Cross Canada

[Pacific]

Well, it's settled. I live on Vancouver Island, off the Coast of British Columbia. This summer, I'm headed for Toronto to spend a week with my oldest son. And I'm taking a bike. At the moment, that means my 07 Triumph Tiger. But because of a variety of circumstances beyond my control, the bike may change by the time I leave around the 7th or 8th of July. I may end up on a 2010 GS, GSA, or RT. I love the Tiger, but . . . well, on this particular forum, I doubt I need to explain further.

In any event, Toronto first, and then, possibly, Quebec and beyond. It'll be between 6,000 and 10,000 miles. Can't wait.


Jay

[Dirty Doug]

Jay,
Have a great trip and don't forget to take us along. For those of us that can't ride at this time it's good to see others having a good time. Good hunting on your search of a new ride and remember there are a lot of great motorcycles out there so get what's best for you not what someone else thinks is the best ever.

Dirty Doug

[Deans BMW]

Jay, sounds like the makings of a great trip. Ride safe and enjoy...............and , oh yes..............Wise choice of prospective bikes.

[Sir Limpsalot]

Have a great trip and, yes, don't forget the report. I loved the last one, it was spot on.

As to the bike, yeah well, we have a few BMW enthusiasts here. I think there's a few of them pretty much everywhere..

Si.

[Pacific]

Jay,
Have a great trip and don't forget to take us along. For those of us that can't ride at this time it's good to see others having a good time. Good hunting on your search of a new ride and remember there are a lot of great motorcycles out there so get what's best for you not what someone else thinks is the best ever.

Dirty Doug

Point taken, Doug. I will try to post along the way, but most of it will probably have to wait till I get back.

On the bike issue, I have wanted a GS for about 5 years, but the circumstances have not been right. I have come to realize that the great appeal of motorcycling, for me, is the long trip. I work in an upscale boarding school, and by the end of the year, I've had it with people and with small rooms, and there's nothing like a long road and some solitude to clear my head and remind me that the world is amazing in its variety of landscapes, endeavours, and personalities. This year, I'm heading across the country. Next year, I hope to go to Alaska. After that, who knows. Hafta get to the MC Bunkhouse and Barn one day, too. The fact is, I need a capable tourer, but I don't want a grand tourer. The Tiger is great, but less versatile than I'd like it to be, so the plan is to sell the Tiger and the XR650L and buy a single replacement. I am particularly attracted to the safety features of the BMWs -- and the legroom! I'm 6'5" 285, and I need a tall bike that can handle a sturdy payload. The choices are limited. (I was in the Honda dealer the other day to look around and had to laugh at the size of the CBF 1000. Nice bike, but not much bigger than a Buell Blast!) The Varadero (sp?) is nice, but the payload is 50lbs lower than the GSA. I've tried the KTM, which I liked plenty, but I know it wouldn't be long before I'd have a GS on my brain again.

In any case, our housing situation is changing for the better and I'll soon be able to afford payments on the GS. If it doesn't change before my trip, then I'll wait a year and be quite happy on the Tiger in the meantime. The trip will be a blast no matter what.

Jay

[Deans BMW]

Jay, in that case, I would reccommend the GS Adventure. You would fit nicely, good weather protection, over 300 mile range, great milege and a good load carrying capicity. The new 2010 Adventure is a fine bike, perfect for this trip and for your future plans.

[Sir Limpsalot]

Hey Dean, you stopped selling BMW's years ago. Didn't you?

S.

[Donson]

Hey Dean, you stopped selling BMW's years ago. Didn't you?

S.

Si, Dean NEVER quits selling BMW's!:eusa_clap:

[Deans BMW]

Hey Dean, you stopped selling BMW's years ago. Didn't you?

S.


Sir Simon of Sussex............Its a sickness I tell you........a sickness..

[Pacific]

Well, some people around here TALK about wanting to be Dean, and some of us make it happen.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_5BcXJsCTvGw/TCvrHCWyssI/AAAAAAAAAa8/jEUkyhgvvTM/s800/GS2.jpg

There's a story in how this came to pass, but it's enough to say that I am extremely happy. I pick the bike up on Friday.


Jay

[Deans BMW]

Nice, you are going to enjoy that.

Congratulations on an excellent choice.

[Sir Limpsalot]

Woo Hoo!!! :eusa_clap::eusa_clap::eusa_clap::eusa_clap:

What a lovely looking thing that is!

Si.

[Arby]

I like it! You done good :eusa_clap:

RB

[Donson]

WOW, that was quick! From a gleam in Your eye, to a real bike, in 1.5 pages...

[Pacific]

WOW, that was quick! From a gleam in Your eye, to a real bike, in 1.5 pages...

