I just have a Yamaha 250 (at least it is the new faux v-star model)right now but it was my first bike and I wanted something that would be easy to learn on. I'm thinking of getting a 1000 cc dual sport for my big boy bike. I always liked the idea of going off road whenever I damn well please... What do you guys drive/like/want?
I used to have a Suzuki TL1000S, loved it. I like the appeal of a bike you go anywhere, but here in CA my options are pretty limited. I basically would have to go to Nevada to enjoy open spaces, since motorcycles or anything with an engine are viewed as evil polluters and are completely banned from public land. So canyon carving is all that I can realistically hope for over a weekend. Have you considered a Ténéré? It's relatively cheap, good on traffic (you can see for miles ahead when standing up) and not too heavy for off-road use I think. If money is no object, go for the KTM or BMW. You can't go wrong with bikes anyway.
I used to be a big bike guy when I was younger, now I prefer cars (cages) usually, but I do enjoy riding off road on my quad and I did recently trade a PS3 for a fixer upper bike, but it will be a while before it is ridable.
These are the only two I have pictures of right now. I was riding the wing, the wife was riding the cruiser this day.
I started road racing motorcycles when I was 9 years old, a Yamaha YSR50. Stayed competitive for about 7 or 8 years, and then my natural size and weight started hurting me, and the skill level of some of the riders was just beyond my ability. So I never made it pro or anything, just got to REALLY enjoy my childhood at the tracks with my dad. I stopped riding altogether about 2 years ago, decided I didn't want to risk getting hurt again (or worse) and not being able to support my wife and future children. Here's a picture from one of my last rides, this was on a 2001 Yamaha R1 that I got in pretty bad shape for nearly free, and restored it myself. Before the rebuild: My little 2-stroke Aprilia RS250 I had in Italy: and my Ducati 996 that I bought shortly after that: Throughout my life I've owned about 15 motorcycles, some street only, some track only, some did double duty. I've been privileged enough to ride on some of the same tracks that the absolute greatest riders in the world (Mugello Italy was my favorite) and been to some track school and got to learn from some of the best. If I ever get back into riding, it will be track only, as I like to ride hard, and riding as hard as I do just isn't safe on the streets, so there's no point for me to have another street bike.
