How is that for a topic?
No, the answer is (probably) not the bike you are trying to sell. What I'm looking for is the best bike for ME. But I haven't ridden enough different bikes and am looking for input from the forum on what would be good.
So, what's going to make a good bike for me? First a little background: I've owned a K75T for over 30 years. During that time, I've put 100k miles on the bike. That's not a lot of miles per year, and I hope to ride more in the future. The bike has been great. Its never left me stranded, has decent wind protection, good enough handling and a smooth ride. So, why get rid of it? Well, it's been totaled 3 times (long story), the seat needs new foam, several pieces of body work need replacement and the seals/gaskets are starting to go (can you believe the gaskets have lasted only 32 years?!). And a new clutch is probably around the corner. I could fix all this. It would be several thousand dollars, and I'd be left with a bike with 1987 technology, performance, etc.
I may be wrong, but I think I can do better....
So, what's going to be 'better'?
Well, what I do on the bike is mostly commuting in the SF Bay area. So something where the max width is the handlebars is needed to make lane splitting easy. I do take it on trips, so removable hard luggage and a comfortable riding position would be great, along with a way to strap on a tent and sleeping bag. I park it in a garage in between my neighbors cars, so the ~87 inch length of the K75 must not be exceeded by more than a couple of inches. While I've taken the K75 to the track (Thunder Hill is FUN), I'm not going to be the fastest guy on the track, so don't need to pretend I am and racer performance is not relevant. I don't go off road.
Budget? 7-9k? Am I delusional in thinking I can pick up a bike meeting the above that was build in the 2010's for this price? If so, please tell me. I won't be offended. But a quick check on eBay says that I might be OK.
What I'm looking for from the forum is something like "you should check out the BMW model XYZ. But watch out for the 20XX model year(s) because the drive lines fails/is known for surging/some other problem I would have never known about unless I asked."
Ultimately, I'm at the beginning of my purchase process and am looking for thoughts on what might be good for me, rather than a specific bike for sale.
TIA for your thoughts!
No, the answer is (probably) not the bike you are trying to sell. What I'm looking for is the best bike for ME. But I haven't ridden enough different bikes and am looking for input from the forum on what would be good.
So, what's going to make a good bike for me? First a little background: I've owned a K75T for over 30 years. During that time, I've put 100k miles on the bike. That's not a lot of miles per year, and I hope to ride more in the future. The bike has been great. Its never left me stranded, has decent wind protection, good enough handling and a smooth ride. So, why get rid of it? Well, it's been totaled 3 times (long story), the seat needs new foam, several pieces of body work need replacement and the seals/gaskets are starting to go (can you believe the gaskets have lasted only 32 years?!). And a new clutch is probably around the corner. I could fix all this. It would be several thousand dollars, and I'd be left with a bike with 1987 technology, performance, etc.
I may be wrong, but I think I can do better....
So, what's going to be 'better'?
Well, what I do on the bike is mostly commuting in the SF Bay area. So something where the max width is the handlebars is needed to make lane splitting easy. I do take it on trips, so removable hard luggage and a comfortable riding position would be great, along with a way to strap on a tent and sleeping bag. I park it in a garage in between my neighbors cars, so the ~87 inch length of the K75 must not be exceeded by more than a couple of inches. While I've taken the K75 to the track (Thunder Hill is FUN), I'm not going to be the fastest guy on the track, so don't need to pretend I am and racer performance is not relevant. I don't go off road.
Budget? 7-9k? Am I delusional in thinking I can pick up a bike meeting the above that was build in the 2010's for this price? If so, please tell me. I won't be offended. But a quick check on eBay says that I might be OK.
What I'm looking for from the forum is something like "you should check out the BMW model XYZ. But watch out for the 20XX model year(s) because the drive lines fails/is known for surging/some other problem I would have never known about unless I asked."
Ultimately, I'm at the beginning of my purchase process and am looking for thoughts on what might be good for me, rather than a specific bike for sale.
TIA for your thoughts!