Well, it wasn't really that quick. I've been thinking about it for months and have been researching obsessively as well. The GS is a bike I wanted to buy a number of years ago. A deep dissatisfaction with my local Triumph dealer led to a final decision. I just sold my Honda XR650L at the end of last week. The BMW dealer also gave me a very fair trade on the Tiger. I've dealt with these people before and have always found them to be impeccable in their honesty and competence. Nuff said about that. The Tiger is a vastly entertaining motorcycle, and I have been very satisfied with it. But for someone like me -- willing and able to carry out fundamental maintenance, but lacking the confidence, the background, the equipment, and the time to develop my mechanical skills -- I depend on dealer expertise and reliability. I refuse to deal with people I cannot trust. And, as I said, I can trust the BMW shop.

Jay

[Donson]

Congrats! May You enjoy many Happy Miles with Her!

[Sir Limpsalot]

Congrats! May You enjoy many Happy Miles with Her!

And post many photos here along the way!

[Dirty Doug]

Jay,

Nice choice there! I think I've said many times here on the site that there isn't a perfect motorcycle for everyone, BUT for me the GS fits that bill hands down. I've had many but truly love the GS better than any. Enjoy the new ride and be proud to be " Just Like Dean " it's something we all strive to do.

Dirty Doug

[Pacific]

By the time I escaped the dealer's on Friday, it was almost 2:00 p.m. I had arrived a little after 9:00 a.m., but July first was the day the tax system changed in the Province (from two taxes to one "harmonized" provincial-federal tax) and no one had the new insurance form! In any event, amid a busy weekend, I have managed to log 600 km on the bike and will get 800 before the first service on Tuesday. I depart on Wednesday.

I love what Triumph has done, and I think the battle between the Tiger, the GS, and the Ducati MTS is going to produce fantastic bikes from all three manufacturers. There's a fairly strong rumour that Triumph is testing a more GS-like Tiger with a 1050+ motor, probably to come out after the 675 Tiger Cubs (one off-raoder, and one supermoto) come out next year. The new Ducati is also collecting rave reviews. That said, I plan to own this GS for a long time. It is a more comfortable bike for someone my size and gives me the versatility I want given the place I live. A huge part of this province is made of wilderness and wild roads, and while I won't kid myself about my own ability to navigate technical single-track on a bike the size of a GS, I can tell you that the bike will see plenty of action off-pavement.

The personalities of the bikes are certainly different. The Tiger is always read to leap, in any gear, at almost any rev range. It's a lot of fun and you get constant feedback from the engine and the exhaust. It took me about 300 kms to adjust to the GS, but I've now ridden it on enough different roads to say that I am going to love this engine, too. The points of feedback are very different. The Tiger, for example, always wanted one more gear. At 65 or 70 mph on the highway, I'd often check to see where I was in the box. Part of the responsiveness of the motor, I think, comes from what feels like relatively short gearing. The GS, on the other hand, can lope effortlessly at 60 in 5th gear and 3500 rpm. I just came back from a trip up island for my Dad's 75th, and I worked on fuel economy. I'd been riding the bike hard on the last tank of gas, so after I filled the tank, the computer estimated my range at just 266 kms. After running down the highway for 80 kms (and never hitting 6th), I arrived home with the computer telling me I still had 285 kms left in the tank.

I don't know about the red seat, though. I think I might pick up a GSA seat with the red trim. Incidentally, I chose the GS over the GSA for three reasons. One, because the bike will be running lots of gravel and trails, I thought I'd save the 60 pounds of weight. Second, I need to lose 35 pounds, not buy a bike that licences my fat ass. Third, I'm a sucker for white bikes.

I will update this thread from the road starting late this week, if possible . . . with pictures.

Jay

[Sir Limpsalot]

Have a safe and enjoyable trip. If you can't update us "from the road" don't worry, just save it and do a proper job when you're back home!

Cheers,
Si.

[Deans BMW]

Jay, why are you running in 5th instead of 6th?

Just curious.

[Boxerboy]

Congrats on the new ride. They're a big bike on the dirt those GS's, but don't let that slow you down.

1200 goin' hard.

Hattah NP Victoria. (http://www.youtube.com/offroadexplorer#p/a/u/0/NXwwN8NL1Yo)

Made it look easy!

The bloke coming along behind had a bit of this going on I expect!
http://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gifhttp://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gifhttp://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gifhttp://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gifhttp://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gif

[Pacific]

Jay, why are you running in 5th instead of 6th?

Just curious.

Probably a hangover from my R1150R. I had the high 6th gear, and it would feel a bit luggy unless you stayed above 65. In 5th, the GS was running effortlessly, so I didn't bother with 6th.

Jay

[Pacific]

Congrats on the new ride. They're a big bike on the dirt those GS's, but don't let that slow you down.

1200 goin' hard.

Hattah NP Victoria. (http://www.youtube.com/offroadexplorer#p/a/u/0/NXwwN8NL1Yo)

Made it look easy!

The bloke coming along behind had a bit of this going on I expect!
http://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gifhttp://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gifhttp://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gifhttp://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gifhttp://advrider.s3.amazonaws.com/p3rry.gif

Yeah, like that!