A few guys I ride Ducs with have the GT. Very good bike. But the suspension is very OK, the tires are tubed and maybe not a real good bike for two up. The 1000 2V motor is a great motor though and once you add some termis will sound great.

I would really like to get a track only bike as well. I really enjoy riding the Duc at the track. But, the faster I go, the more I think about crashing it. I would honestly cry like a baby. I could walk away from a $6000 track bike or fix it and it wouldn't bother me.

There are deals to be had on either of those bikes. Three free payments for the BMW (or $750 in accessories...that's the ABS or bags), and I also found a lightly used one with ABS. Seems like ABS might be a good thing...

As for the Duc evidently the GT1000 has sold really well worldwide. But there are a couple of '07 models out there that can be had for a decent price. I need to ride one though...the two-tone is sassy but not sure I dig the ergos. Same for the Bimmer.

Plus used Monsters are a dime a dozen around here.

I have the boy next weekend Michael. We're out of sync with the kids ;)

My sentiments exactly. It's funny, people who don't ride really don't understand it. People are amazed that I ride at WORK everyday and still enjoy riding on my day off. Heck, I'm doing a 24 hour endurance rally in June.

I think ABS is a good thing. I wish when I bought my FJR I had ordered that option. At the time I hadn't ridden a bike with ABS and didn't think it was necesary, but after riding the BMW all these miles I wouldn't buy a long distance or commuter bike without it. That being said, I've never gotten into the ABS in a real world situation. But, it's still one of those items to help stack the odds in your favor.

Pro Italia in glendale is a very good dealer. Give Jake or Sampson a call and see if they have any GTs to demo. If not, I have a good friend who has one and I could probably set up a test ride if your interested.

Same here. I lasted 9 months without a bike...

ProItalia has a GT bike for me to demo (was up there saturday). They did work on my Multi and I bought a fair amount of gear there so I know them. The BMW is a tougher one...I guess there is a dealer in Hollywood but never been there. The used one is down in SD.

One thing in the GT's favor is the relaxed peg position. With my long legs it is a lot less cramped than a Monster is. Not sure about the F800...have to sit on one and ride it to see.

+1

Damn straight. Driving in this town sucks. I tuned up my 'cycle last weekend and haven't been off it a single day since. I haven't driven in that whole time (well, I drove the cars around the block on street cleaning day, but that was it). My disdain for SoCal traffic is well-known and I've made no secret of how much I hate going pretty much anywhere outside a 3-mile radius of my place if avoidable. A motorcycle goes an AWFULLY long way towards easing the displeasure of getting around in this region, where crushing gridlock and p!ssing away hours of one's life as a result is a virtual certainty otherwise.

I know the risks, I accept them. Maybe this sounds foolish, but I would rather accept the risks of injury/death than sit on the goddamn 405 freeway ever again. Just my nature I guess. I hate having my time wasted.

Also, with gasoline going to >$5 a gallon in the very near future, I like the idea of getting 35-40 mpg without really trying. I'm sure as a motorcycle rider you know and understand the (many) benefits - cheap insurance, no smog B.S. to deal with, car pool lane access, ability to split lanes when necessary, park pretty much anywhere, good mileage, etc. etc. etc. However, there are those things that can come up (as your experience showed) that are beyond your control, but can still kill you. It's a risk and only you can decide if you're willing to accept it.

What happened to you before could have happened to anyone and I don't care if you're the most skilled rider in the world, it probably would have ended with the same outcome. That's life. However, I've had plenty of stuff happen while out driving too. Just yesterday a guy here on Pelican nearly got killed by a 2x4 falling off a truck in front of him ("luckily" it only hit the tail of his 911, shattering it and tearing the decklid off). Sometimes stuff happens. I guess if it's one's time, it's one's time. That said, you have to decide whether you are willing to maybe give "that time" more opportunity to raise its head.

Personally, if it had been me in your situation I'd get another bike. I hate the traffic in this town THAT bad. Of course 99% of the time I avoid it by just simply staying home, but for the other 1% of the time, it's nice to know I have a "traffic negation device" sitting downstairs waiting for me.

i think it takes more guts to ride a bicycle in los angeles. they go fast enough to get you into trouble. but no power to get you out.


i don't live in the same town as people in cars. i've never been stuck in traffic. i park where ever i want. there are roads and canyons north of town that only people on bikes know about. they make the city bearable.


i don't know your situation. but i have some standard advice for people about to get back in to riding.

a. get the best gear/helmet you can afford.

b. buy the cheapest piece of **** bike you can find. you'll see if you're really cut out to handle ridin in the city. and you won't be out a lot of money when you inevitable drop it in some minor screw up. after six months, get the exotic bike you really want.




porsche-o-phile, i'm up at newcombs twice a week.

