Hello from St. Louis

[MarkM]

Hi folks. Long-timer rider here, both on and off road. On road I've mostly been riding BMW's the past 30+ years and currently ride a 1995 R1100RS. On pavement I love the RS, but it leaves something to be desired on gravel. I also have a Kawasaki Super Sherpa 250cc dual sport--a terrific bike, which I trail ride along with my son on a Honda XR100 and my wife on a Yamaha TW200. I do most of my own maintenance.

My wife tours with me two-up and we'd like to enjoy getting off pavement more, so I'm looking at either a new GS or Super Tenere. For my next vacation I'm planning to explore the back country dirt roads of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona with my wife on a GS or ST. I like the GS better, but the ST has gotten my attention because of the reliability and lower price. I have not gotten to ride the ST yet, but plan to test ride one before buying. I'm fortunate to have good dealerships in the area for either bike.

Thanks for the great forum!

 

[fredz43]

Welcome to the forum, Mark. let me put in a plug for my local dealership, Niehaus Cycles in Litchfield, IL. They have 2 new 2013's left and Yamaha is giving some incredible incentives on the leftovers. They'll be glad to let you demo one.

 

[True Grip]

::004:: Mark! Hard to go wrong with either bikes. Search for the 2013 Tenere Rally picture thread in Ouray CO. That will wet your appetite for your upcoming vacation. Several couples two upped lots of mountain passes. 2014 Rally will be close by in Arkansas in Oct. maybe you can come.

 

[freak]

::004:: plus one on Niehaus, I have bought over 30 bikes from them ::008::

 

[zzzzip]

Howdy from near Hannibal. I did a 4,000 mile trip last month thru NM, AZ, UT, CO and of course the scenic state of KS on the S10 and found it to be a great bike for the ride.

 

[rem]

Welcome on, MarkM from SLMO. Decisions, Decisions. What you're doing is the best way. Ride 'em both, check out cost, reliability, frequency of repair, all that stuff, and then when you buy the Tenere, let us know. ::025:: ::025:: We're pulling for you. ::004:: to the Forum. R. ::022::

 

[barkingllizard]

a simple hello, MarkM.....

 

[MarkM]

Yesterday I tried to get an ST test ride at the local multi-brand shop (Big St. Charles Motorsports), but they did not have one available. So I popped over to Gateway BMW and rode a slightly used 2013 R1200GS (liquid cooled). Wow that GS was nice--the ST will have a tough act to follow. I'm getting in contact with Niehaus Cycles (as some recommended) and maybe next Saturday I'll get to test the ST. Apparently my situation is reversed from many on this list... I have a terrific BMW shop only 7 miles from my house but I may have to ride an hour to get to the nearest good Yammer shop.

 

[fredz43]

Keep us posted on that, Mark. I'm 10 miles from the Niehaus shop and if nothing else pops up, I'll ride over there and meet you.

 

[kena48]

Welcome.

 

[clint64]

Welcome and good luck with your research. Just pick the one that you like the best. If at a later time you decide to change things up, it's not the end of the world.

 

[MarkM]

Got to test ride an ST yesterday at Big St. Charles Motorsports. I told them I was considering the 2014 model, which they did not have on the floor ready to demo. So I asked to ride a 2012 they had on the floor. Rode it for about an hour including some off-pavement, and brought it back dusty and grinning. I'm getting quotes on both the ST and GS so I can see exactly how much difference there is. Depending on how far apart the numbers are, it could an easy decision. The MSRP on the ST ES is $16,190 vs. $19,020 for the GS with premium package, and adding the extended warranty to the Yamaha, the prices look to be within $2,500. That's close enough to make it a difficult decision.

 

[BAILEY]

Welcome!!

 

[MarkM]

Hi folks. Thanks for the welcome and the great forum. I really like the ST, but decided to go with a GS. Gateway BMW made me a good offer to trade my 19 year old RS for a 1 year old GSW. If you ever pass me broken down on the side of the road, you can say "I told you so."

 

[Squibb]

Hope you get a reliable one!

Never again for me I'm afraid, I lost the best part of a summer's riding due to a whole range of problems; at my age that's not good. Here in the UK, BMW owners tend to get a kind of 'locked in' syndrome, largely because they often get a beter deal financially by staying with the Bavarians. Maybe other traders price in the potential for problems, or just get the bikes underwritten in the wholesale market, so it is difficult to get a decent deal elsewhere.

Keep safe ......... ::001::