes? Hmmm, that's something I really haven't seriously considered. Space is really an issue. I already have a 35' motorhome, 18' trailer, BMW Z4, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and of course the Dakar. Get this, I live in a condo. Single car garage and the Jeep Wrangler and the Dakar are both parked in there. The motorhome is on the road (read, move every 72 hours) and the Grand and the Z4 sit outside. Besides the space all of this takes up, I'm paying an awful lot in registration and insurance too.

Just for fun though, I'm gonna bring the idea of having two bikes with my wife. She's pretty easy, but I'm kinda outta hand already.

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[cb360]

That's EXACTLY why I always buy used. Motorcycles tend to depreciate a lot right after they come home from the dealer - then they tend to hold their value well. Have you tried craigslist.com - not sure how active they are where you are, but there's 200 new listings a day in Seattle, WA - that's just for motorcycles. It's easy and it's free. Anyway, someone mentioned problems selling a used Rebel. I had exactly the opposite problem here in Seattle... my wife and I were trying to buy one for her. There were plenty of listings - probably 3-5 a week. We missed on 6 bikes and we called on every one of them the day they were listed! We finally got one. A cherry '01 model with only 5000 miles. We paid just under half msrp for the new bikes and that's after getting it licensed - it runs perfectly and doesn't have a scratch on it. Anyway, I highly recommend craigslist as a buying and selling tool. Much less hassle than ebay and it's free. If it isn't active in your exact community, try a larger one nearby.

[iwannadie]

I'm not sure much of anything could have stopped my purchase of the Dakar. I had my mind made up and it's what I wanted at the time. Nothing else would do.

Selling privately is such a pain. But still under consideration.

Having two bikes? Hmmm, that's something I really haven't seriously considered. Space is really an issue. I already have a 35' motorhome, 18' trailer, BMW Z4, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and of course the Dakar. Get this, I live in a condo. Single car garage and the Jeep Wrangler and the Dakar are both parked in there. The motorhome is on the road (read, move every 72 hours) and the Grand and the Z4 sit outside. Besides the space all of this takes up, I'm paying an awful lot in registration and insurance too.

Just for fun though, I'm gonna bring the idea of having two bikes with my wife. She's pretty easy, but I'm kinda outta hand already.

id park the dakar outside throw a cover over it and its set. registration and insurance will suck to keep paying on if you end up not riding it at all, but at least you could lower the coverage way down(or none if it turns into an off road only bike). also i knew a guy who had an insurance company(cant think of the name) that let him have as many bikes as he wanted with one premium, he had to call and say which bike he would be using, he did that once a month or so as he rode different bikes. that could be an option. or get your wife into riding and let her take over the dakar.

id weigh the cost of registration/inusrance vs how much money youll loose by selling it off. yuou obvioulsy like your toys might as well have the dakar around

[emperorjordan]

yup, he is right. Keep the dakar for when you want to hit the occasional trail, and get the 1200GS. the big GS is an awesome bike, but a real "dog" on small trails, even with the right tires.

[Keyoke]

I guess maybe I'm just looking for sympathy as yet another biker finds himself buying too small too soon after purchase.

Ho hum.

It's nothing to do with buying a bike that's too small - most of us will never use the full potential of the bikes we own, owever there is a well known affliction that affect bikers - MBS. (Multiple Bike Syndrome). Basically, it doesn't matter what you've got, you'll always want more - whether you want a biger one, a faster one, or one that reminds you of your first bike - one bike is never enough. (and neither is 2, or 3.....)

[RandK]

We traded in our first bike, a Buell Blast, on Kathy's 650. That was a very easy decision. Like night and day between those two bikes. I think we had the blast for about 4 months. She is real happy with the BMW. I am to, but I'm developing this itch. But for what it would cost, there is still alot of riding in my 650. Great bike for getting started. Kathy and I took an overnight trip up to the Cherry festival last weekend. If your in MI make sure you take a ride along route 22.
RandK

[cb360]

You hit the nail on the head Keyoke. MBS is rampant. I have a small bike and I'd like a bigger one for 2 up on the highway. But no one could ever convince me that if I had started on a monster that I wouldn't have eventually wanted a smaller bike with all the short-hop city driving that I do. Plus, I'm a slave to my youth - I think the 70's honda twins are beautiful bikes and no matter what else I end up riding, I think I'll always have a little metric twin in the drfiveway somewhere. The bottom line is I want a small bike and a big bike. And I want a sidecar rig too! It's clearly MBS.

[greengo]

My wife must understand this MBS thing. She suggested I sell the Dakar, buy a bike that makes me happy on the street, and buy another bike to make me happy in the dirt.

A little time has passed since I first started this thread and I've settled down on the new bike thing. I'm actually quite happy with the Dakar and I'm going to stick it out... till my next episode anyway.

[Analog]

I agree... nothin wrong w/ 2 bikes. (if you can afford it)