Over the years it seems we have been trying to find ourselves when it comes to the type of bikes we would really LOVE.  If we had the space and money we would probably own one of each model, make etc….in any case, we have spent too much money in searching but worth it that we finally found our “TYPE” of bikes.  The “BIG” bike Dual Sport has found its home with us at least during this phase of our lives.  Although this search has been about trial and error, you live and learn. In the end I am sort of happy the Triumph deal did not go through at the end of the trip.  Leslie that is.  Although Cheryl did not mind the manual button dash I did.  For the amount of money these bikes cost these days I also look for convenience.

When Leslie was a kid she rode her first bike when she was about 4 years old and  it was a Honda 50 with no shocks.  Then, a Yamaha 80, from there Kawasaki 100 Enduro, then Yamaha YZ 80 and the last bike as a kid Yamaha YZ 125.

I have been accused of being a bit of a spoiled brat wanting an easy on/off ABS button, the ability to see my odometer all the time and ambient temperature gauge on the Tigers.  I still stand by my criticism of the Triumph bike.  After riding our Beemers I love the fact that you can toggle through the informatics by pushing a button, I like to know the temperature and most importantly the ease of the ABS on the BMW is just smart.  So, maybe this will change on the Triumph Tiger 800’s maybe not.  I am just one rider.

Our very first bike together. Single cylinder and a great intro to riding.  After 1/2 hour Cheryl all ready out grew the bike.  I grew up riding, Cheryl did not.  But it was a piece of cake for Cheryl to learn the mechanics of riding and we really thought this 500 would be around for awhile.  Only lasted a few months until we bought the Suzuki SV 650’s.  

The SV650 not a bad little bike at all

We both give the CBF 1000 a thumbs up.  Nice weight, great on the track, enough power, comfortable for the most part and really fun to ride.

Cheryl’s HD

Cheryl’s 2009 HD Street Bob. 

That was a nice Harley but man did we impulsively buy two expensive Harley’s only to keep them for about 4 months.  This is the only real regret I feel we made when it comes to buying bikes.  If we had the money I think we would have kept the Street Bob but in the end these are really not the bikes for us.  I see Harley’s as show pieces and really one-dimensional.  I rarely see any HD riders in the rain but that is the beauty of all different makes of bikes.  What ever floats your boat I say.

So, here we are in the present and after taking the Triumph Tiger 800XC’s out for a jaunt we are still satisfied with our 2010 BMW F650GS bikes but will be seeing what is out there in the next year.  As we get more experience with DS riding we are now going to be looking for a bit more HP in our next bikes, street comfort since we ride on the street 90% for work and a bike that can handle the back country roads.

Will our next bike be a Triumph?  Will BMW revise the F800GS?  Time will tell and it is exciting to see other companies trying to get into the ADV bike business.  Competition is good to have and will only make all companies strive to develop the best bike they can.

** WARNING -The addiction to riding can be severe.  Anyone out there contemplating getting into riding in general but more specifically ADV riding, BEWARE!  It is almost all we think about….planning the next trip, saving money, figuring out how we can get a lot of time away from work…you get the point.  Addicting and just so much fun! 🙂