GSX-R1000 $12k OTD, dealer won't trade-in my 05 B12 (5K)

[PaulVS]

Next thing you know he'll be 'educating' us as to how much faster, better handling, and cheaper the GSXR1000 is than the Honda Gold Wing.  

[ZenMan]

Next thing you know he'll be 'educating' us as to how much faster, better handling, and cheaper the GSXR1000 is than the Honda Gold Wing.  

He heee... You know, for a mere $6K he could equip the Gixxer with a big hydraulic heated seat, high handlebars, giant top-trunk and big hard side-cases, chrome bumpers all around, GPS, heated grips, big windshield, floor boards, extra LED lights, air horns and various other bells and whistles and he'll have a really fast but super-comfy "sport" tourer.  

[Sven]

Wish me well...this brings me within $4500 of the GSX-R...and the b12.5, which for obvious reasons I must pass on.

Sorry, I can't wish anyone success in buying a gixxer.  They are for ghetto kids and poseurs, the HD of the sportbike world.  *You're making a huge mistake!*  Dunno why it would be obvious to pass up a cheaper bike with a more comfortable riding position and something that has unique style.  You want fast, get the Kawa ZX-14.  Hey, I want you to be happy, but in six months you'll be whining about buying the gixxer.  Why not keep the B12 and wait a bit?

As for me, I'm gonna win the Braveheart 919 to tide me over until I get my Concours 14.

[ZenMan]

Wish me well...this brings me within $4500 of the GSX-R...and the b12.5, which for obvious reasons I must pass on.

Sorry, I can't wish anyone success in buying a gixxer.  They are for ghetto kids and poseurs, the HD of the sportbike world.  *You're making a huge mistake!*  Dunno why it would be obvious to pass up a cheaper bike with a more comfortable riding position and something that has unique style.  You want fast, get the Kawa ZX-14.  Hey, I want you to be happy, but in six months you'll be whining about buying the gixxer.  Why not keep the B12 and wait a bit?

The word "obvious" means something that is plain to see... but in this case the only thing that is obvious is CWO's stubborn disdain of a bike that is getting rave reviews all around and selling like hotcakes.

This whole thread is mostly us trying to talk some sense into the guy, but it's falling on deaf ears. He's just going to have to learn the hard way. Oh well, we tried. It's his money, after all...  

[stormi]

Dread, #99 and I would like nothing better than to do some intensive test riding with you and your '06... one of us is gonna have to cross the border, how about I meet you half-way somewhere in Montana?  

Not a half bad idea...near the end of June I'm riding out to the West Coast for some rider training (freshen up the skills) then have about 8 days free after that to go for a lil tour.

Well that would be great if we could hook up somehow. I have no idea what the near future holds for me as far as riding this summer... it mostly depends on how long it takes to get this shoulder back in shape. But I definitely plan on doing as much touring as I can, when I can.

<snip> Keep me posted on your travel plans... maybe we could talk Stormi into meeting up somewhere along the way, too...

Hey wait,.. you were gonna meet me around Minnesota but you'll come as far as Montana for Dreadnought?  

Dreadnought and I are,  for all intents and purposes, in the same city.  No meet up necessary.  Grab katamaniac and Sven, and some others "out your way" and we could see who else turns up...

You know,.. if we could get a few people together, we could have a little Bandit meet, and ride "Going to the sun" (West Glacier NP).  Montana may be doable for me this year, if a couple of cards fall into place when they're supposed to.

[CWO4GUNNER]

[CWO4GUNNER]

[Sven]

...it is a great focus bike as I sell to prepare for bigger things in my life.

You've been talking about selling off a lot of stuff and moving on to a new phase of life.  I don't know if I've missed a post which explains the transition you're going through, or if you've chosen to keep the details private.  If you don't mind sharing (or repeating what you've previously shared), I'd be interested in hearing more.

[Sven]

FYI, just so you know I'm not off track on this bike...

Different four-strokes for different folks.

The Bandit and the Gixxer have very different riding positions, along with the differences in power and performance.  I personally do not want to ride with my weight on my wrists.  I also don't like riding with my feet up like I'm at an OB/GYN, so I don't care for cruisers.  I like the posture of a standard, and the options in that area are limited.

I also don't like all the plastic shrouding on sportbikes, so the bike doens't appeal to me visually.  The fact that it takes a field guide to tell the model years part is even less appealing.  "...Let's see, the blue stripe is slightly wider, must be an '05".

There's something off-putting to me about seeing bikes and riders who all look identical, whether they be leather-clad middle-aged Harley riders, or minimum-wage 20-somethings in textiles on Gixxers.

All this is to say, that *nothing* about the Gixxer appeals to me, no matter how many good reviews it may get.

In all sincerity, while I may tease you a bit about the bike you've chosen, I respect that it's your choice and your money, and I wish you many miles of safe riding on it.

But when you wake up, hung over, the morning after the honeymoon, and realize you married a mule, don't have so much pride that you can't unass yourself of it!

[ZenMan]

Dread, #99 and I would like nothing better than to do some intensive test riding with you and your '06... one of us is gonna have to cross the border, how about I meet you half-way somewhere in Montana?  

Not a half bad idea...near the end of June I'm riding out to the West Coast for some rider training (freshen up the skills) then have about 8 days free after that to go for a lil tour.

Well that would be great if we could hook up somehow. I have no idea what the near future holds for me as far as riding this summer... it mostly depends on how long it takes to get this shoulder back in shape. But I definitely plan on doing as much touring as I can, when I can.

