I wonder if I like the process of getting a new bike, learning it, working on it, making it what I want, and when that's done...I'm on to the next one.

Sounds to me that you like the process of getting a bike dialed in. When that is done the itch starts for another project.

 

What do all of your ex-wives say about this? 😬

 

You just gotta quit worry about other bikes. The GS is pretty perfect, so it's not like a different bike is much better anyway.

 

Allow me to take a seat in the forums therapy chair...

You likely have a case of un-diagnosed Multiple Bike Syndrome (MBS).

While I don’t believe there is a cure, I’ve found the best treatment to be a minimum of three bikes of various purposes. Two can do depending on your riding urges but may leave you with symptoms. Left untreated it can lead to early trade-ins and high depreciation.

More on the topic here:

Yamaha FJR1300 - webBikeWorld

Information on purchasing a Yamaha FJR1300

www.webbikeworld.com

 

Funny that this article is centered around the FJR, it's one of the bikes that is constantly calling my name...

 

Having several bikes helps. I find I gravitate to one for a while then I'll get tired of it and then start riding another for a while. Keeps things from getting stagnant like with one bike.

Even with several bikes I still buy and sell fairly frequently. A good deal will present itself and I buy it with the intent on keeping forever. I go through it fixing what needs fixed, getting them all serviced and modding it to my liking then once they are all done and no longer need my attention, I'll ride them a bit and quickly lose interest in them and sell them off and look for the next deal.

Most of my bikes stay around less than a year. Some as little as a week

A buddy of mine that is a high mileage rider (137,000 miles in 2023) and over 1.5 million miles on BMW and 100's or 1000's of miles on other brands tends to keep bikes forever. The rub is he wear them out in a couple of years to the point where they are about worthless, so he sticks them in a corner of the basement and buys other bikes to wear out.

 

A buddy of mine that is a high mileage rider (137,000 miles in 2023) and over 1.5 million miles on BMW and 100's or 1000's of miles on other brands tends to keep bikes forever. The rub is he wear them out in a couple of years to the point where they are about worthless, so he sticks them in a corner of the basement and buys other bikes to wear out.

How big is his basement?

 

... I've had amazing sport bikes, beautiful touring bikes ( Goldwing, K1600 ), perfect commuting bikes ( ST1300 ), adventure bikes ( KTM 1290 SA, R1200 GS LC ).

Right now I have a 2015 GS LC that I love, I've had it for a year, spent quite a bit of time making it exactly the way I want it, learning how to do all the various maintenance tasks ( valve clearances, oil, driveshaft, etc ). It occured to me one night this week that I had some time on my hands and could work on the bike, but I had literally nothing to do on it/to it, it's done and ready to ride.

I wonder if I like the process of getting a new bike, learning it, working on it, making it what I want, and when that's done...I'm on to the next one. What strikes me as odd here is that this pattern is unique in my life, I don't do this with anything else, just bikes.

Hmmm...you sound a LOT like me. I've had the ST1300, K1600, am currently on a '17 R1200GSA (and have and still am looking at a KTM 1290 SA. Love bringing them home (usually 2-4 years old at time of purchase), farkling them, maintaining them, getting them 'just right'. Then I get the itch for something else.

It does get expensive (if you want to think of it that way), but you aren't alone in this disorder.

 

I think this is type of evolution - technologies growth every day and hour, you try catch something but all these things are in different models I4, I6, boxer and so. Another thing is possibilities to buy multiple bikes.

 

I've always been happy with every bike I've owned but then something catches my eye, gets under my skin and now I gotta find a way to buy it. Most bikes I've kept for a few years before I upgraded to something else but the shortest time I owned a bike before trading it in was about 3 months and the bike I've owned the longest was about 4 years.

 

Hi all,
This was me for the past 10 years or so. I've gone through Harley ultra classics to gold wings back to harley (each one I've spent thousands of dollars on accessories to get it to my liking). I only kept them about 1 -3 years. Then I researched the K1600GTL and bought one. What an amazing bike. I thought it was going to be my forever bike, but it was heavy and my wife no longer wanted to go riding. I never even thought of a GSA. I started reading reviews and thought it was a lot of hype. Then I took it for a test ride. Wow! This is a touring/sport touring/easy off road (I'm new to off road) bike that has a tremendous range and is very comfortable, oh yeah, a couple of hundred pounds lighter also. I've farkled it out with thousands of dollars and have had it for a little over a year (it's a 2016). I've put close to 20k miles on it in that time and can honestly say it is the best (for me) motorcycle I've ridden in my 40+ years of riding. I've found my forever bike.

