$10K to spend, what bike?

I would be all over this one if I had your $10,000.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=853695

I would buy a big triple, I've had a GS and they are great bikes but the triple has Soul

I'm with several others on this thread - unless you already have the hankering for something expensive or exotic, I'd get a new Wee, spend $1500 on strategic farkles, and if anything is left over, spend it on your wife/GF.

- Mark

10k to spend...

No question... a KTM 950 ADV or SE.

If you've ever ridden a mid to lightweight D/S bike... you'll appreciate the KTM.

Rode a 950 ADV through a rock garden along a trail through Red Rock Canyon in Nevada and all I can say is... damn!

I didn't think a 400+lb bike could handle that knarly trail the way it did.

If I would have taken my Vee through the same trail... I would have definitely trashed it.

Tiger 800

QUESTIONS (or QUESTS) with NO ANSWERS:
Tires
Oil
Panniers vs Pelicans Vs Soft bags
Top box vs. No Top box
Imported riding apparel vs. Aerostich
Which Bike

Since no one has "gone there yet", I will say get a KLR and spend the left over change on the trip of a lifetime.



I would rather come over for a beer a couple months from now, and hear about the epic two months you spent en route to somewhere wonderous, then sit and look at a KTM or GS that sat in the garage, has no miles on it, and you can't afford to ride it anywhere.

Or, if you can't get the time off, go with one of the other fellers suggestions.

Aint gonna be a right - wrong answer here, (no-win).

Motorcycles are dangerous, unsafe vehicles, likely to be destroyed in a crash.

I would suggest getting 2, five thousand dollar motorcycles, so if the first one goes bye-bye in a wreck, you still have a ride.




Charlie

This. I had $10k last year and after briefly thinking about a Scrambler, went for a '12 Wee. Love it.

makinwaves

Instead of buying someone's beat to hell KTM, buy a new V-strom 650 and spend the remaining $2K farkling with items that should have been on the bike to begin with. I have never seen or heard of a Tiger 800 XC under $10K used or new. In my area new they are near $14K OTD over $15K. You'd blown your margin by 50% and no farkles. Never seen a new Tenere for under $12K which is a nice offering, but at that point would have sprung for the 800XC and had something really exciting. Of course IMHO

Thanks for the continued advice. I'm taking my time on this one. Local BMW shop had a 2009 F800GS for sale...30,000 miles for $9.6K. But when I showed up to test ride on Saturday they had pulled it after they discovered the forks were leaking oil. Not sure if that was a sign or not. Won't be fixed until Tuesday.

Brace yourself for the maintenance interval fees. Only if it was my life long dream to own a BMW bike would I purchase one. There are many other better offerings out there with a lot less mileage on the odometer. I would guess that bike has had a hard life. Would definitely ride it first and go through all the gears before I would pull the trigger on it.

Why oh why would you even consider a bike with 30, 000 when you can get an almost new tiger 800??? Insert finger in light socket to see if "its a sign"?.

Vivo

Ya, I wondered about that. They told me the bike needed new seals every couple of years...which surprised me as my seals (non-beemer) are still stock, 7 years on. I'm not a big fan of frequent maintenance schedules and waving bye to my money.

No intention to buy, every intention to try. Doesn't hurt to compare to see the competition, especially as many say the XC and 800GS are very similar. Once I confirm what I like, then look for the right price and hopefully low mileage.

My Dakar's fork seals needed replacing after about 15,000 km and the bike led an easy life. Found out on the F650GS forum that this is quite common and folks who switched to seals made by Honda had much better results.

I think the F800GS's ergonomics and attitude are much more on the dirt bike side of the spectrum, the XC feels more like a road bike.

I was pretty much in the same position a few months ago ($10k - need a new bike) - and I just decided to buy a brand new DL650 Adventure. There is nothing like "Brand New". People say it has no soul, but I don't really care about that. It is quick enough, comfortable, silent, dead reliable (from all accounts), and it should serve me well for many years to come.

I recently bought a 2008 tiger 1050 and love it. I rode the KTM and figured I would never do more then fire roads on it so why spend the money. The KTM was not as smooth or comfortable on the road as the Tiger. This is my second tiger, the other model was a 1998 tiger I got 51k miles out of that one before selling it. I also looked at the Vstrom 1000. Suzuki have great deals on financing right now, but my last tiger was good to me.

Good Luck on what ever you choose.

Thanks Helo. And welcome to the forum!

Re Tiger 800XC - in December, I bought a 2012 800 XC with Triumph heated grips, fog lights and a LV carbon can (about $1000 for all) with 345 miles for $10,250. Bike is as new. Deals are out there - this one happened to be at my local dealer - all the better.

There are a lot of great bikes out there - it's great that we have so many choices. I've been riding a Multistrada for the past 6 yrs -- character is important to me. The Triumph tripple has a lot of character. I cannot seem to get at all excited about a V-storm. I'll take a used KTM (or something else that stirs the soul) before I would ever ride a new, but boring bike. Just my opinion.

A used low mileage R1200R or the same in a Multistrada, they show up here all the time.

Tiger 800!!!