I had about 18K miles in a year and a half of riding before my accident. Never dropped any of the bikes until the coyote.

Not sure why you would want to keep riding after falling that hard in the coyote encounter?

If selling the 911 was partly a financial decision, it seems to me that you could do wiser things with your money than buying another bike. How about putting that money in a college fund for your kid? It will help his education and it is more likely he will still have his dad around too.

I am not at all against high risk hobbies like the ones you mention. What I do not like about street motorcycles is the fact that you put your life in the hands of a bunch of morons out there that can kill you in an instant. Your fate is in their hands - I mean in their hand - they have a cell phone in the other ...

George

I already put money away into his college fund (have for years). In addition his grandfather has a trust set aside for that as well. Assuming I can last another 7 years at my current job I'll vest in a benefit of a free 4-year college education as well. Should be covered. As for the "more likely to have his dad around", how many parents here are at their "fighting weight", eat healthy, and exercise regularly? My point being, it seems easy to take someone to task for riding a motorcycle when there are other issues that have potentially higher health risks. They are just less obvious and more insidious...

The financial was more towards ongoing costs of racing. One decision concerning the cashflow would actually be choosing to put some of the money towards my side business/art efforts rather than towards a bike. The core parenting costs aren't on the table for pay/no-pay choices. I cover those no matter what...

Sounds good on the side of the finances ... of course one can drive on a track reasonably fast without spending that kind of dough. Take a lightly modified car and keep it to a few events a year. You'll still have a daily driver / weekend car when you aren't at the track.

You have your life in your own hands if it comes to lifestyle (food, exercise, vices). You do not have that if you ride a motorcycle: You put your life in the hands of the average driver. That's what I think is scary.

Coming on a gearhead board to ask if you should buy another combustion engine driven toy is like going to a cigar aficionado site to ask if you should quit smoking. ;)

Whatever you decide - good luck!

George

Maybe you can, but evidently I can't ;)

I paid my dues on my SC - BTDT. Luckily I bought the 993 before Wevo got a hold of my 915. ;) Seriously, the 993 is what got me out of the constant updating of the SC. It takes some doing to stay away from updating the 993 - but so far I have held up pretty good ...

George

Todd,

Reading your posts, I realize that I went down the same road. Sold my Carrera for various reasons...mostly lack of use and the cost of my mod habit. Bought my bike after a 12 year hiatus and couldn't be happier with the decision. But, I'm in a rural area with great roads and almost no traffic ever. I'd have to re-think it if I were in SoCal I guess.

Clearly it's in your blood...so we all know what you're going to do. I've heard stories about maintenance cost on Duc's that isn't pretty, but I suspect you've got more experience with Duc's than I do. One could say that BMW's aren't much better.

With three kids at home, it was a tough decision. I don't let my wife ride with me (which is painful, because she would love to) and gear up fully even to ride around the block. Look forward to seeing what you do...

Everybody dies, not everybody lives.

Sounds like lots of us have been down the same path. Doing auto events is a hoot, but stupid expensive for folks w/ an ordinary income, and it seems like a disproportionate number of the folks that actively do it are childless. The other thing is that you spend an entire weekend (or more, if the track is a long drive/tow) for an hour or so actual tracktime, whereas with the bike, you can jump on, get a couple full hours in, and be done. My whole reason for buying the RT was that my powersports addiction (and that's what it is, make no bones about it) was driving my relationship apart. It was easy when I was only working 3 days a week, but now that I'm doing 5 15 hr days in my own biz, well....

I've avoided the trackbike thing for that reason, certainly more fun, somewhat safer but you still kill whole weekends.

I really like the GT's-the Sport 1000 even more, but the position is more extreme. The routine maintainence on a duc is more frequent, but the horror stories are somewhat excessive, at least as far as the 2 valve bikes are concerned. Personally, I would also consider a lightly used k1200s or rs, these are tremendous multipurpose bikes despite their heft. I ride with a guy with numerous serious bikes, and its his usual all around choice. A little more money (stupid expensive new) but it does so many things so well...whereas as much as I love my Duc and the gt/classics, they are pretty one dimensional.

I do not completely agree with this. The reason I say "completely" is that I understand the reasoning behind it, but it is very incomplete, IMO. What you are suggesting is that everyone who rides a street MC in the world, (tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of people), is simply playing Russian Roulette and the ones that did not eat a bullet today were lucky only. (The same could be said for driving a car). We have no control over our own safety, it is solely in the hands of some latte-sipping, cell phone-yapping woman in an SUV. The suicidal teenager on a 200 mph sport bike accelerating like a nut through traffic and the cop on the BMW have exactly the same chance of survival on any day, it's just "luck of the draw..."

