former520 said:Some great recommendations above. Love the Connie; have seen, but not tried the Busa; VStrom is a solid choice. Another one not on the list but great - Triumph Tiger 1050. Tons of torque, factory heater grips, removable bags and under the radar to pick up for a great deal. Last on I had did PHX to Alaska up the coast and down the rockies 2 up most of the way with no issues. Sold with ~40k miles for $3200 6 or so years ago. No ABS unless you go newer and higher $$$
Can confirm. The Tiger 1050 is a great middle weight sport tourer. The 3 cylinder is very smooth and has torque everywhere. Mine is for sale.
I third the tiger 1050. My buddy has one, and a matching one for his wife. It goes, I can't keep up with him on my Speed Triple!
I absolutely loved my k1200s. I put around 50k miles on it, then traded it in on a new k1300s. I had a corban seat, exhaust, tune, slightly larger windshield, and a quick opening throttle and it was just a fantastic bike.
For two up touring, the Goldwing is the gold standard. You'll be surprised how well they handle for their size. But given the models you've been looking at(and the $$), my choices would be the ST1100, St1300, or the Yamaha 1300. BMWs are nice but a boring ride, and you are in for big dollar repairs if the splines haven't been religiously maintained on the shaft models. The Ducatis are tough to find in that price range, and aren't really comfortable for the passenger. The Hondas and Yamahas have plenty of power and handle well if you're in it for the twisties, but if you're looking for two up touring( and carrying a lot of 'stuff') the big Japanese dressers-Calvalcade, Goldwing, Voyager, or Venture will fit the bill, dependable as a rock, comfortable as a Lazy Boy, can handle decently, and are all available at a price that look ridiculously cheap.
I would recommend an Aprilia RST 1000 Futura. Best motorcycle seat I have ever sat on. Comfortable on the highway and fun in the curves. I have found it to be reliable and easy to work on. Plus they are at the bottom of the depreciation curve.
Tom-did you ever buy a bike?
Heh... about that.
After some careful thought, I decided that I'd rather pay the slight price premium in the summer than deal with finding/storing a bike right now with everything else going on. I'll restart the shopping in a few more months, but have basically decided on the FJR after sitting on one.
My wife and I did buy a 1985 Buick Riviera that we're putting a set of 32s on and taking off road, but that's a post for a different thread. 
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Might be a stupid idea, but what about renting if its just once a year?
In reply to Slippery :
Thought about it, but week-long rentals were all at least $500 for anything decent and that pays for insurance/maintenance for a year 2-3x over.
Tom Suddard said:Heh... about that.
After some careful thought, I decided that I'd rather pay the slight price premium in the summer than deal with finding/storing a bike right now with everything else going on. I'll restart the shopping in a few more months, but have basically decided on the FJR after sitting on one.
My wife and I did buy a 1985 Buick Riviera that we're putting a set of 32s on and taking off road, but that's a post for a different thread.
Am I the only one who still thinks little Tommy is 12 and was surprised by the wife comment? They grow up so fast!
Anyway, all my friends ride the bikes that you are looking at and it has got me looking hard at something sportier than my V-Star 950. (A GREAT bike at a great price if you don't care about anything remotely sporty). I have ridden the V-Strom 650 and 1000, various FJRs, a Honda or three, but no BMWs yet. The Goldwing 1800 is the go-to for coast-to-coast travel, it is much lower and easier to manage than I thought. It would be my last choice for a back-road blast, its a powerful Barcalounger on wheels. THe V-Stroms were really neat, the 1000 had an aftermarket exhaust that would be obnoxious on a long trip, but man what a sound for quick trips! It's an amazing bike, but very tall and takes some skill to really wring it out. I see FJR's for $3k all the time with full bags, hard to beat them if you want more sport. Fj-09's are getting cheaper too.
You can get A LOT of bike for $3500 these days. Each make/model seems to come with one flaw that needs to be addressed, so pick the one you are comfortable with and go for it.
I put over 100,000 on my 2001 Suzuki GSF12000 (aka bandit).
That being said, get something fuel injected for the mountains.
Hard to beat an Fjr.....
This thread may have inspired my newfound fondness for ST1100's. I am looking at a Challenge-priced one tomorrow.
This thread reminds me that I could have tried harder to get my VFR800 back onto the road properly instead of selling it. Not sure how to rectify this.
FZ1
In reply to maschinenbau :
The orginal ST from Japan, Inc, and still one of the best ever. They are getting long in the tooth, though, so be prepared to do a lot of deferred maintenance.
Something like the ST, Concourse, or even the oddball Pacific Coast would be the easy button. BMW K-bikes are awesome, but an acquired taste. I fell in love for the bang for the buck aspect, after HD sold out to the R. U. B. s, and outpriced their loyal fan base.
Im still a HD guy at heart, but too old for my chopper, and when ya move "up" to a dresser, there are way better options. and it's obviously not what you are looking for. I know why Dr. B. likes 'em. But also know they ain't for everyone.
Hey my old thread got bumped up!
I strayed a little bit from my original goals and bought an adventure bike instead. Details here:
I need another project like a whole in my head yet here we are.
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