A Tough Choice.

[Megadan]

So to start off - Disclaimer - long post. Kind of a ramble of my thoughts, so sorry if it is hard to follow lol.

Some of you are aware of my long owned and very much loved GL1000 Goldwing. Beyond the fact that I love this bike just as it is, or that I have sank my heart and soul into reviving, restoring, improving, and simply keeping it on the road over these many years... This bike has a strong sentimental value to me. It is my first bike - it is Genesis for me to my life on 2 wheels. It has a personality and a soul. It has moods.

That's the problem though. It has moods. Even doing my best to keep this old girl running as well as it does, it's still a 42 year old bike, and as it gets older the parts are getting harder and harder to find, making it far less practical to keep using as a daily rider. One of the reasons I got my Hawk was to be a backup bike for when it inevitably needs work or has to be put down for months while I hunt down some part that hasn't been made for 30 years, or spending hundreds of dollars to buy low production reproduced parts. Example: If the u-joint on the driveshaft goes out, there is no replacing it and the only option is a used shaft, which is a gamble. Then I can spend several hundreds of dollars trying to machine the shaft ends to accept some form of replaceable joint.

I am starting to accept that this bike is entering the realm of "weekend cruiser." However, the Hawk...as great as it is, isn't quite enough bike to use as a serious daily for me.

So that leads me to something I have been thinking about lately, and it's a hard decision. I want to sell the Goldwing, hopefully to another Winger that appreciates the bike and will love it, and pick up something new. I miss having a sportier bike, something powerful and lighter weight, but I don't want to spend more than $10,000 on a bike.

I have narrowed my choices down to two, both also naked bikes (it's what I love) but both very different. The one thing they have in common is their simplicity.
1. The Kawasaki Z900RS - the retro version of the Z900, a bike I like a lot, that is coming out in 2018. It's a nice all rounder. Good power, flat torque curve with a smooth linear power delivery, light, comfortable, handles amazing, and good brakes. Plus, it's Japanese....hard to go wrong.

2. The EBR 1190SX. I have found a few 2016's and 2017's on closeout/liquidation with little to no miles on them that fall right under my price point. The weight is about the same as the Z900, but it's a lot more powerful and would be the most powerful bike I have ever owned if I got one. I am not an inexperienced rider, so that doesn't concern me. What I love is that it's a powerful big V-twin. What has me wary is the parts cost and availability of said parts in 10 years. Technically, EBR still exists, and they will still offer parts for a few years. However, being a lower production number bike, the aftermarket support will be limited. There is also the issue of zero warranty from the factory, so if something major goes wrong, I would be boned.

The EBR is the bike I really want by a long shot. It's everything I love and want in a bike. I don't doubt the quality of the parts or its assembly, just the "what if" factor.

Before you say it, I have considered the FZ 09, but I can't get past the ugliness. I know that can be fixed...but bleh.

Also, before you say "get a used bike," just keep in mind that I have done nothing but buy, fix, and restore older bikes. I may be able to find a low mile year old bike here or there that is unmodified, but I don't know how it was treated, or if any maintenance was actually done... or if it got dropped 50 times. I want to experience owning a factory fresh bike for once in my life, and no the Hawk doesn't qualify in my mind. It's been as tempermental and maintenance needy as all of my old bikes lol.

It's hard playing with the idea of letting go of something so prominent in my life, but I also don't have the space or time to keep three bikes, I don't want to pay for insurance on a bike I will rarely ever ride, and Goldwings don't like to sit for long periods of time. Every time I ride her though, as much as I have fun, it just feels stale. I could try and reinvent it again, or do something crazy like supercharge it, which would then risk breaking more impossible to find parts, but I will still be riding the same old battleship. Plus, I have to admit it... Having an EFI bike would be nice.