Duff

 

Allow me to take a seat in the forums therapy chair...

I rarely keep a bike more than 2 years. I've had amazing sport bikes, beautiful touring bikes ( Goldwing, K1600 ), perfect commuting bikes ( ST1300 ), adventure bikes ( KTM 1290 SA, R1200 GS LC ). For no good reason at all, at some point during bike ownership I get the itch for a different one, often as quickly as one year into ownership.

Right now I have a 2015 GS LC that I love, I've had it for a year, spent quite a bit of time making it exactly the way I want it, learning how to do all the various maintenance tasks ( valve clearances, oil, driveshaft, etc ). It occured to me one night this week that I had some time on my hands and could work on the bike, but I had literally nothing to do on it/to it, it's done and ready to ride.

I ride my bike everyday, it's my primary mode of transportation to and from work ( thank you California weather ), so I ride more than most. For whatever reason the itch is starting. No clue why, I'm super happy with the bike, does everything I want ( on and off road ), runs perfectly ( thanks to the hours I've spent working on it ). I wonder if I like the process of getting a new bike, learning it, working on it, making it what I want, and when that's done...I'm on to the next one. What strikes me as odd here is that this pattern is unique in my life, I don't do this with anything else, just bikes.

I'd love to be that guy who keeps a bike for 20 years, I see you all the time! What's the secret?? Am I alone in this wandering eye when it comes to bikes?

I think you will find many here who also change their bike often. I was like you. In 2016 I retired from work and bought myself a GSA. It's still my bike and after 22000 miles, I still like it and prefer it to any bike I've owned. Its all dialed into me and even though I still very much have that bike wandering eye, I always circle back to the GSA and all its attributes.

 

Before you buy a FJR 1300 push one around a few feet. A buddy had one and while they do move along nicely they weight like lead and if riding spirited they can wear you out heaving all that weight around. Kind of like BMW K bikes. Great open road triple digit speed bikes but tiring in the twisties.

 

Having multiple bikes is nice. The 2015 FJR1300ES is a smooth, fast, mile munching machine, with great wind protection, and is dead nuts reliable. Also helps that they are quite reasonably priced. The 2014 R1200GS sold me on the BMW boxers and wears knobbly tires for most of the forest service road exploration. The 2021 R1250GS Rallye is a nice touring machine and remains on road mostly. The DRZ400S is fun for the true offroad adventures. Big contrast between the FJR and GS. The FJR is 100 lbs. heavier, which makes it more stable on the highway on long trips.The GS handles more effortlessly but can be a handful in windy conditions on the highway. They are both great bikes. There is a reason FJR's are so popular in the Iron Butt community. I don't judge bikes by pushing them around the garage. The FJR is not bad to push around. Try a full dress Harley out some time.

 

Pushing them around the garage the weight is evident. Pushing them around the twisties the weight is more evident. You judge a bike however you like but heavy is heavy.

If the goal of the bike it to grind out endless miles of slab IBA style then the FJR is going to be a good choice. If the intent is to enjoy spirited riding in twisties the FJR IMO ain't the bike. YMMV.

 

On the weight topic I agree—I think the Ninja 1000SX/Versys 1000 or GSX-S1000GX+/GSX-S1000GT+ would be worth looking at over a FJR.

 

Or better yet, a Yamaha Tracer 9 GT!!!!

 

Lively discussion.
I think you have a case of MBS. Multiple Bike Syndrome.
Sorry to say, it's incurable.

In my case, I think its the thrill of the chase. Finding a new bike, then the work-over etc.
Happens to me all the time.
Don't fight it bro.

 

My bike needs have changed as I’ve aged. I‘ve been riding 53 years, raced flat track, motocross, rode enduros, travelled extensively, etc. I currently own a BMW R1250GS, a KLX300, a Super Tenere, and a VStrom 650. During my riding career, I’ve owned 89 different motorcycle…….some of the same bike numerous times like the KLR650, Honda ST 1300, Yamaha Super Tenere, and the early model Honda CB750K/F.

I don’t expect to purchase any motorcycle in the future that weighs over 600 lbs fueled before accessory weight, My BMW GS just feels huge to me and I will be selling it upon my return in two weeks from the BMWOA National rally in Redmond, OR.
There is nothing wrong with the bike….it just isn’t a good fit for me. I prefer my Super Tenere over the GS hands down. My KLX300 is just for messing around at low speeds on local back roads.

