Sell the Car & buy a BIKE??

[Mountain_Man86]

Hello everyone,

I am 34yrs old and have been lucky enough to own a car since I was 17. However, with a change in career and access to my wife's car, i am seriously considering a near life long dream of owning a motorbike. Which makes me very excited!!

To add some context, I work from home and therefore my riding would mostly involve infrequent journeys, typically on motorways for <2hrs each way, every few weeks. I can walk to my local shops and i'm unlikely to ever go on short (less than 12mile) rides. Besides what i've just said, I mainly want a bike to go on adventures with. I'm not an adrenaline junkie but i've always wanted to experience life and live it!

My best friend has a BMW R1200 GS Adventure and having been on it as passenger, I am certain it's the bike I would eventually end up on (after learning and building experience on a smaller bike). I'm 6ft 2" and drive a Volvo, I want a big, safe and solid bike. I also want to go touring on the bike and take it up into the mountains for camping trips.

The question is, would I be mad swapping my car for a bike. Has anyone else done it? I would still have access to my wife's car where needed but what advice would you give to someone wanting a bike for all year round (all weather) riding?

I am grateful for any advice given.

Thank you.

[wr6133]

If you need the car then the choice would be mad.

If you don't need the car then the choice would not be mad.

Your bike choice is Gay.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

I was doing two and a half hours motorway journeys (thus five hours motorway riding for the day) every few weeks until lockdown happened. You've got to be in the mood for it, that's the best I can say for it. It's not like a car, which, compared to a bike, is more like the train or a coach. Also, you set off in fine weather, then you're 90 miles further along and it's pissing down and cold. That's *never* fun.

A GS would probably be amongst the best choices for such bobbins - it'll be spacious and comfy, for one thing.

Certainly get a bike. You can always sell it if you're not into it. Most people are though - even if only for a few years. I don't quite get why you're not going down some sort of compromise route though, where you buy an affordable car and an affordable bike, so you've got change to insure and run both. GS can push 20k iirc. That's a lot of bike by anyone's reckoning.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Mountain_Man86]

[wr6133]

[ThunderGuts]

Welcome to BCF banter

As you'll find out, the GS carries a certain "image" in some parts of the biking community - some are more vocal about this than others.

If you have access to "a" car for those times only four wheels will do, then go for it. Try other bikes though; you're likely mesmerised by the concept of biking and the one you've experienced will feel fantastic, but it's all relative - there are loads of bikes in every shape and size. Serious off-roading and carrying stuff? I'd rather an Africa Twin. You're tall enough for one too.

Welcome anyway!
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TG.

[Mountain_Man86]

[ThunderGuts]

Other thing; how capacious is your wife's car? Do you ever need to carry big stuff? In my case my wife has a supermini and refuses to get anything larger, so I still have my car to carry big stuff about, whereas if she'd get an estate I'd probably ditch my car.
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TG.

[Nobby the Bastard]

[Mountain_Man86]

[chickenstrip]

Not to mention that a GS is the last bike I'd want for adventures on mountain roads. Unless by adventures you mean regular attempts to try to pick the damn thing up when you've dropped it.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Easy-X]

"I want an adventure bike but I'll never go off-road."

"I want an SUV but I'll never go off-road."

Does that help?

That and BMW remove the machine-souls of their bikes at the factory, the horror
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Mountain_Man86]

[Mountain_Man86]

[arry]

First things first, 2 hour motorway journeys are ridiculously boring on a motorcycle and you'll hate it.

What tends to happen on a bike is you say to yourself I've got to get somewhere 100 miles away and it takes you 3 hours instead of 2 in the car because you make the route interesting, then it becomes fun.

What about when it's blowing a gale, miserable cold and icy? Are you going to be up for riding your motorcycle then? What about when it's pished it down with rain for 3 days solid? It's the sort of questions you've got to ask yourself really. There's plenty that do it, but I'm glad I don't have to, I just jump in the car instead.

Some things to sort through before you make any choices:
1) You don't know if you'll actually enjoy riding a motorcycle yet. It's not for everyone, honestly, some people just don't like it when they try it. Don't go committing to a path before you've made sure it's for you.
2) Don't go making any decisions about what bike you may or may not want without having actually spent some seat time on an actual motorcycle. Your wants / needs will change massively with experience.
3) Don't forget - especially as you want an all year round biker life - that motorcycle gear isn't generally that cheap. Yes, you can get by with handmedowns and eBay specials but if you're wanting quality gear you can add a grand at least to your original spend. There are cheat ways and you'll find out what works / doesn't work for you again with experience.
4) GS's - see above; almost always owned by lifestylers rather than riders; bought on PCP on a '4000 mile a year Adventure Package' with matching luggage and textiles, then the most adventure they see is the local biker coffee spot on a Sunday morning on a dry day. You said you want to experience life and live it. Buying a GS sounds like the worst 34 year old's mid-life-crisis I ever heard of. Either KTM 1290 it or sell the car and spend every penny you get from it sniffing coke off the assholes of rinsed out hookers in your wife's sister's bed.

[chickenstrip]

Oh, you want to go off road? I'd suggest being careful about doing that among the mountains - tis often a long way down

For mountain roads you want something relatively light, easy to control at slow speeds.
However, instead of that, I use a Fazer 1000
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Bhud]

[Nobby the Bastard]

[MarJay]

[chickenstrip]

[Nobby the Bastard]

What would you describe a fazer as?

Fairing? Check.
Engine out of a race rep/hooligan? Check
Doesnt cripple you? Check.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[chickenstrip]

[yen_powell]

[Easy-X]

[Mountain_Man86]