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Bike to leave in the South?

J

jeffkruger

New member
I live in eastern Washington, the desert part of WA. My regular ride is a 2007 GS Adventure. I've traveled all of the western states and inland a bit so much that there isn't much new ground and it's time to branch out more. I've ridded both sides of the Mississippi on the Great River Road. I really enjoyed Tennessee and Kentucky and want to do some more exploring over in that neck of the woods.

I'm going to start looking for a used BMW to leave in that part of the country. I'm thinking Memphis because my wife and I both enjoy the music there, and it's easy to get flights for us. I think a storage place (like a 10x10) somewhat close to the airport. Most don't have power so probably won't be able to run a battery tender, but will find a way to deal with that.

I would really appreciate any bike model suggestions. I'm thinking a GS or GSA, or an RT. My bike is a late 07, so it has the 6:00 position FD drain instead of 9:00, and I like that. Probably something around 2008 or a bit newer. I know when I stopped at a dealer in Louisiana they told me they sold a lot of GS's because of the condition of LA roads, but outside of Louisiana, and even in, I don't think I'd feel too bad on an RT. I'm not writing off a K series bike, but I'm most accustomed to doing all of the work on my horizontal twin.

Any advice would be genuinely appreciated.
 
jeffkruger said:
I live in eastern Washington, the desert part of WA. My regular ride is a 2007 GS Adventure. I've traveled all of the western states and inland a bit so much that there isn't much new ground and it's time to branch out more. I've ridded both sides of the Mississippi on the Great River Road. I really enjoyed Tennessee and Kentucky and want to do some more exploring over in that neck of the woods.

I'm going to start looking for a used BMW to leave in that part of the country. I'm thinking Memphis because my wife and I both enjoy the music there, and it's easy to get flights for us. I think a storage place (like a 10x10) somewhat close to the airport. Most don't have power so probably won't be able to run a battery tender, but will find a way to deal with that.

I would really appreciate any bike model suggestions. I'm thinking a GS or GSA, or an RT. My bike is a late 07, so it has the 6:00 position FD drain instead of 9:00, and I like that. Probably something around 2008 or a bit newer. I know when I stopped at a dealer in Louisiana they told me they sold a lot of GS's because of the condition of LA roads, but outside of Louisiana, and even in, I don't think I'd feel too bad on an RT. I'm not writing off a K series bike, but I'm most accustomed to doing all of the work on my horizontal twin.

Any advice would be genuinely appreciated.
Click to expand...

I recommend sticking with what you know and like, Jeff. The hexheads are easy to work on and you won't need to relearn things on the new bike. Also an advantage if the controls are the same so that when you get on the Southern bike you are not needing to adapt to a totally different feel. As for the battery, I imagine you will meet and befriend someone that will put it in their garage and on a battery tender every now and then. Good luck!
 
akbeemer said:
I recommend sticking with what you know and like, Jeff. The hexheads are easy to work on and you won't need to relearn things on the new bike. Also an advantage if the controls are the same so that when you get on the Southern bike you are not needing to adapt to a totally different feel. As for the battery, I imagine you will meet and befriend someone that will put it in their garage and on a battery tender every now and then. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks akbeemer. I was thinking I would stick with a hexhead as you are absolutely correct about them being easy to work on. For me it's probably realistically more of a choice between a GS or an RT. Another option I was thinking of was just riding my GSA to Memphis and leaving it there and flying home. It's only a 4 day ride to Memphis.
 
jeffkruger said:
I think a storage place (like a 10x10) somewhat close to the airport. Most don't have power so probably won't be able to run a battery tender, but will find a way to deal with that.
Click to expand...

Im not sure they are all the same, but back when we rented a storage building, there was a light bulb activated by a pull string. You can buy a screw in plug to convert it to a plug. Should handle a Bat5tery Tender or two.
 
You might consider looking into a small MC repair shop who can store the bike for you and then get it prepped before your arrival. I know some shops wouldn't mind a bike in the corner earning a little storage fee.
 
It might be worth checking out the Anonymous Book under SS for storage space in the area you are interested in.
 
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