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Decisions, decisions


ArmyGuy

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So,I'm going to demo the following two GS's on Saturday from a dealer near here.

This one is a 2011 Ex demo registered in April this year and has 44 miles on the bike. The price is $14,995 OTD and it comes with:

 

Heated hand Grips, Tire Pressure Monitor, On Board-Computer, Hand Protection, Integral ABS II, Saddle Bag Mounts

 

1005686_10151821863189850_543422133_n.jpg

 

The second one is a 2012 Lupin Blue 1200 GS (no miles) at a cost of $15,995 OTD.

 

1157485_10151821863184850_1450120763_n.jpg

 

It comes with:

 

Chrome Exhaust Pipe, Enduro ESA, On Board Computer,Saddle Bag Mounts, AntiTheft Alarm, Tire Pressure Monitor, Heated Grips, Enduro ASC, Hand Protection

 

Buying a motorcycle is an emotional experience and I'm pretty much stuck on the GS style. There is a lot of sage wisdom in this group and I am wondering which may be the best 'deal'. Advice and comments are welcome. Oh, there is no sales tax for military in Germany but I will have to pay the piper once I return to the States in three years.

 

Mike

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Firefight911

Buy the cheaper of the two and use the money for accessories or use it to get them to fit wire wheels if you have any pretensions to use it off road.

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Buy the new one/you getting the mil. discount I assume and it's a better deal. Why take some demo that's been ridden hard to save a lousy $1k?

 

Taking into account the 1 year difference, the older one should be at least 2k cheaper/still would take the new one tho.

 

 

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Take the new one. Listen to Marty :thumbsup:

 

Whoa, you're gonna get a Christmas card from Georgia. :wave:

 

Actually, for 1K I'd take the new one, too. The depreciation between years is more than that. I'm not worried about 44 hard miles of test rides. But the newer model year is more important. And Phil's note about getting wire wheels for it if you plan to offroad it, is very wise. If you're planning on any heavy-duty off-highway adventures, and you don't put wire wheels on it, neither bike is for you.

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+4, plus it's the last of the oilheads and a better color for resale, prettier too. (that color is only offered on 12's, the flat gray has been around 3 or 4 years)

 

edit.. Actually the cast wheels are fine for most off road situations you'd put a GS through, unless you're putting a lot of shock on the wheels (99% of GS riders don't, they use a more dirt oriented motorcycle)

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+4, plus it's the last of the oilheads and a better color for resale, prettier too. (that color is only offered on 12's, the flat gray has been around 3 or 4 years)

 

edit.. Actually the cast wheels are fine for most off road situations you'd put a GS through, unless you're putting a lot of shock on the wheels (99% of GS riders don't, they use a more dirt oriented motorcycle)

 

WRONG !!!

I can bend a GS cast wheel in my sleep. I have bent 2 RT wheels on dirt roads. NO CAST WHEELS for me. If someone does not ride THEIR GS hard enough to bend a wheel, that is fine, but I would not tell someone else that they will not bend one. MANY people on ADVrider have bent MANY GS cast wheels.

 

My last RT wheel was so bent I would not even sell it as a spare when I sold my take off parts. I dismounted the tire and sole the front tire and the rear tire on the rear rim but the front rim I cut in half with a sawzall so after I scrap it there is NO chance someone else will try and use it. That was just from a wheelie on RT and landed the front wheel on the edge of a pot hole and it was so bent I could not believe it held air. It thumped after that and I could see the wobble left right if I looked at the wheel.

 

IF you are going to ride at all in the dirt...buy laced wheels

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RT wheels aren't GS wheels, the older ones like yours have 3 spokes and are wider, GS wheels have 5. But hey, I'm just going from personal experience and have ridden thousands of offroad miles with guys on GS's with alloy wheels over varying terrain from pretty rocky stuff to jumping 2' diameter downed trees (that's rolling up to a tree at 20mph bashing it with the front wheel and hopping over it. But you guys can do or believe whatever you want.

 

I don't know how much this guy weighs, but he's not small. He rode his GS over bumpy, rocky, rutted jeep trails and some of it not at a sedate pace (I led the ride). Then he rode it back from Co. to Pa., no bent wheels that he mentioned. Just one of many examples. Triple jumps, don't do it. Hit a 90* curb at 40mph, won't fly. But again, 99% of normal GS offroad riding is fine.

 

166-L.jpg

 

 

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At that point, I was about 240lbs and still haven't bent one yet. I would prefer to have spoked wheels on mine, but its more because I like the look better. That being said, the cast wheels have treated me well so far and I have beat on them pretty hard.