Nothing could be more inaccurate. The vast majority of MC deaths are the result of rider error, (MC rider's fault), I've studied this. When you eliminate alcohol and reckless stupidity, (mostly excessive speed for conditions), and add in advanced riding skills including defensive traffic skills, the odds change dramatically. Can one still be in an accident or killed? Of course! I am more likely to be in a (non-fatal) collision in my car, however, since I do not take the same extreme precautions while driving as riding. Any collision on a bike will likely result in significant injury.

When riding a bike in the city, there has to be an understanding of the drivers in your immediate vicinity that is not really necessary in a car, IMO. Does the guy in the lane next to me know I am here? Or is he in his own world on the phone and likely to suddenly change lanes into me? Can he see me and/or hear me? In my car, frankly I do not pay as much attention to people like this. I don't park my ass in someone's blind spot and wait for them to hit me, but if they did change lanes into me, I would not be injured, so there is no hyper-vigilance either. Does that make sense? On a bike I am having constant non-verbal communication w/ my fellow drivers and they do indicate whether they are aware of me or not.

On a bike I am categorising fellow motorists into 4 basic sub-sets:

A) competent drivers who are sober and reasonably aware of others around them, like the MC splitting lanes coming up from behind and the traffic slowing ahead of them. Fortunately, the majority of drivers fit into this set and consequently are not involved in accidents often. Safe drivers.

B) Inattentive or partially attentive drivers, admittedly a huge sub-set but not the "certain death on wheels" that some people make them out to be around here. They are generally predictable and actually for the most part have adapted a style of driving that is very non-aggressive as a compensating factor that allows them to yap on phone or deal with kids in car while not crashing every 100 feet. They are so slow-moving that they are like parked cars or speed bumps when you are on a bike. They do not bother me one bit.

C) Reckless/aggressive drivers who may or may not see me or care about my safety, this is unfortunately a significant sub-set. People speeding and weaving in and out of traffic or driving like they are in a NASCAR race on the freeway, usually in a rice car or an M3, or sometimes even in a new M5 or other $100g car. A huge part of defensive riding on a street bike is being aware of these types in your orbit and avoiding them. They are 100 times more likely to crash than the average driver and you don't want to be a part of it.

And lastly, fortunately the smallest subset:

D) People in cars who are actively trying to kill you or driving in such a way that they are endangering your immediate safety. These people do exist, road-rage type shootings occur all too often between cars and on a bike they do not need a gun to kill you. Someone I knew was killed intentionally while riding years ago in L.A. when he got into a pissing match with the wrong person in a jacked-up 4x4.

Even though these true psychopaths are fortunately rare, I am always on the lookout for them on a bike. The good news is that it's fairly easy to avoid anyone in a car or truck on a fast bike. If CA. was a CCW state, I'd pack a little friend every time I rode just in case I encountered one of these people so that I could remove them from the breeding stock. If someone is actively trying to kill you with a 2 ton weapon, that's pretty much a justified shooting in most cases. :) Even armed only with your wits, there are tactics for avoiding and evading these people that my friend should have used and would be alive if he had.

It's a whole different level of awareness on a bike, and not coincidentally that is a major component of the enjoyment of riding. The level of *being present* required to ride a MC safely in a city is akin to meditation, it is a mind-clearing experience every time I go to the store. Just the ritual of gearing-up and putting the helmet on is so different than jumping in the car w/ a coffee and finding a radio station as you pull away. It's either in your blood or not. I could not imagine going through this short life w/o riding a MC on a warm night through the city. :cool:

Have to disagree with you a bit on the Duc vs BMW maintenance question. I have several friends with both bikes and the Duc is hands down A LOT higher maintenance cost. They are both fun to ride.

I scared myself years ago on my R1100RS and put it away. Finally decided that at age 55 I did not need to be riding a bike that could go 145 mph (and I enjoy speed) but after 9 months could not resist. My 750 BMW puts almost the same smile on my face these days and is a nice 60-80 mph bike. I do not push the limits on this one like I did with the newer bike. Can still die at 30 mph so its worth being careful on any of them.

If you want to ride a long time with no issues, get the BMW. Its like the energizer bunny, it keeps on going. The Duc is probably a bit more fun to ride but everyone I know who owns one says that it is more expensive and troublesome to put that smile on your face.

Denis
I think you've been riding for a while.
Get out of LA, there are no class D drivers here (I ride every day).
Jim

Just bought a 2003 Kawasaki Concours. Guess this must be #35 in total number of bikes I've owned since I was 13! Go for it!