Darling, you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I’ll be here ’til the end of time
So you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I’ll be here ’til the end of time
So you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
(Lyrics: The Clash)
So, what do you think? On the one hand there is still a certain British Brand tempting me (Triple, Tiger, Bonneville, Scrambler - I would take any of those). On the other hand this little Harley has grown on me.
What I thought to be a short fling, has become a deep respect for the brand known for leaking piles of metal. I was always under the impression that these bike were made only for the ride to the next pub, or destined to be trailered to marque specific gatherings, but not to be used for actual serious road trips, since usually one would spend more time wrenching in the garage than traveling on the blacktop.
Speaking of the Sporty, the mpg is not great (frankly, it sucks!), but so far this bike hasn't asked for more than gas for the tank, air for the tires, and the occasional (very rare) wash for the looks.
Now, there is a potential road trip on the horizon, the IMBC 2012, and neither my two-wheeler nor I am ready and prepared for this challenge. I will need to build up the physical strength to endure a multi-day journey on a motorcycle, and as for my bike... well, Rover will need some serious modification:
1. A bigger tank
2. A comfy seat (need a new seat anyway with the bigger tank)
3. A luggage rack and saddle bags
4. A different set of handle bars for comfortable long distance riding
5. A set of highway pegs
6. A long overdue inspection
The overall price tag is about 3,500 to 4,000$.
Instead, I could go on a two week ocean cruise for this money...
Or I could keep the money, leave the Sporty as is, and rent a touring bike instead.
Or I could sell the Sporty, and throw the money in for a new and already well equipped bike.
I am left with more questions than answers. Help! Anybody?
1st off, you absolutely must own one of your fav british bikes at least once in your life. we only live once.
ReplyDeletesigh...i made the changes you speak of (minus tank but with more/added changes like extended forwards, Stg 1, etc) to my 2006 883L. i loved that bike. with the changes it was perfect, (well.. mechanical and floppy front ended but otherwise perfect). and then i decided on bigger and retro, and couldnt afford two bikes at the time so i let the 883 go. i'll tell ya, i have had several bikes and i dont regret letting any bike go more than i regret giving up that 883. i kick myself over that.
my recommendation, for this trip, it is faster easier cheaper to rent something set up for touring. try out different stuff. take your time. that will help you determine at your pace if you want to make all these mods, or, if a different bike is in order.
personally, when i can afford several in my garage i will replace my 883, and i will add a LDR touring bike (i do IBA stuff and my deluxe is less suited than my customized 883 was).
good luck and enjoy, because these are in fact good problems/decisions to have to make. ;) let me know if i can be of any info/help...
@mq01: Thanks Mrs M, this is exactly what I am worried about... investing in all those farkles for my 883, and then a shiny Brit bike comes along, and all is forgotten, and money wasted. Well, it's winter time, and there are many days before I can put the Sporty back on the road, lots of time to reflect.
DeleteWowwww, wait a minute ... what do I read here? You have to build up physical strength to ride multiple days on a Harley? Bummer. Now I know why I never wanted one ... ;-)
ReplyDeleteOkay, all honesty aside here, putting farkles on the bike is half the fun already. Riding it long distance - even more so. But you are talking some serious money for the modifications to Rover. I had lots of fun modding my WR, but was it a good idea? Nope. Learned another lesson there. Should have dealt with the small tank and used a Giant Loop bag for my trip. You do what you gotta do though.
And believe me: Triples are intoxicating. Don't ride one. Tiger or Street Triple - doesn't matter. That engine sneaks in your dreams. At least it does for me ... Might have to get one some day, maybe a Tiger 800? *slap myself*
@Guido: Well, I guess multiple days in the saddle require physical strength no matter on which bike. I have done a 600km day trip (Lilooet Loop) on the Harley last year and could have gone another couple of hours without issues. But it requires butt endurance, to eat up 600 to 800km every day for a week or so...
DeleteI won't test ride a Triumph just yet, I am weak... too dangerous. And you gotta stick with your GS for a while. Promise!
I know, I know. I was really just kidding about long days. They are tough on any bike, some worse than others. There is a difference if I do a long day on my WR or on the GS.
DeleteWhen I do trips, I normally try to avoid consecutive 600 to 800km days. With backroad riding for me a single day has a max limit of 300 to 400km. More just isn't fun anymore, especially as backroad for me means an average speed of about 60km/h or so. So a 300km day is already 5 hours in the saddle, no breaks included. That's fairly tough depending on the route.
