How are you choose what motorcycle(s) to keep when you don’t have room for all of the dozens that you want?
Photo above is my 2009 k1300s, set up for long distance touring. I’ve ridden it to both coasts. It’s amazing to ride in good weather on good roads. But when it rains, or when you have to spend all day on the interstate, or when you are choosing what to pack and what to leave home, it’s not the best bike.
I have room for two motorcycles in my life. I’m 100 miles away from some okay riding, but 1000 miles away from great riding. I like to go for a week-long ride, camping every night, but that requires a ton of storage space. And I want to maximize how much fun I have on great roads when I finally get there.
So, what does everyone think? What’s the right motorcycle purchasing philosophy? The best bike for the best roads and suffer on the way there? The most comfortable bike for rain and packing and highways, even though it’ll be less fun in the mountains? A compromise machine that’s great at nothing?
Very hard to just have one. Any motorcycle is a compromise. The question is what you’re willing to compromise on. I personally like my R1250 GSA for luggage, comfort, and a reasonable good time in the corners if using dynamic mode. I ride two up regularly, or I’d entertain a 1000xr for those trips. I also have an s1000rr and KTM 350 EXC-F which have very specific charters. No bike that I can tour on in comfort will hang with the s1k in the corners or tackle true single track with the KTM. For a long time I had an fjr1300 which was a great middle ground before I could afford the GSA.