Whelp... ordered a BMW

[keithu]

4 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

You can get one with a readily swapable fatbar handlebar?

Yes, the tubular handlebar is a $225 option on a new factory build, although I don't think many people order it. The salesperson at the dealer was unfamiliar with it. She started looking through the parts catalog to see if it was a mod that could be easily done at the dealer, but the parts tally quickly added up to ~$1500. 

I plan to farkle this thing pretty heavily, so the tubular bar seems like a good thing to have. 

[2and3cylinders]

Coolio, good luck with it whenever you get it!

[1moreroad]

My buddy has a new-ish RT1200 or 1250 and loves it. This after a lifetime where his least sporty bike was a Yamaha FZ1. With a good chunk of my riding doing long, straight commuting, I think about an RT or a Wing, at least until I see prices. Maybe one day...

[betoney]

37 minutes ago, 1moreroad said:

I think about an RT or a Wing, at least until I see prices. Maybe one day...

Same here, would love to get a 2nd bike solely for long distance riding and then look at the prices, even the base msrp and just can't do it. -yet. 🤷‍♀️ 

[2and3cylinders]

I initially bought and moded my FJ09 for longer distance riding / touring because my bod couldn't handle it on my other sportier steeds.  Then as my condition worsened, my FJ became my primary ride.

I hope by next spring to be in shape to ride my sporty scoots more often and farther.

However, I'll likely not have C4~C6 fixed by then, which are why looking up from a sport tuck is literally a serious pain in the neck. 

I hope by the spring of 23 my neck will be up to the task though! (pun intended) Or maybe even sooner...

[keithu]

I may yet decide to keep the FJ-09. With almost 50k miles on the clock it won't have much resale value and even less as a trade-in. My big problem right now is storage space. I have just a single car garage, and much of it filled by a work stand and a half-assembled YZF750. A two bike garage consisting of the YZF and RT makes more sense to me than the FJ and RT. The latter two are just too similar in purpose.

[2and3cylinders]

27 minutes ago, keithu said:

I may yet decide to keep the FJ-09. With almost 50k miles on the clock it won't have much resale value and even less as a trade-in. My big problem right now is storage space. I have just a single car garage, and much of it filled by a work stand and a half-assembled YZF750. A two bike garage consisting of the YZF and RT makes more sense to me than the FJ and RT. The latter two are just too similar in purpose.

I feel for you!

You need to build a bigger garage and/or move to a turnkey location.  Talk about costly.

When we bought our first single family home in 88 (we're still here), it didn't even have a garage!  I laid some precast concrete pavers to the back yard and erected one of those Craftsman steel sheds that required a million tiny screws and plastic washers to assemble.  My 81 GPz550D1 had to share the the shed with the lawn mower and other accoutrements of home ownership.  Luckily my 61 Matchless, 72 H2 Mach IV, 76 RD400 and 83 VF500F were able to bed down in my in-laws garage but it was a PITA to go go into the City (only about 8 miles though) to ride something different.  However, when my father-in-law passed, my mother-in-law started to drive and wanted to park in the garage.  I certainly didn't begrudge her.  Great women, may we also rest in peace.

So I finally in 95 I extended our driveway with room for a half court basket ball court and  built a 3-car garage with a third of it partitioned off with a flat floor slab accessed once the 18-foot x 7'-6" overhead door was open up a slight ramp via a 5'-6" pocket door in the partition as well as a 3-foot swinging door.  It's palatial with HVAC, a Handy lift, carpeting, duplex outlets every 3 feet, 8 ceiling LED shop fixtures, wifi, fridge, 20 foot work bench, tool cabinets, etc but only reasonable room for 3 bikes.  So after I sold all but my RD (huge sigh!), and sold my later 88 NT650 Hawk GT I put +60k on for my now 111k VTR1000F, I still had room for my carefully chosen FJ09.

The moral of this story is there's no place like (a spacious) home.  Though I need more!  Too bad the long moved out kid's bedrooms are inaccessible...

[maximo]

A large garage is underrated. Or a marriage saver. 

[2and3cylinders]

29 minutes ago, maximo said:

A large garage is underrated. Or a marriage saver. 

You seem to have room for three scoots, so explain that?

Married men live longer but usual die first (because they want to).

Your "mileage" obviously varies...

[keithu]

1 hour ago, 2and3cylinders said:

I feel for you!

You need to build a bigger garage and/or move to a turnkey location.  Talk about costly.

Yep. We still live in the "starter home" we bought back in 2000. By the time we could finally afford something bigger our kids had moved out, at which point we realized this place is actually a good size for just the two of us. We have room to build another garage and likely will at some point. I suppose we could chase the American Dream and buy a huge McMansion somewhere, but I kind of like being 51 and on the verge of not having a mortgage payment anymore. It makes buying $25k motorcycles a lot easier. 😎

[whisperquiet]

Too much garage space is just about right.  I downsized on house size three years ago but increased my four car garage size from the previous house’s four car.

I have had a three or four car garage since 1989…..it is the least expensive part of a house and the most underrated.  It makes working a motorcycle so much easier and you can leave a bike apart awaiting parts while not having to move everything out of the way.  
 

[PhotoAl]

A 3 or 4 car garage is my list of requirements for our next house - even my wife agrees.  Since she drives a smart car I have 1 1/2 spaces to use for my car and bikes 🙂 

Congrats on the new arriving someday BMW.  Nice bike.  Liked my F800GT fit and finish and generally well sorted nature but not enough HP and dealer service was less than stellar. 1250RT is a great touring bike and while not light does handle well.  I've looked at them several times over the years.

BMW = Bring More Wallet 

[wanderer]

three car garage is the only reason I constantly think of getting a new house.

[wanderer]

I rented a BMW R1200RT for my southeastern trip from New Orleans through the Tail of the Dragon to Orlando and Miami (trip report). I certainly enjoyed it. "refined, not lusty like the Tracer 900" was my summary. I could see picking it over the Tracer, but I'm happy with the lusty triple!