<snip> Keep me posted on your travel plans... maybe we could talk Stormi into meeting up somewhere along the way, too...

Hey wait,.. you were gonna meet me around Minnesota but you'll come as far as Montana for Dreadnought?  

Dreadnought and I are,  for all intents and purposes, in the same city.  No meet up necessary.  Grab katamaniac and Sven, and some others "out your way" and we could see who else turns up...

You know,.. if we could get a few people together, we could have a little Bandit meet, and ride "Going to the sun" (West Glacier NP).  Montana may be doable for me this year, if a couple of cards fall into place when they're supposed to.

Ha! I had a sneaking suspicion that this could evolve into something like a meet, or group ride /rendezvous. The Autumn CanAm Expeditionary Rally... or A.C.E. Rally. Huh? Huh?  

I'd be up for it as long as it was late enough in the year that I'm healed up good, and that it focused more on camping than the usual motel/hotel fare. I know, roughing it isn't for everyone, and September in Montana isn't exactly ideal or predictable weather, but that's why we call it an expedition, ya'll... go tough or go home!  

If ya'll are serious about this, maybe we should move this discussion over to the appropriate section instead of clogging up CWO's Gixxer thread here, aye?

[ZenMan]

Well don't worry, I'm actually not selling all my bikes to get the GSXR but it is a great focus bike as I sell to prepare for bigger things in my life.

CWO, you've had friends that were going through trying times in life, haven't you? And you've seen some of those friends make rash decisions, no matter how hard you tried to talk them out of it, right? It's like they were completely oblivious to their own irrational thinking. Yeah, I'm talking about you, my friend.

We may be flipping you a lot of crap here, but you are a member/contributor of this board, a fellow rider, and hopefully a friend. If we didn't care about ya, we wouldn't be wasting all this time and energy.

I just don't see why you would be so negative about the B1250. Is it just because I have one? And you can't stand the thought of owning the same bike as me? Or is it because you've been trashing it so long now that it would seem like you're admitting "defeat" if you bought one?

Both poor reasons to miss out on a great bike.

What would the harm be if you test rode both the gixxer and the B1250 before you made up your mind? Isn't that the most prudent and wise thing to do? You are normally a very thoughtful and purposeful thinker, are you not? What is making you so reckless and impulsive now? Think about it.

There's a lot of truth to what Sven said:

But when you wake up, hung over, the morning after the honeymoon, and realize you married a mule, don't have so much pride that you can't unass yourself of it!

One more point and I'll STFU.

This is BanditAlley... and you just contributed to it. If you buy a gixxer, you'll have to go to the gixxer/squid boards to get your tech data. And you wouldn't like it there, believe me.  

[stormi]

This is BanditAlley... and you just contributed to it. If you buy a gixxer, you'll have to go to the gixxer/squid boards to get your tech data. And you wouldn't like it there, believe me.  

Not true.  He'll get -real- info on the internet by going to sites other than the typical gixxer sites.  He'll get tons of technical info on things he doesn't want to do on those typical sites, but I can't help but believe that there is a forum somewhere for him for the info he needs.  

I've seen it on many a forum.  You don't think my -first- stop was BanditAlley, do you?  And even though I own "Brand X" as well, note I come here when something's wrong? A couple of reasons for that:
1. I have community here.  I posted one thread to the Hornet's Nest, after lurking for ages, when Blue got lowsided, it was an emergency - I couldn't wait for introductions.  The community seemed friendly, but they really didn't help me out with my problem
2. The crowd is a little more mature here, so I know that I won't have to deal with "just ride it into the ground" or "WTF, it's a Honda!  We don't Dooooo Honda" type responses.
3. Bikes are, when you get right down to it, not all that different under their skirts.   Good troubleshooting with a "similar" product, or experience will often get you to the root of the problem.  This is even better now that the bigger Bandits are coming with FI and liquid cooling.

We are -not- kicking you out of here, Gunner.  If we were, I would have let you leave when you threatened to on MaxSuk...  of course I didn't know about the gixxer then,...

[stormi]

Ha! I had a sneaking suspicion that this could evolve into something like a meet, or group ride /rendezvous. The Autumn CanAm Expeditionary Rally... or A.C.E. Rally. Huh? Huh?  

I'd be up for it as long as it was late enough in the year that I'm healed up good, and that it focused more on camping than the usual motel/hotel fare. I know, roughing it isn't for everyone, and September in Montana isn't exactly ideal or predictable weather, but that's why we call it an expedition, ya'll... go tough or go home!  

If ya'll are serious about this, maybe we should move this discussion over to the appropriate section instead of clogging up CWO's Gixxer thread here, aye?

Of course I open my yap, knowing full well that there's a -chance- I won't be able to do any long rides this year.  But if the cards get dealt in the right order, I should be OK.  

I might be willing to camp, we do that all the time when we go to the mountains,... depends on how long though, and how cold it is.  Cold makes me ache, so I tend to want a warm bed, under a solid roof.

[Sven]

We are -not- kicking you out of here, Gunner.

Heck, no!  We've lost a couple great voices around here over the past year.  Besides, just because someone no longer owns a particular bike doesn't mean they lose their knowledge of maintenance, supplies, ride routes, etc.

[ZenMan]

Jeezus, you guys... when I said this:

This is BanditAlley... and you just contributed to it. If you buy a gixxer, you'll have to go to the gixxer/squid boards to get your tech data. And you wouldn't like it there, believe me.

it was meant tonque-in-cheek... as a joking incentive to stick around. NOT even remotely intended to "kick out" anyone.  

Haven't ya'll figured out my warped sense of humor yet?