 

As far as which bike to buy......beats me, they are both out of my comfortable price range :grin:.

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Thanks for all the great input. I was a little worried about the cast vs spoked wheels but if/when I get back to the states, there are smaller motorcycles to do crazy stuff with. I will post pix if I get one of these.

 

Mike

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I am also going from personal experience and not just on my RT wheels.

That was just the experiences I shared. 3 spoke, 5 spoke 10 spoke...cast aluminum is cast aluminum. Soft but not flexible= bad experiences.

 

There is a reason the Globe Riders guy do NOT allow cast wheels on their tours and those folks ride like sissys.

 

I have ridden a GSA at speeds over 40 mph over sharp edged rocks the size of curbs without issue. You can NOT do that with cast wheels.

 

I very much respect your skill and experience Marty and Keith, but my and my friends experience is different as well as MANY others on other sites.

 

If your wish is to putt around on well graded fire or access roads then yes, cast wheels are more than adequate.

If you really want to get back in places where we ride, I hope your friends have rear foot pegs cause you may need a ride out.

 

I am NOT new to off road riding and there is a reason I built the bike I built. I RIDE off road.

 

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You nailed it when you described the purchase as "emotional". So don't try to make it logical. Which one blows your skirt up? For me, the blue one. Whichever does for you - bring it home...

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Thanks, David....I've been in for 26 years this month and still have a few more to go.

 

Just to yank on my emotions a bit more now, the dealer has a couple of water-boxers they'll let me get on also...

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So, a decision has been made. First a little background leading up to which bike was chosen. Last night was our 19th wedding anniversary. As a 'surprise', my wife informed me that she had also been looking at GSs for me and mentioned the new 2014's would be out soon. To make a short story shorter, I ordered a 2014 Alpine White GS with the 'premium' package: dynamic ESA, on board computer pro, GPS prep, cruise, saddle bag mounts, LED headlight, ride modes pro, headed grips, TPM, spoked wheels, and hand protection. The OTD price is $18,230. I'll post pics once I become the proud papa.

 

The motorcycle should be ready by October...hopefully before the snow falls. Oh, I am now also a walking advertisement for Hein Gericke. We bought the HG Tourist Gore-tex jacket and pants, HG boots and HG gloves). Don't know how I ended up with a woman like my wife but I think she's a keeper.

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:clap:

 

Sounds like an amazing woman and you guys made a great decision. I can not afford a new bike, not anytime soon anyway, but the new Wasser Boxer would be at the top of my list to test if I could...after they come out with a GSA version anyway.

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Thanks Chris. I don't try to kid myself, she picked me and, using her feminine, wily ways, convinced me that I did the choosing.

 

Remember when you were a kid and Christmas used to take forever to come after Thanksgiving? That's how I feel now waiting on delivery.

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Reminds me of that commercial for a department store sale where the woman is standing with her face pressed on the glass door saying "OPEN OPEN OPEN".

 

Did they give you a delivery date?

Remember the saying, "Good things come to those who wait"? Good things are their way to you.

 

Like you, I have a wonderful wife in every way, but she would NEVER buy me a bike. I even asked her a while back. We had a friend whose wife bought him a new bike for thier anniversary. I asked her, "if money were not an issue, would you ever buy me a bike?" Her answer was "Oh HELL NO"...She knows I will ride till I die or just can not phisically do it anymore and she is ok with that, but she will not add to my addiction.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Talked to the dealer yesterday. He says three weeks until the build is complete. Meanwhile, I've been keeping busy sampling all the GREAT tasting biers in this country. Drank something that had a picture of a fat monk on it last night. It rocked my world. Good thing we were already at home...

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  • 4 weeks later...
Talked to the dealer yesterday. He says three weeks until the build is complete. Meanwhile, I've been keeping busy sampling all the GREAT tasting biers in this country. Drank something that had a picture of a fat monk on it last night. It rocked my world. Good thing we were already at home...

 

Try Weihenstaphaner Vitus if you haven't already. :thumbsup:

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  • 5 months later...
ncsonderman

Like you, I have a wonderful wife in every way, but she would NEVER buy me a bike. I even asked her a while back. We had a friend whose wife bought him a new bike for thier anniversary. I asked her, "if money were not an issue, would you ever buy me a bike?" Her answer was "Oh HELL NO"...She knows I will ride till I die or just can not phisically do it anymore and she is ok with that, but she will not add to my addiction.

 

I love it! My wife feels the same way. She knows I'm an addict, but doesn't necessarily want to encourage me. That being said, she is always willing to let me purchase something if it adds to my safety

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