SapperWing
New Member
Apologies for a few posts prior to the intro, but I've been lurking for quite some time (joined a few months ago to be able to see pictures). I've been posting in a few groups across the Internet, all trying to figure out what bike I should get. So you may see "SapperWing" in a few different spots.
I've been riding on and off for over 30 years - quick count I've owned 8 bikes, but I might be forgetting one or two. Current road bike is a 2015 Honda F6B (Goldwing without the trunk\back seat) - and I absolutely love it. My last street bike was a Honda VTX1800. Actually, I think every street bike I've had was a Honda (first being a Honda Hawk GT) - some dirt bikes too (notably Honda XR 400). My current dirt bike is a KTM 300XC. To me, the Goldwing is the best bike made for miles, and the KTM is the best off-road. Unfortunately, neither can cross over.... I want something than can do both (I live in Colorado Springs).
On road comfort is supreme to me - the single most important thing. The years of bent over bars, buzzy sport bikes, stopping every 45 minutes to get feeling back your hand, arms, and legs - and no windscreens are long gone (I'm in my early 50s). In the current world of ADV bikes - for road comfort - seems to be the GS and the ST. I rode the Tenere 700 - and yes, it's a great bike - but I'm looking for something I can ride for 800 miles in a day, not another dirt bike or dual sport. I have one....
I rented the GS1250 very recently... and yea - it absolutely blew my socks off. I enjoyed it more on the road than my F6B (and that's saying A LOT) - and off-road in single track, it was very capable - and super fun. I'm not TOO worried about their reliability (but, yes, it's in the back of my mind). The price is high - but I think it'd be worth it. So, why did I just put money down on a 2016 ES with 10,000 miles ($9,500) - Having never actually seen the bike or ridden a ST?
Good question. Likely, I'm not very smart... but mostly, I'm a Japanese bike guy, looking for a simple, reliable, capable, "agricultural," tractor of a motorcycle - that I can comfortably ride for 800 miles in a day, and then single track for 10 miles to a campsite.
I'm flying to OKC on 23APR and ride it home (https://advrider.com/f/threads/2016-yamaha-super-tenere-es-oklahoma.1497224/)
Priorities for customization:
1) While I'm not a speed demon, I'd like to make sure all the HP are unlocked (without noise - I hate loud bikes): Exhaust, flash
2) Protection: Bash plates, Aux lighting
3) Comfort: Windscreen (love Madstad), winglets, PC-8, Heated gear plug, (Maybe an RDL pretty early).
4) Suspension: We'll see what it feels like, but I'll probably dump quite a bit into the suspension.
Lastly, my Bio would probably confuse more than it'd help....
Active Duty Army (exNavy)
Stationed Ft. Carson
So, standby for many, many questions (That likely have been asked many times before).
- SapperWing
(Sapper = Combat Engineer, Wing = RedWings hockey)
I've been riding on and off for over 30 years - quick count I've owned 8 bikes, but I might be forgetting one or two. Current road bike is a 2015 Honda F6B (Goldwing without the trunk\back seat) - and I absolutely love it. My last street bike was a Honda VTX1800. Actually, I think every street bike I've had was a Honda (first being a Honda Hawk GT) - some dirt bikes too (notably Honda XR 400). My current dirt bike is a KTM 300XC. To me, the Goldwing is the best bike made for miles, and the KTM is the best off-road. Unfortunately, neither can cross over.... I want something than can do both (I live in Colorado Springs).
On road comfort is supreme to me - the single most important thing. The years of bent over bars, buzzy sport bikes, stopping every 45 minutes to get feeling back your hand, arms, and legs - and no windscreens are long gone (I'm in my early 50s). In the current world of ADV bikes - for road comfort - seems to be the GS and the ST. I rode the Tenere 700 - and yes, it's a great bike - but I'm looking for something I can ride for 800 miles in a day, not another dirt bike or dual sport. I have one....
I rented the GS1250 very recently... and yea - it absolutely blew my socks off. I enjoyed it more on the road than my F6B (and that's saying A LOT) - and off-road in single track, it was very capable - and super fun. I'm not TOO worried about their reliability (but, yes, it's in the back of my mind). The price is high - but I think it'd be worth it. So, why did I just put money down on a 2016 ES with 10,000 miles ($9,500) - Having never actually seen the bike or ridden a ST?
Good question. Likely, I'm not very smart... but mostly, I'm a Japanese bike guy, looking for a simple, reliable, capable, "agricultural," tractor of a motorcycle - that I can comfortably ride for 800 miles in a day, and then single track for 10 miles to a campsite.
I'm flying to OKC on 23APR and ride it home (https://advrider.com/f/threads/2016-yamaha-super-tenere-es-oklahoma.1497224/)
Priorities for customization:
1) While I'm not a speed demon, I'd like to make sure all the HP are unlocked (without noise - I hate loud bikes): Exhaust, flash
2) Protection: Bash plates, Aux lighting
3) Comfort: Windscreen (love Madstad), winglets, PC-8, Heated gear plug, (Maybe an RDL pretty early).
4) Suspension: We'll see what it feels like, but I'll probably dump quite a bit into the suspension.
Lastly, my Bio would probably confuse more than it'd help....
Active Duty Army (exNavy)
Stationed Ft. Carson
So, standby for many, many questions (That likely have been asked many times before).
- SapperWing
(Sapper = Combat Engineer, Wing = RedWings hockey)
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