New addition to the garage, and a large subtraction.

[paper]

Well, the mighty 2008 Goldwing is officially sold.. I rode it very little last year.. Hell, I bought the FZ6 in late Sept. and still rode it more than the Wing.
So, rather than have a large, expensive motorcycle sit in my garage I decided to sell it.. After trying Craigs list for a couple weeks, I tossed it on eBay and sold it the next day.. It was almost effortless, and now the bike will at least get ridden..

I also had a decent fishing boat that saw no use in the last 3-4 years, and as luck would have it, a recent CL ad came into my life that said 1981 BMW R65 for sale, or trade for a fishing boat..

Well, tonight I have another BMW in my garage to keep company with my 1985 R80, and a family north of me has a nice fishing boat..

Now to do watever I wish with this little 650.. Bags and rear luggage rack are first.. From there, I don't know where I'll go with it.. :thumbup:

 

[DefyInertia]

Nice :thumbup:

Goldwings hold their value pretty well?

 

[paper]

Nice :thumbup:

Goldwings hold their value pretty well?

Yeah.. I did very well when I bought it, since the bike I traded in on the 1800 was a 95' 1500 Wing. I actually got $1500 more for the 1500 than I paid for it the year before, and they gave me the new one for $2000 under retail.. I rode it for 3 years, put 12K miles on it, put nothing in it, and only lost $1600. I might have been able to squeeze a bit more out of it, but the lack of hassle and the fact that I'm never home played into it a lot.. I was happy, anyway..

 

[Humperdinkel]

Tidy looking bike :thumbup: & I really like those wheels

 

[Motogiro]

I've always want to ride one but never had a chance yet.
Bet that would make a sweet cafe racer! :rockon:

 

[paper]

They're a neat bike, very smooth and yet they definitely still have a character their own.. I've owned an airhead BMW of one kind or another since the late 80's. They're addicting..

Back in around 1997ish I sold my R65 and my R100RT in an effort to find the perfect bike.. A 1985 to 1987 R80. No fairing, just bags.. Smooth, capable, etc.. I searched for 11 years and in 2008 I found my current 1985 R80 as seen here..

That's a quick photo before heading out to a Moto Guzzi Rally. The bike's packed and ready in that photo.. I love that bike, and really didn't need the R65 I acquired today, but I needed the boat even less.. I'm not sure what direction I'll take the little 650, but I have a hunch it'll be similar to it's 800cc big brother in the garage.. :thumbup:

And those wheels are actually stock, and known as BMW Snowflake rims.. They're nice rims, but they can be a little porous and are recommended to be used with tubes.. So much for a modern bike, eh?? The ones on the black R80 are tubeless, though..

 

[Motogiro]

They're a neat bike, very smooth and yet they definitely still have a character their own.. I've owned an airhead BMW of one kind or another since the late 80's. They're addicting..

Back in around 1997ish I sold my R65 and my R100RT in an effort to find the perfect bike.. A 1985 to 1987 R80. No fairing, just bags.. Smooth, capable, etc.. I searched for 11 years and in 2008 I found my current 1985 R80 as seen here..

That's a quick photo before heading out to a Moto Guzzi Rally. The bike's packed and ready in that photo.. I love that bike, and really didn't need the R65 I acquired today, but I needed the boat even less.. I'm not sure what direction I'll take the little 650, but I have a hunch it'll be similar to it's 800cc big brother in the garage.. :thumbup:

And those wheels are actually stock, and known as BMW Snowflake rims.. They're nice rims, but they can be a little porous and are recommended to be used with tubes.. So much for a modern bike, eh?? The ones on the black R80 are tubeless, though..

Beautiful bike! I had a neighbor that had one and all he ever needed to do was the valves.

 

[Norbert]

Very cool!

Have you ever seen the collection at Bob's BMW?
Here are some photos:

Bob's BMW collection - ADVrider
He now has that original GS bike (second from right; red seat) out on the store floor.

 

[paper]

Beautiful bike! I had a neighbor that had one and all he ever needed to do was the valves.

Yep.. A valve adjustment takes 20 minutes..

Actually, when I took the 650 out for a test ride, I got back and the guy asked me what I thought?? I told him, it needs a valve adjustment and a carb balance.. He had a look of terror in his eyes, and asked what something like that would cost?? I told him I could do it sitting in my driveway in 45 minutes, but that's only if I stop for a beer halfway through..:BLAA:

They're well engineered, but very simple to work on..

I do a complete service on them every 10K miles, replacing all fluids, valve adjust, carb balance, and a check over of all fasteners, and I can do it in my driveway at home in about 3.5 hours.. My regular dealer retired, and BMW wouldn't allow someone to buy the shop because there was another dealership only 30 miles away. That dealership folded due to poor customer service, so I was forced to do my own work because there wasn't a dealer around.. It worked out well for me.. I'm cheap, thorough, and I don't leave greasy fingerprints on the gas tank.

 

[paper]

Very cool!

Have you ever seen the collection at Bob's BMW?

Yes.. I actually remember Bob's when he was just a BMW junk parts seller. Unfortunately, back before he was given the dealership, he did a pretty good job with customer service.. Now that it's big, they tend to forget the little guy.. I stopped in there about 8 years ago looking for black mirrors for my old R1100R to replace the chrome ones it came with..
The sales counter guy said they had a set coming in, and he took my name/address/phone and said he'd call as soon as the box got opened.. I guess I'm still waiting???

A friend of mine, who had been a big supporter of Bob's has a photo that he brings out everytime someone on a forum starts complaining about Bob's customer service.. It's a photo of his daughter wearing a Bob's BMW shirt as a diaper.