In my quest to return to RVing, whether part or full-time remains to be seen, I have been keeping an eye out for a motorcycle that might be better suited to that lifestyle. That meant lighter weight and better handling in dirt, grass and gravel.
Because I'm in-seam impaired (read SHORT) I was finding lots of bikes where I could flat-foot but all were cruisers like my current bike, Harley-Davidson® Softail® Deluxe. This meant that I might save a couple hundred pounds but not much improvement playing in the dirt.
Well, someone was watching over me....for some reason I did an eBay search on BMW motorcycles and noticed a 2006 F650GS listed. The price was decent, the bike was factory lowered, had ABS and heated grips as well as hard-bags. For some reason the seller's name looked familiar so I emailed the gal that knew the guy I suspected had the listing, even thought the listing was expired. I was right and I learned more about the bike. It was owned by a lady BMW rider who was spending most of her time on her big BMW and decided to sell.
Long story short....I got the bike (and for less than the eBay listed price). Now I have to make arrangements to get it from Houston to here in TN. Oh, and then I have to learn how to ride it and be sure I can be comfortable. I doubt I will flat-foot it but hope to be close enough that I can deal okay....it's almost 300# less than my Deluxe and the seat should be narrower. I can look at shaving the seat a bit and as a last resort, I can have lifts added to my boots.
The seating position will be more like my first two bikes since it has mid-controls. Not sure about the handlebars since I've never sat on this model, time will tell. Oh, and it will get 10-15 mpg more than the Deluxe....AND, if I keep it and sell the Deluxe I should be able to bank at least $8k difference.
So, keep your fingers crossed for me and I'll blog when I go get the bike, who I've already named "Junior" (at least until he tells me his full name).
Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna
Because I'm in-seam impaired (read SHORT) I was finding lots of bikes where I could flat-foot but all were cruisers like my current bike, Harley-Davidson® Softail® Deluxe. This meant that I might save a couple hundred pounds but not much improvement playing in the dirt.
Well, someone was watching over me....for some reason I did an eBay search on BMW motorcycles and noticed a 2006 F650GS listed. The price was decent, the bike was factory lowered, had ABS and heated grips as well as hard-bags. For some reason the seller's name looked familiar so I emailed the gal that knew the guy I suspected had the listing, even thought the listing was expired. I was right and I learned more about the bike. It was owned by a lady BMW rider who was spending most of her time on her big BMW and decided to sell.
Long story short....I got the bike (and for less than the eBay listed price). Now I have to make arrangements to get it from Houston to here in TN. Oh, and then I have to learn how to ride it and be sure I can be comfortable. I doubt I will flat-foot it but hope to be close enough that I can deal okay....it's almost 300# less than my Deluxe and the seat should be narrower. I can look at shaving the seat a bit and as a last resort, I can have lifts added to my boots.
The seating position will be more like my first two bikes since it has mid-controls. Not sure about the handlebars since I've never sat on this model, time will tell. Oh, and it will get 10-15 mpg more than the Deluxe....AND, if I keep it and sell the Deluxe I should be able to bank at least $8k difference.
So, keep your fingers crossed for me and I'll blog when I go get the bike, who I've already named "Junior" (at least until he tells me his full name).
Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna
Stu and Donna
Good news on the bike and on your RV decision. I finally have my house ready to list for sale tomorrow after the carpet cleaner finishes his job, so Pat says we can go test our new (we have owned it 3 months now) on a first trip out. We have a reservation in Spokane for nearly two weeks in late July so will be using it some. I do hope that Pat will enjoy RVing as I'd sure like to do more of it. I don't think she will want to be away for more than 3 or 4 weeks at the most so even long Snowbird trips are probably out, but I may be surprised. She hasn't RVed before so it will be a new experience. You can check my blog back in March for some photos of our rig.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Donna!! I wish you all the best with the new ride! Enjoy!
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