My favorite kind of shopping

Picture this: browsing in a store, looking at everything, thinking “will this look good on me?”, “maybe I’ll buy something, maybe I won’t”, just wandering around, not in any hurry, without purpose or direction.

BLEEEAAAAGH!!!!!

Like most guys, I really dislike shopping without knowing ahead of time exactly what I’m going to buy. Clothes shopping with the wife? Thanks, but I’ll volunteer for unnecessary dental work first. I don’t mind briefly comparing prices on similar items, but I want to get in and get out. Enter the store with purpose, direction and complete the task.

There are two exceptions:

#1 Shopping for anything electronic, gadgety or techy related. I have spent countless hours comparing which MP3 player was the best deal (I bought a 30GB Creative Zen Vision:M), I joyfully agonized over which earphones to wear with it (Bose earbuds - worth every penny), and I meticulously researched for my radar detector (Escort Passport).

#2 The other exception is motorcycles. I am anticipating an upcoming purchase, and I will gleefully neglect important obligations just to root out any nuggets of useful information.

I am also asking for your help! Any ideas, recommendations, 2nd hand opinions or links to useful info will all be appreciated.

Here’s my basic requirements:

500 mile days don’t cause permanent disfigurement

able to store a few days worth of gear

passenger seat that is actually usable by a passenger for more than 10 minutes.

minimum 800cc, at least 120 hp and close to 100 ft/lb torque - in other words, something that will get from 30-60 mph and 80-100 mph in the time it takes me to think about it and will giddyup to at least 140.

New vs. Used:

Cons for New: New bikes usually have new (unproven) technologies and that’s an unknown I’d rather not deal with a thousand miles from home. Additional maintenance costs and hassles during the breaking-in period. Cons for Used: I don’t know the service history and it may have been harshly treated. ‘Nuff said.

Pro for New: It’s mine and it’s only ever been mine. Pro for Used: its broken in, the bugs are worked out and all ya gotta do is regular maintenance and buy tires.

Price: While I’m still wishing and dreaming, I’m going to ignore price - just for now. Price is something that will factor heavily in my decision eventually, but I don’t believe a brand name is worth thousands of dollars; for example if I can can buy a new Honda for the same price as a 5 year old BMW, then I’ll take the one with the fewest miles on it.

So far I’m considering: Honda ST1300, Yamaha FJR1300, BMW R12 RT, BMW K12 GT. and Kawasaki Concours (including the new GT1400). These are all Sport/Touring bikes.

The Honda ST1300:












The Yamaha FJR 1300:















The Beemer R12 RT:














The Beemer K12 GT:















The Kawi Concourse:















The Kawi 1400:


















Of course, a more sensible alternative may be to keep the perfectly good bike that I already have and just pick up a Dual Sport on/off road like the KLR 650 and take advantage of the hundreds and hundreds of miles of backcountry roads that are all around us here.

The Kawi KLR 650:














My current ride, Honda ST1100: