I'm scheduled to take the MSF RiderCourse the weekend of October 4th. I'm still not sure what bike I'll end up with when I finally buy one. Here is my current short-list (it changes all the time):
- BMW F650GS (new or used)
- BMW R1150R (new)
- BMW R1100/100/80GS (used)
- BMW K-bike (any nice used one I can find)
- Aprilia Pegaso (used - there's one at a local dealer that is a great buy!)
- Ducati Monster (new)
- Suzuki Bandit 1200s (new)
- Kawasaki ZR-7 (new)
- Yamaha FZ1 (new)
- Triumph Bonneville (new or used, if only I could find one)
- Triumph Thunderbird (again, if I could find one)
- Kawasaki W650 (same story as the Triumphs)
For clothing, I'm strongly considering buying the insanely-priced 2-piece Aerostich Roadcrafter riding suit. It's super-expensive, but everything I've read leads me to believe it's the real deal - the best there is. Why spend money experimenting with a bunch of other stuff (that isn't exactly cheap), when you can invest in the best in the first place? The problem with this is that I don't want to make the investment until I own a motorcycle. And, of course if/when I do buy a bike, I'll need protection while I wait for the Aerostitch to come in, should I decide to buy one. So I'll probably end up buying some sort of riding jacket anyway. The helmet I intend to get, once I've tried it on again to make sure, is the Schuberth Concept, which is a flip-up full-face helmet. Again, expensive, but the reviews back it up. I'll basically spare no expense on safety equipment, especially if it improves my comfort at the same time.
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