My current favorite do it all motorcycle is the Suzuki VStrom 650…..lighter, lower, comfortable, and fast enough for me.

 

Surprised you feel the GS is huge and S10 better. as the S10 is 40 lbs.heavier with the weight up high. But, each person's perception is different. Does your GS have the sport suspension?

 

The GS is standard height/suspension but feels less compact to me than the S10. The S10 carries the weight well and is slightly more roomy for me at 6’4” with a 35” inseam. It has better wind protection than the GS and sort of splits the difference between the GS and GSA with the 6.1 gallon fuel tank + gets up to 10% better gas mileage. The GS does have horsepower! I owned a 2007 GSA and my current 2022 GS……I guess I’m just not a German motorcycle person.

 

Why am I ( we? ) never fully satisfied with a bike?

Marketing.....

 

Last summer, just prior to a trip to eastern Canada, my up-til-then trusty '18 GSA's engine pooped the bed with just over 40,000 miles on the clock. I had an extended warranty and, eventually, the engine was replaced after five months. Faced missing the best part of the riding season, I bought a Ducati Multistrada V4S. Now, I know the real meaning of Peter Egan's quote, "...bikes serve as a kind of compensation for putting up with everything safe and mundane in this world, a thumb in the eye of caution. All motorcycles do this to some extent, but Ducatis are the image on the recruiting poster."

The GSA is still in the garage with 493 miles on the new engine and, frankly, it has been difficult for me to accumulate the miles for the first service. I've been looking at a Ducati Desert X but that's all. My wife has said, "No more bikes." Wimmen can be so unreasonable.

Mike

 

If I tell my wife I'm looking at or inquiring about another bike she'll ask me if she needs to put in a leave slip for work and when are we going to pick it up.

 

Well, I should fess up about my bride of 56 years: When my GSA's engine was pronounced DOA, I complained to my wife about missing the upcoming trip. She said, "Why don't you just get a new bike?"

". . . . and, now, you know the rest of the story." (I try hard not to make her mad!)

Mike

 

Your experience Mike is why I like to try different bikes. I still enjoy my GSA like an old comfortable pair of shoes but switching to my Versys and DRZ is always a fun change up. They each have a unique personality. Good to have options and I’m fortunate Iowa is only $15/yr to register a bike and insurance is reasonable too.

 

$15 a year to register a bike? Can I move to your house please so I can register mine in Iowa ?

 

I did that with Women, often changing out of boredom.

Having owned an LT, GSA, RT and a K1600 GT. I can say this:

The RT I still own is a 1999 bike. It is by far the most reliable BMW I've owned. The GT is a rocket but I may keep it for a short while, rebuild the shocks and sell it. What I don't like is all the tech on that bike that is un-reliable.

The GSA had the well known Gas gauge issue. It was replaced once by the dealer then again, it failed. So I sold it. Great bike otherwise.

The LT is a great bike but it is very heavy. I dropped it many times. It had the well known rear drive issue.

So out of all of them, I am more and more inclined to just keep the old 1999 RT. Zero issues, everything works on it, minimum needed upkeep. Runs and handles great.

Would love to hear what others think.

 

I tend to get a new motorcycle every 4 years, and now I have just acquired a very pristine 2017.5 R1200GS in Lupine Blue. I have always wanted a GS, and told my pal when he sells his......I get first dibs. Well she is in my garage now and I have my 2020 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT listed on that associated forum, and will also be listing it here. THAT has been my favorite motorcycle to date and I still love it, but Mama says I cannot have 2 bikes, plus I wouldn't be able to get both cars in the garage with 2 bikes. That Yamaha has been dead reliable, makes beautiful engine noises and is FAST and smooth. I am stoked about my GS however, and sincerely hope it gives me many fun and reliable miles and smiles over the years.

 

Across three years, I have had three bikes...

I bought a used Ducati Desert Sled. Air cooled 800cc L-twin, 2-valve. Low tech but fun ride...a little bit hooligan. But too small for my 6-3 frame. Very reliable but terrible rear suspension off road.

Traded it for Suzuki's new 800DE adventure bike. New motor is really good and it's a lot of bike for the money. But was missing tubeless tires, cruise and very little after market support at that time. Suzuki did a great job on this bike.

Traded it for a 2017 R1200 GS Exclusive. Great fit for my height and has all the missing stuff I wanted. Keeper!