And same here regarding bikes - I try to avoid test rides on anything at the moment. Still love the GS, but there is always an itch around my left big toe ... it asks for something else to shift. Sooooo many bikes, soooo little time. Overall, there isn't much out there that I really like, the Tigers are the closest. And I might give the Multistrada another look after they have now (with the 2012 model) addressed every single point I complained about after my test ride in 2010.
Re trailering: it's a damn good option if you already have a vehicle that can pull a trailer. We don't. For a small trailer we might be able to add a hitch to one of our cars though. Nevertheless, trailering to 250kg bikes with a Golf or an A4 pulling ... hmmm, might not be the best idea I ever had ... ;-)
If I were to have endless vacations I would never be more than 5 hours in the saddle, and then relax the rest of the day in the sun at the pool of a nice hotel.
DeleteI guess our A3 could pull two Vespas or one Harley, but now I almost regret we sold the Allroad. Well, we will try to find out what the A3 can do. Roland was quite intrigued by the idea to trailer the Vespas to more remote spots.
This is difficult to admit but I am starting to see the advantage of using a trailer to tow our bikes long distances. Our plan for traveling this year is to either buy or rent a small utility trailer and tow our bikes to a central home base then tour around and trailer them home. I know, I know booooooo on me for "trailering" bikes but one of our destinations this summer requires 500+ miles of freeway which is dull, boring and dangerous for a new rider not to mention at least a 12+ hour ride plus breaks. A 500+ mile trip is much, much easier for an experienced solo rider or even two up on a touring bike but for two or more bikes it just isn't feasible for a weekend trip. Then when we get there we'd be exhausted and too sore to ride around the area, explore and really enjoy ourselves, then to ride another 12+ hours home and that's the best cast scenario without a breakdown or even worse a crash.
ReplyDeleteWith a trailer we can cover so much more ground together, faster and much more comfortably with fewer breaks. We can haul more gear, food and supplies depending on the weather and climate and if something goes wrong we are close to a home base.
If we had two weeks to take our time and enjoy ourselves then of course we would, the adventure is what motorcycling is all about, but with little time and great distances to cover a trailer is the way to go.
(Bring on the trailer jokes I can take it).
@Troubadour: You know what, the trailer thing didn't even occur to me as a viable option, but you are right. There is much time wasted on boring super slabs to get where we want to be... you got me thinking... A rental for 5 days would cost me a thousand bucks... what would a trailer cost? So... no joke from me but serious consideration. Thanks, B.
DeleteSince your parking situation won't allow you to park a trailer and you won't be using it all the time you could consider a group trailer purchase with friends. Get 3 or 4 friends together each of you pitch in equal amount to purchase a trailer write yourself up a contract to cover insurance, maintenance and scheduled use.
DeleteOr look into small rental places, don't limit yourself to U-Haul as their trailers are big and heavy; we were surprised when we found a small local rental place in town with a much lighter trailer that fit our needs better for the same daily rental rate. I've considered asking them if they had a discounted weekly rate.
As a triumph lover and owner of a 2011 street triple R, I say +1 for the Triumph of your choice.
ReplyDeleteThat is easy for you to say Matt. I still can see so many options before that ;-) I haven't even decided which Triumph I like the most although the Scrambler has made it high on the list.
DeleteI've gotta admit that the trailer idea is a good one. We've actually purchased an M/C trailer. We've only ever used it to take the bikes to the shop. I think that will change this year. Something about those 883 that keeps people coming back. Good luck with the decisions.
ReplyDeleteLori, this trailer idea got stuck in my head now, also because we could haul the Vespas to different places, too, which are not really long distance vehicles.
DeleteRenting or even buying a trailer is much more economical than buying a new bike. Not necessarily as much fun as a new bike but it would help hold you over until you decide whether you and Rover are meant to be or if there is something else in your future.
ReplyDeleteIt looks more and more like the wise thing to do. No buying though as the bylaws of our parkade restrict parking to motorized vehicles. Trailers are a big no no.
DeleteOpt for the trailer, then you won't be exhausted and it will give you time to think about moving over to a Triumph. My dream bike is still the Bonneville, but I am sure once I ride my Shadow for awhile I will forget all about the Bonny. I think if you decide to go on more long adventures you can think about selling your lovely little Harley.
ReplyDeleteDar, I have been drooling over Triumph bikes since... ever. And time will come. Howeever, for now I guess I still want to explore options with my Sporty a little more.
DeleteI can say with all honesty that I am completly biased...buy the bonnie!
ReplyDeleteWhy am I not surprised, Rog?
