Do I want an Airhead?

[carockwell]

My point is that when you purchase a used airhead you have a lot of work to do and the parts cost serious money. Just look at my R80 ST, I bought the bike fully restored and it WAS fully restored, no argument. But within 12,000 miles it needed new forks, new charging system, a new brake rotor, new front wheel, and rebuilt heads. That's just life. If you already have an airhead you may run it pretty cheap, but after a certain number of miles, you will end up spending serious cash. Most airhead owners think their bikes are in great shape, but when I go to a tech meet we find a LOT of problems. I don't know how to say this politely, but most people think their bike is in a lot better shape than it really is. Ask Oak or Ted Porter. I think that if you look at the cost of running any current airhead for 80,000 miles you will spend just as much as buying a new bike. If I am wrong about any individual case then great, but I still think my point is valid.
I used to restore cars for a living. The problem with the restoration market is that parts are marked up 7 times the price of of a new car, so if you replace 15% of a car, you could have bought a new one. This is why restoring a 1967 Jaguar XKE now costs $200,000+. Don't talk to me about people who have pretty cars that barely perform and drive maybe 1000 miles a year. A motorcycle is like an airplane where if you don't maintain it properly, it can hurt you bad. It is not just about the paint and chrome. Anyway, please don't take my comments too seriously. If you are happy with your bike, so am I.

 

[pmdave]

At one point I added up the cost of maintaining my R100. I think I was well over $5k, and that's with me doing all the work. I think the R100 cost something like $4500 new in 1980.

pmdave

 

[zoridog]

A K bike and an airhead are the perfect combination if you ask me. I have to admit that the airhead needs more TLC and gives you more headaches than a K.

I think an airhead is like a wife. Life with a wife is better but a lot more demanding. And after you've been married a while you forget what it was like to be single.

Another thing I'd like to add is that you NEED two bikes. Most of my friends have more than two but they don't ride them all that much. They also become places for the mice to store their food supply. My bikes each get 5000 miles a year. That justifies their annual maintenance needs and scares the mice away.

 

[AnnapolisAirhead]

If someone had asked me this three years ago, I would have said go ahead and get the airhead.....BUT...... BMW parts prices have risen pretty dramatically in the last few years and you are really going to get soaked on a dollars per mile basis riding an airhead. I don't think I would do it again if I had to start over. After 80,000 miles an airhead pretty much needs new or rebuilt EVERYTHING and that adds up to pretty serious change. I have now been around airheads long enough to see quite a few of these bikes, and most of them are pretty clapped out. The days of these being economical used bikes is over. It is a big monetary commitment to ride an airhead.

I respectfully disagree, but I do my own maintenance ( and I am somewhat of a novice). I like the bikes because I can fix them. I like the oilheads because they are (generally) more reliable but a completely different feel. The K-bikes are beautiful, but not something I want to maintain (and the parts cost more as I recall).

80,000 miles on any vehicle and you'll need to perform maintenance. Not sure I'd call that clapped out--I'd reserve that for any vehicle that hasn't been serviced properly (by a dealer or an owner who can wrench).

Prices have gone up all around, so you won't be getting any great deal on part because you bought a K-bike or an Oilhead, or a Ducati for that matter. Even still, Airheads have a pretty strong following and plenty of good used parts still available.

Having said all that, if you are NOT a wrench or willing to become one, then I would not recommend an Airhead. You'll miss out on the other half of the fun and its confidence inspiring for your next long trip.

 

[shakeybone]

Thank you all for your responses. I especially liked hearing from those of you who have had both. Also nice buyers check list, that could be very useful.

 

[sdpc2]

sounds like a bunch of addicts

but I've got the addiction too.....

Buy an airhead, keep the k.

There is no such thing as too many motorcycles in the garage

 

[criminaldesign]

Airheads are great, I will replace it with another airhead when the time comes but I have a lot of life left in my bike.

I spent $2,800 on the bike and of course the usual maintenance and upgrades do add up but it's better than the tag on a new bike. I've put 40K on the bike in the last year and a half and it's going strong, great bike.

Annapolis said it right, I like the bikes cos I can fix them, plus they're fun to work on and even more fun to ride what you fix.

Keep the fuel injection and $85 labor costs away from me.

 

[GREGT1]

Airheads

1st
Do you do your own Maintenance? if you take your bike to the shop for oil changes and such and do not want to do any maintenance yourself an Airhead can be somewhat expensive to maintain.

2nd
For just local communting an airhead is a great machine. For your primary bike you may wish to buy a more modern machine if you plan on riding 10k miles per year or more.

3rd
The Airhead, right now, is not too expensive to purchase. I love the fact that I can fix my bike myself and am not dependent on our local dealer to solve all my problems. Here's the bottom line I would never sell my Airhead and once you buy and ride one a while you will not either!

4th
Keep the bike you have and love and buy another you will also love.

 

[criminaldesign]

A machine is a machine. If you neglect it, it wont work as should down the road. Take care of it and it will take you where ever. There's people out there ruining clutches cos they're shifting like a asshat. It's all in how you treat the machine. Old or new.