Well...turns out my recently acquired WR250R has been a really, really bad influence.
Reason being - it's so dang fun, it made clear all the compromises I'd been living with on the KLR. Don't get me wrong - I love the KLR for it's utilitarian function and its ability to handle virtually anything you can throw at it. And, it does all of this very economically with reliability that is tough to beat. If you only want to own one bike and want to do a little of everything, it's a very compelling package.
Trouble is...I just find the KLR a tad boring. I hop on the WR250R, and the grins are non-stop from the moment it fires up to getting put back in the garage. I felt guilty watching the KLR sit in the garage, gathering dust - but I kept telling myself, it would get used for the more road oriented trips and longer range excursions where the little 250 didn't excel.
But, reality and greed started setting in. The jack of all trades, master of none personality of the KLR made me realize I wanted more out of my larger bike. Bored a few weeks ago, I sauntered into a dealer to check out the newly designed Suzuki DLR650 - the Wee Strom. Earlier models have a great reputation, and the updates appear to make a fine bike even better. It fit me very well sitting in the showroom, but the dealer made it clear no test rides were allowed...something not completely uncommon, and perhaps understandable given the liability. I left thinking it might be a leading candidate for my eventual KLR replacement, even though the brief encounter really didn't "wow" me.
On the way home, I pass the "sexy bike" dealer...Ducati, KTM and Triumph. What the heck - I'd never seen Ducatis or the new Triumphs up close, and always lusted after KTM's even though they're completely impractical for my uses. So I pop into the showroom...mistake #1.
In addition to massive amounts of bike porn just oozing out of the entire new model showroom, they also had a ton of used BMW's - a few models of which, I'm somewhat familiar with. I'm perusing all of these enticing big boy toys, and sure enough over comes the sales droid. I told him of my KLR boredom and my trip to the Suzuki dealer, and he immediately took me over to a gorgeous orange machine in the middle of the showroom - the Triumph 800XC.
Hubba hubba...love at first sight. Still, it was a completely emotional response, and the logical side of me was showing significant resistance. The cost...ouch. That's no Wee Strom, much less KLR sticker. All of the unknowns...reliability, dealer network, and of course - would it ride as nice as it looked?
Sensing my weakness, the sales droid insisted I take it out for a ride - it was actually their demo bike. It was easy to refuse, as I didn't have any gear - but he was persistent. "Go home and get your gear, come on back - you WON'T regret it."
I left, telling the guy I didn't want to waste his time until I'd done some research, and more importantly - cleared this little fantasy with my better half. After reading countless glowing reviews of the bike, extolling everything from it's phenomenal crossover performance from road to trail and rock solid reliability - I approached the lovely Dana. It went better than expected...plenty of the expected eye rolls as I tried to justify this ridiculous purchase, but in the end I just came clean - "It's sexy and I want it, just like you baby!"
One of my better lines. She didn't say no. Good sign.
The next day - I'm bored again. What the heck...called up the dealer, and asked if I could come down for a ride. Mistake #2.
I showed up, signed my life away, and was handed the keys with a request to put no more than 15 miles on it. Holy crap...this bike hit every one of my buttons. An engine like no other I've felt, and I've been on a few. An incredibly wide powerband...not luggy like a thumper, and not crazy/scary gobs of power at high RPM's like a sportbike. A gearbox equal to the awesome engine...shifts as smooth as butter that are so effortless, it seems like you will it into gears. Twist the throttle at virtually any speed/RPM's, and that buttery smooth power delivery comes on strong and predictable. And those brakes...gawd. I've never ridden a bike with ABS, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Suffice it to say, one quick ride experiencing them made it clear they're a "must have" on a bike like this.
Fast forward to yesterday - the KLR has been sold, first guy that came by bought it. A verbal deal has been struck on my new British hearthrob, deposit on it's way. Nirvana right around the bend.
OK, 'nuff bike blather - back to boats for the rest of you.
