Talk to me about dual sport motorcycles

[Too Tall]

Josh,

I'm no expert on BMW dual-sports, but based on what I've seen on the ADV forum I think that at that price and that age and mileage, I'd pass on the GS.

Unless you're in a serious rush and can't wait, keep in mind that many, many other dual-sports have also had suspension mods.

My suggestion would be to keep an eye on the ADV classifieds to get a feel for what's available at what price, and I think you'd probably find something more recent with a lot less mileage.

Good Luck

Thanks, I'm seeing the same.

[jerk]

Josh- 150,000 miles is just broken in!!!

Haha. It’s a great 4500$ bike wth those miles and good 5500-6000 bike.

Me? Save a few shekels and buy a brand new Moto-Guzzi Stelvio. I test rode a new r1200gs and a Stelvio and guess what? The Stelvio is a better bike. You can find a brand new one for under 12.

The only reason not to do this is if you’ve got a great bimmwr shop and no Guzzi shop near by.

I really liked the Stelvio. It was pretty perfect.

Oh! If you want another cheap weird option and are willing to go WOP look at the Aprilia Cappnard. It is less of a tractor than the shaft bikes but lighter and sportier.

Me? I love race bikes with low clip ones and high rearsets and big adventure bikes and anything else feels like a compromise. So take that as you will.

To the OP: EVERYONE with any sense will tell you to buy a small bike to learn. They’re right but you’re going to learn in about 100 miles that that little bike is fine for putting around town and figuring out the nuances of stop and go traffic going up a hill- but it’s damgerous on the highway and doesn’t fit anyone except a midget.
Want a great first bike? Fine a used r1200gs if you’re tall and strong or an f700 if you’re mortal.

Or do what I did- buy the most bad ass looking 1977 Yamaha XS 650 flat track looking thing. Realize how stupid it is to try to keep up with California Highway traffic- sell it- so the sensible thing and buy a Ducati Supersport S because you think the sport bikes will kill you. Enjoy it, but keep making into something it is not with clip-ons, talle screen, lowered clip ons, etc. then make the horrible mistake of testridimg an APRILIA RSV4rr and be in heaven

[Too Tall]

Thanks Craig. If/When he is ready to sell that's the offer I'll give. Yes part of this is proximity to one of the most awesome repair shops ever and the same place that serviced my prior BMW bikes.

[AngryScientist]

my bike isnt exactly a dual sport, but it's quite fun for 135# me to bomb around on, and it'll handle well groomed dirt with no worries.

[maunahaole]

Thanks Craig. If/When he is ready to sell that's the offer I'll give. Yes part of this is proximity to one of the most awesome repair shops ever and the same place that serviced my prior BMW bikes.

Did this same shop maintain this bike you’re looking at here? Perhaps the can do a point for you. Any way you slice it, that’s a lot of miles.

[Too Tall]

Did this same shop maintain this bike you’re looking at here? Perhaps the can do a point for you. Any way you slice it, that’s a lot of miles.

Yep. Same shop. I'll eyeball the records closely as well as look at other used GS bikes.

[PaMtbRider]

I'm assuming the current owner of the GS is also an Airstream owner you have just met. If so, he seemed like a really good guy who probably maintained the bike very well. That being said, I think you could easily find one with half that mileage with similar accessories and condition, for the same amount of money.

[mainlyfats]

I bought my first moto ever, a a used KTM 990 Adv, with no experience at all other than a rider training course. I was advised against it but knew that I had one chance to get what I wanted so I went for it. While I'm sure that it's possible that I would have been a better rider had I had the opportunity to goof off on a much smaller bike for a period of time, I doubt I'm much worse off taking the path I did. If you're the type of person who knows your limits and don't want to take off like a hooligan right away, get what you want. If you have halfway decent skills on a mountain bike, some of them are applicable on a moto as well. I've ridden it year round, through snow, rain and a little ice (never again) and have only dropped it once and that one time was making a right turn from a T intersection on a heavily crowned road with no sightline for oncoming traffic...I guessed wrong and couldn't recover.

Anyhow, take a class and if you're a reasonable human being, get whatever you want that fits your budget.

I did something similar. Bought a BMW G650 Xmoto as my first bike because it fit and - I figured - would meet my needs for the foreseeable future. Great, simple (relatively), big single that I'm still getting a kick out of two years later.

[xjoex]

Jumping on this since you all seem quite knowledgable about motos. The peer pressure from my friends is getting too strong to resist.

A friend has a KTM Freeride (2017) with Rekluse clutch for ~6k. The bike has 400 miles and is owned by a woman I know (not "only driven to church on sundays").

Never had a moto, but my use case is cruising around Behind the Rocks in Moab (where the 24 hours of Moab used to be) after riding mountain bikes in the morning. Something to tinker with in the garage on hot days, etc. I already have a group to ride with, so that is good.

Anyhow, thoughts on that as a first bike?

-Joe

[Dallas Tex]

Doz,

For a guy that owns a Corvair and a '70s hippy van I'm not sure these solid, but somewhat generic, recommendations will make you happy.

Behold the glory that is the Hodaka Wombat:

Wombat.jpg

More history and character right there than any man could ever desire

[PaMtbRider]

You guys and your need for big bikes.... I see one of these in my future. Behold the 2019 Honda Monkey.

2019-Honda-Monkey.jpg