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Buying a bike to ride cross country and then sell

Aluisious

Aluisious

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Location
San Jose
Moto(s)
2016 Multistrada 1200S
Name
Frank
Yeah, I did a search, and didn't find anything. So don't b---- about it :twofinger

I've had a bug in my butt this year about getting a bike that's more upright and suited for touring. Watching more Long Way Round movies lately, I've got that BMW gleam in my eye, too. So today I rolled over to CalMoto and threw a leg over a variety of bikes, before determining that the R1200GS is in fact pretty cool and probably more comfy for a long haul than an F800ST (I still have to lean forward to get to the bars on that). The 1200 touring bike is just a crazy beast, too big for me by far.

Now those BMWs are also crazy expensive...I don't know if I can really justify spending car kinda money on having one just for weekend rides. What I'm thinking of doing is just buying one, riding it about California a bit for familiarization, and then taking a few weeks off to wander around the country (maybe Canada too?), come home, and sell it.

Anyone tried something like that? Any reason it might not be a good idea?
 
Aluisious said:
Yeah, I did a search, and didn't find anything. So don't b---- about it :twofinger

I've had a bug in my butt this year about getting a bike that's more upright and suited for touring. Watching more Long Way Round movies lately, I've got that BMW gleam in my eye, too. So today I rolled over to CalMoto and threw a leg over a variety of bikes, before determining that the R1200GS is in fact pretty cool and probably more comfy for a long haul than an F800ST (I still have to lean forward to get to the bars on that). The 1200 touring bike is just a crazy beast, too big for me by far.

Now those BMWs are also crazy expensive...I don't know if I can really justify spending car kinda money on having one just for weekend rides. What I'm thinking of doing is just buying one, riding it about California a bit for familiarization, and then taking a few weeks off to wander around the country (maybe Canada too?), come home, and sell it.

Anyone tried something like that? Any reason it might not be a good idea?
Click to expand...
Stay away from them sissy twins and get the K1300GT. Much lighter than the K1200LT (1200 touring bike). Bars raise up. You may not have a problem selling the bike, as you're more likely to ride it back anyway... :ride
 
Years ago my brother got a gig driving a car (early Audi Quattro) up to Boston from Daytona Beach. It was arranged by some agency.

I wonder if there is anything like that out there for bikes.
 
I rode a VTX1300 out from Ohio for a coworker a few years ago.

He paid for a one way ticket to Columbus, I showed up with the bike a week later. That was a trip I won't forget.
 
my buddy has a Vstrom 1000 and i road it and its a nice bike and they are on craigslist
for like $4500-$6000 i dont know what your price is but look at them nice bikes. :)
 
Before getting a GS for a cross-the-US trip, be sure to check out the Vstrom or WeeStrom. Something like that may be cheap enough to just keep, or if you do sell, you'll take a much smaller depreciation hit.
 
You can also check cycle salvage places, they do have bikes with cosmetic damages and easy on the wallet before you dive into something new and then sell it. Why don't you rent a bike, there's several places in california that rent different bikes, from hogs to Goldwings.
 
I think you should get a GS. It is built for exactly what you want to do.

As for the costs, if you buy a used one, put 10 thousand miles on it, as long as it is not damaged you can more or less sell it at the same price. I would not be as hesitant in purchasing a boxer beamer with 50k miles as opposed to a KTM adventure with the same number of miles.
 
Why do you plan on selling once you get back to Cali? If you like that kind of riding experience, you'll be happy to have that type of bike in the garage. They are great for commuting and back roads, too.

Try to beg a ride on someone's Vstrom 1K. That's the sweet spot as far as value.
 
Is it possible to mod your existing bike with a custom seat, handlebars, and/or pegs to ride more comfortably? Lower pipes lend themselves to soft saddlebags. Add an expandable tankbag. You could minimize your load, and lower your daily mileage to a level you can tolerate on a day to day basis, with gradual increases like an endurance athlete. You can do a lot doing just 200-400 miles a day when you have two or three weeks. If you want to camp, it might be done in an ultra-light fashion.

Just an idea.
 
deanzaZZR said:
Why do you plan on selling once you get back to Cali? If you like that kind of riding experience, you'll be happy to have that type of bike in the garage. They are great for commuting and back roads, too.

Try to beg a ride on someone's Vstrom 1K. That's the sweet spot as far as value.
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Imagining I'd sell it in short order helps me pretend that it isn't massively expensive :laughing I'm thinking of the whole deal more as a vacation with expenses than as a permanent expenditure.

And I thought of modding my CBR...but really, trying to turn a CBR600 into an R1200GS just doesn't make as much sense as choosing the right tool in the first place.
 
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Buy used. The depreciation hit you'd suffer on a new BMW would be...painful.
Look at Triumph Tigers, Suzuki SV650/DL650 SV1000/DL1000, Cagiva Elefant (ok, that was a joke).

Subscribe to ADVrider. Read all the threads on sport touring and adventure riding websites.

Realize that you don't have to spend a zillion bucks to have a fabulous 3 week vacation riding your CBR600 around the country.

Big hint - there's nothing, but your preconceived notions, that is keeping you from loading a set of soft luggage and a tank-bag onto the CBR and setting out for a fantastic adventure. The ride you describe is completely doable on virtually ANY street legal motorcycle.

Stay off the interstates and really SEE the country by sticking to US routes and state routes. Hell, most of my rides are done on county level 2 lanes.

How easy is this kind of ride? Piece of pie - I rode a 15yr old Kawasaki Concours, that I paid $1800 bucks for - 78,000 miles in 15 months _with my dog_ in 2001. You can surely ride your wee CBR600 for two or three weeks.
 
I test rode the R1200GS and the R1200R after that. The GS was good...but the R was also comfortable and just a little more fun and a little more simple to ride. The bike was kind of "transparent" to the riding experience. I think with a tall windscreen and a couple of bags it'd be a sweet way to put down a lot of miles.
 
Ressurecting this thread...

Anyone ever done touring on a naked SV650? I was thinking I love everything about the R1200R except the price and the lack of wind protection. The GS was good but...the price. Ouch. Now a used SV650...that's something I can buy without having to tell myself I'm going to sell it immediately. I know I like the riding position a lot more for long rides than my CBR.

I figure for wind protection I could try something like this:

PGHOMN8101CB919_600.jpg


Add in a Corbin seat and some Givi bags and it should make for a good single-person touring bike on the cheap. Chain drive is less than ideal, but it's also less than ten thousand dollars :p
 
Aluisious said:
Ressurecting this thread...
I figure for wind protection I could try something like this:

PGHOMN8101CB919_600.jpg
Click to expand...

You would probably get some interesting buffeting, wind dynamics going across the Midwest (and elsewhere). I think you'd be better off with a smaller wind screen and separate hand guards. I'm sure an SV650 would work if you are not overly tall. The price/performance ratio is definitely good.
 
islemann said:
Big hint - there's nothing, but your preconceived notions, that is keeping you from loading a set of soft luggage and a tank-bag onto the CBR and setting out for a fantastic adventure. The ride you describe is completely doable on virtually ANY street legal motorcycle.
Click to expand...

...nothing but my back :twofinger

I envy the people who can sprotbile their way through thousands of miles, but I want to hop off my bike pretty quickly.
 
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