DeleteThe Vespas on tour. That could really be a hoot for you and the "spousal unit". Don't you just love how options open up.
ReplyDeleteI just roped in my hubby by suggesting exactly this, Keith ;-)
DeleteI'm also with the trailer option. My brother and I trailered to Sturgis a few years ago and it was great - with 2 drivers we could cover 600 or 700 miles a day for 3 days on end when there's no way either of us could have ridden those distances. Even with a perfectly set up and comfortable bike, the intensity of focus needed to ride safely just becomes too exhausting after about 8 hours or so. So throw the bike on the trailer to cover the long distances, and then be relaxed and be able to enjoy the day rides at your destination.
ReplyDeleteCanajun, I guess I still have to understand the distances between two places better. I still have European travels on my mind, and you would never ever trailer your bike there. It would be a shame with all the different choices of roads you could take.
DeleteIn North America you need the superslab to get to places, and if you don't have the time it is a pain to endure when on a bike. Maybe getting a trailer is the solution. I will have to check out if our car is trailer compatible
I don't have any magical answer. I even considered not commenting as I don't have anything really of value to add. However, I wanted to chime in to lend support.
ReplyDeleteSomething I tell nervous new instructors may be of use to you.
Don't forget to have fun!
Ultimately it's your heart that needs to be happy and your spirit that needs to be fulfilled.
Take care.
Dan, I believe you are getting right to the heart of it. Keeping the fun in the matter. And as much as I like motorcycle riding, a multiple day iron butt is not my kind of having fun. Vacation days are rare, and days off spent with my better half is important, too. You might not think of it as a biggie but you have just helped me getting my priorities sorted out. Thanks for this.
DeleteSonjaM
ReplyDeleteAs you know, my inclination is to ride one's motorcycle to one's long distance destination. The problem with me is not long-distance comfort, or the length of the ride or the hours in the saddle or the increased risks...it's the lack of time to ride "there and back" and squeeze in a vacation while there.
You do get a lot of time to think on the long rides.
I'd consider renting a long-haul "continent-crusher" like a BMW 1200RT, not too big like the massive 1600 and you can do 600 mile days with no sweat.
As much as I tried to make my Ural a long-distance rig, it just wasn't designed for such distances at highways speeds.....sure, it could cross Russia but at much slower paces than what highways here demand. Again, it's about the time one has.
FWIW, the bonnies are pretty....don't know anything about their mechanicals.
dom
Redleg's Rides
Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner
Dom, for me it is a bit of all of it. Lack of time would require 12h saddle time, and zero quality time with Mr M. I guess it would be different if we had more vacation days, and if my hubby would ride a bit bigger motorcycle/scooter. Then we could conveniently stretch out the ride with an average of 4/500 km a day, and take all the scenic route. Alas, no extra vacation for us...
DeleteSounds like you're getting lots of great advice - in the end you do what fits with you. I love riding the long haul but you've gotta be comfortable. As for the gas tank my little Suzuki had a small (size of a thimble, actually) gas tank - I just stopped every hour which was a good break anyway. I'm with you - I love a day which leaves lots of time to relax by the pool.
ReplyDeleteYep, pool time! Nothing wrong with that ;-) I don't mind the hourly breaks for a refill, but I have been in areas where gas stations are pretty rare. That's what's making me nervous when riding longer trips with my Sporty.
DeleteNo advice, but I just found your blog and I love it!
ReplyDeleteWelcome, and thank you for your kind words.
DeleteMy first Harly was a 1200 custom Sportster. I rode it from IL to MN, NE, and PA. After the PA ride, I decided that was enough. It seemed like the Sporty just beat the hell out of me and it didn't handle in the winds very well. I hear they are made better now for a softer ride. Don't know if that is true or not.
ReplyDeleteI now ride an 03 Harley FXDL. I have over 60,000 miles on it, most are long haul rides. Trips from 500 miles to 6,200 miles. I have rode as much as 710 miles in one day. We rode from can't see to can't see.
I changed the handle bars for more comfort and I have highway pegs. I pack my bag on the passenger seat so I have something to rest on. The only thing I would change now is the seat. I still have the stock seat. That really sucks on a long ride. I really like my bike and I don't plan to change any time soon. If I did, I would probably go with a larger bike; maybe a Fat Boy or Road King.
It all boils down to what you want and what you are comfortable with.
Hi biker baby, and thanks for the comment. My longest tour on the Sporty was a 600km day trip, it was bearable but I have had better seating positions. I actually sat on a Street Bob today on the motorcycle show. Kinda liked it...
DeleteReply